Musings from the week

Each week in SF is wild. I look back to Friday night (today is Sunday) and that seems like forever ago, yet, I’ve somehow already been in this city for three weeks. “The days are long but the years are short.”

With the days so full, I feel like there’s a lot that I’m picking up on and learning, so I’m going to sum up some of those things this week. I’m thinking about including this as a shorter section in all posts moving forward. TBD.

• You should only start a company if you feel like you have no other option

I started watching Startup School last week, and that was one thing from Dustin Moskovitz that stuck out. It’s easy in SF to think that it’s sexy to start a company, but Moskovitz is basically saying that it’s incredibly difficult and most people don’t actually want to do so (which as I think about it makes sense). This idea, though, that we should only start a company if we feel like we have no other option, that we have an obligation to start it, is our heart telling us, “start this company.” The same way that Phil Knight was guided by his heart in Shoe Dog. As a caveat, I’d bet not everyone guided by their heart succeeds, and some people think it’s their heart when it’s not. But I still like that principle.

• Sleep 8 hours a night

We are busy each day and decide what to prioritize. One thing that often falls at the wayside for me is sleep. Not that I’m pushing 5 hour nights, but I’m not sleeping enough to function highly throughout the day. It’s an interesting idea to think that if we sleep more, we can work at a super high-energy pace all day long (10–12 hours).

• I’m so fortunate to be as plugged into communities as I am

My first three weeks here have made me realize how fortunate I am. I have met and spent time with some truly amazing people that are part of the reason that San Francisco has the rep that it does. It’s because I go to a school with a great alumni community out here, I have great friends that are well connected, I got involved in a student-run VC fund that has great people, I have great family, and even because I have friends from my time in a Jewish youth group, BBYO, when I was younger. All very random and diverse, but great, nonetheless. It makes me realize how fortunate I am to be here, which is a reminder that I should take full advantage of my time and the resources available.

• I love pushing myself super hard

When I was going for a run on Friday, I realized that there’s nothing I enjoy more in a workout than pushing myself to my limits. I think it’s part of our nature/makeup but it gives me so much energy, no matter how hard it is for me to motivate to get into the gym in the first place. Pushing yourself to that certain level gives me energy for the entire rest of the day, typically.

• It’s really good to be friends and talk consistently with people that are ahead, on pace, and behind you in your journey

It’s not that black and white, but I think everyone is at a different point in their lives. Wherever we are today, there are some that are ahead of us (have experienced more, understand themselves better, closer to fulfilling/finding their dreams), others that are around the same place we are, and others that are behind us. Spending time with those three groups of people (younger, same age, and older as others might refer) can teach you a lot and help you be a positive influence on others.

Those are the big ones that I have been mulling over this week.

Writing about them, in general, and diving a little deeper into these thoughts is a great step towards understanding them, since we often wouldn’t take the time to do so.

Thank for reading.

Year 1, Article 7.

Cheers :)
N.B.A