What does one write for a first post?
Let’s find out together.
After week one at the Startup Institute–which felt like a day and a month and a dream all at once–I have a bajillion thoughts and lessons and ideas and reflections zippin’ around my brain matter right now (all positive), but I’ll just pick three.
1. New fact for my brain!:
There is a product being developed out there, by which users hope to change their unhealthy behaviors via electric shock. pretty cool. a bit scary. totally pavlov. did he have kids?
2. PROOF!:
So I believed it at first. But after a week here, I also now have firsthand evidence. PROOF. That the magical, selfdiscoverial, grateful, payforwardful vibe that I was getting from SI in my initial interactions is, in fact, real and sustained.
And the epicenter of such glee is not confined to 179 Lincoln Street. Nono. It’s in the hearts of the staff, the people who mentored and inspired them, and the students they mentor and inspire. So actually, theres a bunch of mini epicenters scootin around Boston and beyond. And they are multiplying. It’s a glee infestation.
It’s not just that they know whats important to them and are doing it. It’s that what is important to them is helping others identify and convert into action what is important to THEM as individuals who want to make a big ole beautiful dent in this world.
3. A reflection:
As CEOs tell their stories, I’m learning that oftentimes a central value they possessed is what drove them to action and to their initial success, not even knowing what that value was. Then at some point within that initial success, they recognized that value, which enabled them to more intentionally harness its motivating and navigating power, which then accelerated their subsequent success.
There are tons of values out there. And tons of avenues for projecting them. The permutations are endless! And for each one there’s a particular population whose lives are getting better because of it.
The CEOs that speak here are living examples of what happens when values get put into action.