Today, I turn 22 years old. This will not be a long emotional essay about how I feel about getting older or any philosophical defense of my aversion towards birthdays. I just want to use this essay to say thank you. The past year has been immensely challenging (and rewarding) in so many different ways and I know I would not be anywhere close to my current point without the support of others.
I really do feel this way. I am incredibly grateful for those around me…those who have taken irrational chances on me and invested in me (with their time, money, and social capital). I believe in teams over individuals and will always default to surrounding myself with the most amazing people possible.
The last year has truly been a whirlwind of adventure. 2018 was chaotic. 2019 is already off to an epic first half and I am so so excited for what is to come.
I promise you, future Jordan, that the next year of your life will be the most challenging. Everything to this point will become a footnote in what will hopefully be an amazing, difficult, rewarding year.
I am excited for what’s next not because I know what lay ahead but rather because I know that I do not. I know that I have tons to learn and that entering the unknown, emerging into the scene, will be very hard. I am signing up for fear because I believe it will make me a better person and help me access leverage and do the things I want to do. I may be wrong, but that is my bet. And I am going to pursue my bet over the next 6 months with relentless resourcefulness and a scrappy attitude to get things done.
I have always operated as the underdog and I want to keep it that way. As I get older, expectations around me will rise and that is largely a good thing. I hope to never forget, though, how I started and continue to bring a scrappy attitude to what I do. I am a nobody. I am nothing. And no arbitrary vanity accomplishments or external pseudo-validation should or will change that.
Big things start small. I am small. Super small. Again, I am nothing. I have a long way to go. Will do whatever it takes to get there!
To 22.
Cheers.