08/31/2026
Last night my wife and I went to see a band we've seen at least 10 times.
Somewhere in that crowd, something hit me — a feeling I hadn't felt in a while.
We have a picture of us at this same band's show in 2006. Twenty years ago. Fresh smiles, big ambition, and no idea what was coming. But we knew one thing: the freedom of the moment, surrounded by our favorite people. People I still adore today.
Last night I felt a touch of that 23-year-old kid in the crowd again.
And it made me ask myself a hard question:
When's the last time I let myself feel that same excitement in my career?
As an entrepreneur, I'm always looking forward — where we're going, what we've done, how to do it better. But last night reminded me why any of it has been worth it. Twenty years later, my wife is still by my side. Through the hard days, the good days, and every trial in between, it's the people around me that made it all matter.
So now I'm asking the same question about my career:
Who am I stacking around me?
Who am I spending my time with?
Do they fill me up?
Do they breed more excitement about what we're building?
I hope that 23-year-old kid would look at me today and say, "Man, I'm proud of us." Not because of the money — but because of the experience, how we bring people up, and building something bigger than ourselves.
Go see the band. Hug your people. Then take a hard look at who's in the crowd with you.
