Stephen: Summer 2018
Class of 2016, Stephen moved to Boston after graduation to work on his own startup
Health: 7.5/10
When I’m traveling, I’ve been able to visit my family more often, once every couple of months. It’s been good for me, especially when it’s so easy to get caught up in work. For me, family is one the constants in my life.
I’m not happy with where I am physically because I was in very cold weather. However now that it’s warmer I’ve been consistently running everyday. I’m excited about where I’m headed, since I’m training for a marathon (July 29) so I’m getting back into it. Running is so good for my mental health too, which is intertwined with my physical. It puts me in a better mood, and allows me to handle problems better.
My faith in God is very strong and gets me through the downs of entrepreneurship, and makes each day worth living. Having my foundational strength in God allows me to take on each day as an exciting challenge, because if I fail I can still rest in the comfort that who I am in God doesn’t change. In the mornings I meditate on how the Word applies to my life.
Where I’m lacking is sharing my faith with friends, because I’ve been on the go a lot and when I do meet with friends the majority of the time is spent catching up, and we don’t get to delve into the deep stuff. Besides my partner, I haven’t made new close friends since graduating.
Work: 8/10
Work is all my company, everyday, that’s it. Securing partnerships, managing development, continuing to get customer feedback on the platform to make sure we’re building the right things for our initial launch. The company consumes my day to day activities, especially gearing up for our debut this summer. We’ve done it before with smaller events but this is the first big event we’re doing. During this process, I’m thinking about my social media channels, and what kind of image the company and myself will have when we get the spotlight. I don’t have time for any other projects because everything is for the growth of the company.
What I enjoy is that it’s a big puzzle, as we figure out our go-to-market strategy and potential partnerships. I want all our business partners to enjoy doing business with us, and adding value on both sides, not just for myself. Ultimately we want to provide an amazing experience to the end user.
The work is 10/10 fun, and I love what I’m doing, but the uncertainty brings down 2 points.
Play: 4/10
Hmm. The fact that this takes a moment to answer is very telling.
Engaging in random conversations where I’ll spend a few hours doing deep dives in intellectual banter is really fun. I enjoy getting other people’s opinions on new tech development, neuroscience, and implications of advancement — like Black Mirror topics.
When I go home, I play board games with my brothers. My play is lacking, partly because I’m not settled down in one area. Once I move to LA this summer, and have more time for the outdoors, I think my play will be more balanced.
Love: 10/10
I’m very happy with my love in general. From the love my mother has shown me in hard times recently, having her comfort and guidance in situations I’ve had to go through, to the love of my partner, learning more about each other and supporting her. Daily, through these hard times it makes me more reliant upon God. I feel like self sufficiency can take away love from God, so the more challenges I have, the more love I have for Him.
Being in the Midwest things are pretty simple around here, and when I spend time with my family that familiar love is so strong. I’m strengthened by my family, and my partner. Being able to care about something other than the company allows me to enjoy all the work I put into it. It’s worth preserving and growing everyday.
Let me contextualize this
This is one candid snapshot from a chronicle of a few people’s post-graduate journeys. Some of us graduated Class of 2017. Others, a few years out. Each of us are on an unmapped journey to somewhere, optimistic that the dots will somehow connect in the future.
My hope to you is that when you follow along with our stories you will find comfort in the intentional randomness of life, and find courage in your own seemingly “monumentous” decisions.
The format will be simple — every four months, I will ask each post-grad to gauge 4 areas of their life (as inspired by the highly recommended book Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans):
- Health (physical, mental, spiritual)
- Work (9–5, side projects)
- Play (things you do purely for fun)
- Love (from you and to you)
