I woke up this morning disturbingly early thanks to being sick and perhaps from some delayed effects of jet lag. I spent my early morning listening to an episode of The Tim Ferris Podcast where he spoke with Tony Fadell who is one of the masterminds behind things like the iPod and Nest. It's a great episode and worth the listen.
One of the many things they discussed is Tony's concept of "getting bored". That is, after a stage or period in your life, to take a break and experience life and reawaken your mind to new possibilities. For Tony, every 8-10 years seem to be his periods of focus for different things. In a recent period, him and his wife traveled and lived in several countries with their kids, ultimately leading to his creation of Nest.
This struck home since I recently did the same thing. Since graduating high school I had been following expectations and largely just going where the tide took me, without much central planning. I kind of set the direction and liked where things went, so I went with it. I expect that pattern to continue. However, I felt the momentum slowing, much as a cannonball eventually touches the ground after it is fired.
So, as you know, I quit my job in Seattle and went to travel, ultimately leading me to Madrid, Spain (where I'm currently settling in -- my first week here) for a MBA and Masters in Digital Business and Innovation.
This is what I view to be the beginning of the next chapter in my life. I've loaded myself with experiences, habits, and knowledge that are the raw materials to be refined. Truthfully, I don't know exactly what's next but it's no fun if you know how things will end up.
While I already had my "get bored" moment, I am still hoping that during my time here in Spain I find my inspiration that can drive the next decade of my life with purpose and drive. I'll be turning 30 this year to, so it's good timing.
Lastly, I've been spending some time reviewing 2019 and thinking about how I'd like 2020 to go. It's a process I've done the last few years -- which have honestly been incredibly transformative and enjoyable years. There is no causation in either direction, but there's certainly correlation. This year, I used this as the guide for my reflection. I don't ever stick to guides completely, but it was a nice framework to start from.
Anyways, happy new year to everyone. I hope it’s a great one and you achieve what you hope to. I’m not one for hyper specific resolutions, but I do hope to write more on here. Maybe once a week? Maybe more. We’ll see. I’m also hoping to pull something together on YouTube if I don’t get too shy about it. Plus, as always, I’ll be on Twitter sharing passing thoughts and Instagram sharing my experience in Spain. Say hi and let’s chat.