Get in flow with who you were meant to be with iterative experiments, judgment-free a/b tests, and continuous evolution by simply inviting-in that which works and discarding the rest.

I grew up in Chicago and have lived in the Silicon Valley, the Carolinas, South Africa, Scotland, and now Florida. I’ve traveled to many places and I most cherish trips wherein I can blend in locally. Alone in Beijing, Shanghai, Rome and more, I wandered down back alleys, up rickety staircases and dined in family-run restaurants not accustomed to tourists. Travel is best when it feeds your ears, eyes and notebook as much as your entertainment and gustatory desires.

Another anchor is something I call “infinite self-kaizen.” Kaizen, continual improvement, is, for me, a form of forgiving reflection and movement toward greater aspirations. Without judgment, I continually reflect on what worked in my days, and what I might do less of. I prune this, and seek out that. From skills, to mindsets, to permissions, to people, to environments and to experiences.

I also am attracted to the concept of techne: making and building “In Real Life,” honing a craft through practice vs. theory. The real world is our teacher; it bounces back at us in funny and unexpected ways. 

Anytime there seem to be too many goals, too many options, and too many solutions to too many problems, I anchor to the essence of what we should be doing here on Earth:

Run tests. Ask "what works?" Do that. And run more tests.