The Beginning...

I thought I was creative. That is, until I wanted to put my creativity out into the world. Then I got scared. The fears outweighed the benefits and overarching goal. Why is that? Why is it so easy for us to worry about what other people will think? We know what's good for us and we go the other way. Does this sound familiar? The Spotlight Effect is in full effect, when really nobody actually cares that much at all. 

“What would you do if you weren't afraid?” Right now, it's putting myself and my work out on the internet. "Hello, world!" In a year it'll be something totally different. Or at least that's the goal. That means I'm growing.

This blog is the start of a new chapter and adventure for me. This is for those that may be in a similar boat, wanting more out of life but afraid to really get started. For those that truly want to go for it. For those that had false starts, that didn't finish the projects. For those that have "been thinking about doing XYZ for a few years."

But selfishly, it's for me. I've been in that exact boat for too long. I know this is a forcing function that will help me continue to grow, and that's my main motivation. Growth and experiencing life. A guiding principle I keep revisiting is to live a life I'm inspired by, and along the way I trust it'll inspire others. Even if it's a handful of people, it's more than zero.

For those in a similar position, here are a few things that helped push me to commit to this. I'll write more about these in the future, but to get started:

1. Show Your Work by Austin Kleon
2. Being more curious and wanting to share what I've learned
3. A personal goal to create more
4. A few finance quotes that relate:
   1. "In investing, what is comfortable is rarely profitable." — Robert Arnott
   2. "The biggest risk of all is not taking one." — Mellody Hobson
5. A significant life event that I am passionate about documenting: moving to London
6. ...and the many, many YouTube creators of whose content I've watched for countless hours.

The key realizations from all of these sources that have finally culminated in taking action are:

• ...because perfect never gets done. If I wait until the conditions are perfect, I will only be conditionally great. When things get tough or new challenges arise, it'll be too easy to break because things won't be what was anticipated in the "plan." Now, work should still be high-quality, but mistakes will happen and finishing it is the best way to get feedback and improve.
  

• This is both. It'll force me to grow through action, and along the way I can teach what I am learning and experiencing.
  

• As cliche as this is, it's true. I finally understand it doesn't matter what others think as long as I'm doing something productive that I enjoy. I can't please everyone. Someone is always going to think it's stupid or bad. Maybe it is! But I am confident in the life I am creating. I've rewired my brain a lot here, and I suspect others may benefit from this as well.
  

• This is the biggest one. Creating the life I want starts with me. I can't expect anyone to do it for me. This is the first step of many that I'll be documenting - lots more in the past that I'll write about as well like multiple Ironman races, living abroad, startup company exit, and more!
  

Thank you for joining me on this adventure. Do I expect every piece of work to be the best thing ever written? Absolutely not. Is that the point? No. Am I excited to document and share my experiences and what I'm learning. Hell yes! Will I get better as I go? Definitely. Let's do it.