What motivates you?
Like many (all) before me, I am motivated by a wide range of things. But if I had to distill it, my motivation comes from the power to create impact. To shape outcomes for better or worse.
My motivation is not static; it is a living process that evolves through iteration, reflection, and redirection. What ties it all together is the sense that my choices align with a larger path, not a final destination, but a journey through experiences, highs, and lows. A path of desperation-induced focus.
I often think about time and scale. Every generation before me consisted of two people making decisions, the choices that ultimately led to my and your existence.
Yet I will never truly know them: their personalities, experiences, or daily lives. When a person dies, they are remembered briefly, maybe through grief, perhaps through a tombstone. But eventually, they fade from memory entirely. This reality sharpens my motivation: decisions matter. They ripple outward, shaping the lives of those who follow.
I see myself as a fork in the road of my lineage. While my individual existence may fade, my choices can redirect the path for generations that come after me. I may not be able to change their innate qualities, but I can influence the circumstances they inherit. I can influence their opportunities, geographic location, financial standing, and social fabric.
That realization drives me. It really drives me.
What excites me is that impact compounds. Small decisions, like ripples in water, build into waves that can alter history.
Presently, I am motivated by building a foundation strong enough to weather a volatile economy and uncertain geopolitical environment.
For me and Gretchen, the goal is health, happiness, and privledge to live freely (i.e., do what we want, when we want, where we want, with who we want).
Alone, one person’s decisions may seem small, but together they weave the generational fabric that connects the past, present, and future. This is why I value automating what can be automated – to free mental capacity so I can focus on the decisions that matter most.
I am also motivated by “aha” moments. The spark when disconnected patterns suddenly click into place, forming an irreversible understanding. These moments expand perspective and deepen conviction.
A memorable one for me was seeing Fairchild in Hong Kong, where finance, technology, competition, supply chains, and politics all converged into a single, undeniable web.
In short, I am motivated by the responsibility to shape the future, the awareness that decisions matter, and the pursuit of clarity that comes when complex systems suddenly reveal their connections.