New Beginnings
"In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing."
-Theodore Roosevelt
Admittedly it has been a really long time since submitting anything to this website. This is not due to forgetting about its existence or poor time management, rather my ideology that “good” material really only comes naturally. In short, I can only write something that means a lot when there is a hiccup in my life.
Self-inflicted discomfort, in a non-sadistic way, is important. We are taught to strive for the “dream”, but this dream is not always realistic and certainly is not what it is cracked up to be. Recently I decided to leave my job at SpaceX. Good salary, great company mission, fun environment, and subsidized fancy food truck!! I mean this all sounds and was great, so why leave?
I cannot answer this question easily and yet it seems so important to be able to justify my choice. Simply put, I need challenges and new adventures to keep me interested. SpaceX is great in that there are technical challenges, but what remains is everything else. Same commute to work, same bar for a beer, same grocery store, same…you name it. The system has been hacked, fully explored within reason.
But Los Angeles has so much to offer! Yea sure, there are new restaurants, different bars, and activities all around the city. However, again, same weather, same people. It’s odd that the more indirectly regimented my life has become the more itchy I get for a change instead of reclusing into comfort. What is in store now that I have left my job? Honestly, much will remain the same. Things in my life that I LOVE will still be there. My partner, my sweet kitchen knives, and my never satisfied thirst for exploration.
Incremental change in your life is not a bad thing. It’s just safe and slow! Being impatient is both my worst and best quality. Along with somewhat reckless decision making, my excitement levels have sky rocketed. Am I scared about an unknown future? Yes. Am I willing to forfeit freedom for more definition? Not at all. In life we are given so many opportunities to make choices. Choices that define who we are and where we are headed. Decisions that can weigh heavily if the result is negative and can feel amazing when the outcome is positive. In the spirit of this blog I choose to continue aiming to fail. It is up to us to define the path we take. I choose not to tip-toe, but instead step whole-heartily forward.
To everyone who has been part of my life at SpaceX and in Los Angeles, I thank you! You have been an irreplaceable part of my life and I am a better person for that. And to my partner, Giannina, I am sorry! Haha. You are an amazing person and I cannot wait to see what our future holds together. While everything changes around us I want you to know the one constant that I look forward to is time with you.