It's officially been 10 months since I moved to Chicago. Time has passed so quickly. My first year of business school is over. I made it to Finland, Estonia, London, San Fran, LA, NYC, Colombia and Spain, won the New Venture Challenge w/ Matchist (a big goal going into b-school), amassed a massive network here in Chicago, and am now an expert in all things Chicago (...somewhat!). I've adapted beyond the life of a Paulista (one kiss, not two), the prato rapido and the constant pressures of learning a new language. Chicago has now become second nature. The unusually long winter, followed by the spectacular summer - today was actually overcast. Beaches, great food, busy streets, biking, sailing, fay-bans, neon, loving life. I can't think of many other places to spend my summer than here in The Windy City.
Yes, so things worked out. I passed on an offer in Brasil and another in NY to stay and work on a startup called BikeSpike (bikespike.com); this while also being able to pursuit an investment strategy with two great friends / Boothies in Myanmar beginning in August (bodhicapital.com). To top it off, I finally get to summit Kili in September and spend time in the African savanna and on its beaches. These are big moves. This is learning and life in action.
Yet with all of these plans sealed and ready for me, it is interesting to reflect and realize that there is a small part of me that doesn't want to leave the US. There is a part of me that is fearful of change. Why subject myself to the chaos of Yangon when I could just redirect my energies to a project here in the city or more so in the US? Likewise, why travel to the Middle East, Africa and Asia when I could just focus. Is this my weakness? A lack of focus? Or is it that it's my strength - a terrific ability to push forward on multiple fronts, sometimes prior to discovering what some of those fronts are? Questions.. Questions I'll eventually know answers to or maybe will not.
Regardless, this is the summer of taking risk, learning more than I've ever before and finding a home. It's the beginning of legacy building, the time when I get to live out what I had once only read in a book, what once lived only in my mind. The time has finally arrived where I do.
So to circle back, what do I do with this hint of fear / desire to stay the same? Should I give in and pause life to feel comfortable? I think not. In fact, I say screw it and still go to Asia because I want to. To Burma, as was my initial thought, it is 'opening up' ergo I am there. To Africa, I prep, train and dream as you only get a few times to truly challenge yourself. To business school, I make the most of the summer, internalize the lessons learned and make a genuine effort to deliver onto others, particularly, 1st years, the lessons I've learned over what will be 12 months of time in this very special phase of life; then, I continue to pound away at Myanmar and BikeSpike along with scoping out "full-time recruiting" to solidify my post-MBA life.
Change is always coming, so it's best to be ready and stay agile. Why not be ahead of the curve and be before it is. Train train train everyday to deal with change, stay open and life will lend you your piece of happiness.
Through this great fog around my life these days, I feel like I've found that happiness.
Yes, some quick thoughts that hit me on this warm night in Chicago.
Boa noite.
P
Here are some shots of the city that I've taken below:
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