I think back at my Marianopolis days all the time, not because I’m nostalgic or anything like that, but more because it marked what so far has been the most important part of my life to date – my first (thankfully successful) major attempt to build my own world.
Now without getting too abstract/poser-intellectual, let me try to explain what I mean. I’m sure you’ll be able to relate with a lot of this. Up to that point, life’s journey had pretty much been on auto-pilot. Charlemagne was like day camp. Things unfolded the way they were supposed to. And the path forward seemed pretty straight forward and defined. But, perhaps because of all the traveling we did when we were young, or the books I read about some pretty incredible people, I realized that an entire horizon existed beyond what was directly in front of me. A horizon I had to imagine and get to on my own.
It’s very hard to have picture of the world that only exists in your head. Like imagining yourself with a super hot girl you have a crush on, or driving a really nice car, or being at a great school. These are all dreams that don’t exist in the real world. The key is to make them happen – to build a world where they do exist. Getting into schools that are “statistically impossible” to get into is one example. My next major goal is to start a company that sells financial products that don’t even exist yet. And it was at Marianopolis that this new world view took shape and became a definite way of seeing the world for me.
I think in many ways the same thing is happening to you. You want to know where to go. Well you can go wherever you want. If you want to be a pro sports player, a published writer, a billionaire – whatever, you can do it. But you have to get there, and the only way to get there is if every fiber of your being is directed towards reshaping the world into how you see it in your mind. Of course, you don’t have to know exactly how things need to turn out. But you need to be crystal clear about in what direction you’re going. Or else you’re just stalling. Have a plan. Make sure it’s your plan. Have a life plan, and you’ll see you’ll need a lot of smaller plans to achieve your ultimate goal.
I was fortunate enough to meet a lot of really incredible people in the last few years. One guy I know was a nationally ranked rower in high school. Then after Wharton he planned to study at Julliard, because he’s a world class pianist too. But instead he now works at one of the best Hedge Funds in the worlds. And what I learned about this guy is that everything he did, he did it to max. Like his life depended on it. The same is true for whatever you decide to do. And if you’re working towards accomplishing your dream – shaping your world – then it’s easy and fun. And if all goes to plan, as Henry Thoreau said, you’ll “live the life you’ve dreamed”.
