The Great Debate: What do you want to do with YOUR life?

I had the infamous "doing what your heart desires" debate with my friend from Princeton and the premise of our discussion is worth mentioning here. We debated the typical "would your parents let you do what you wanted" and the importance of education and I've come to a distinct (but perhaps not unique) conclusion: many parents may SAY they support their kid in whatever they want to pursue, but that's not often the case. Let me explain...

I know many people, including this person with whom I debated, who feel passionate about something "else" - that is, something they're not currently pursuing but would, in all likelihood, make them happier. In this case, the person is studying business/economics but has a stronger interest in fashion. In the case of a different friend, he is studying aerospace but has mentioned to me before that he would have liked to study architecture (and probably would have been a great architect!)

So now why do these people - and believe me, there are many more examples - all follow a more "conventional" route? It can't just be a parent's pressure - there's also pressure from society and, well, the pressure each person puts on themselves.

So should everyone just follow their passions? No, not necessarily. I think people should follow their passions to the extent that their passions align with their abilities. It's certainly the case that this world isn't structured so that everyone can do whatever they want. And, of course, I'm certainly not advocating doing whatever you want because you may be very, very bad at it.

Hypothetically, say I greatly enjoy math - deriving formulas is MY inspiration (ha, that'll be the day!). But assume that I'm very bad at math and very good at... litigation. Well, I would (likely) feel strong pressure from my parents, friends, and other acquaintances to become a lawyer, or at least something related to my strength, rather than a mathematician.

But my take is that shouldn't be the case - I should pursue whatever makes me happy, with a slight nod to practicality. And I don't think enough people do that. So, who knows, maybe this post will inspire at least one person to think again about what their passions are and to think about whether they are pursuing what makes them happy. It's definitely not too late to go after that thing that inspires you. And if you don't know what makes you happy, maybe this will get you thinking about it a little more!

Book Review: "Legacy"

When I was up in Newport a few weekends ago, I was recommended (and given) a book called "Legacy: A Biography of Moses and Walter Annenberg". I promised I'd read it, mostly because the person who gave it me said the book was absolutely wonderful. So I got back to CT, started reading it, and was hooked.

I never thought a biography of two (until now) random people would actually teach me something. The book really got me thinking about struggles and successes in the US and all the other cheesy stuff about opportunity and what have you, so it only seems fitting that I finish the book on Independence Day.

The Annenbergs are a family that really went from nothing to something and to give away much of the book would rob it of its allure. To give you all a bit of background, the book delves into the struggles of Moses and then transitions to the life of Walter, in a sort of passing of the torch moment. I'd say the book starts out fast, slows down some in the middle (at that passing of the torch moment), and then gets better and better until the end.

So would I recommend it? Certainly! The book is worth a read - but be warned, it took me much longer than usual to read through the 500+ pages, so make sure you budget a lot of time. Happy readings!

27 Skills...

Here are 27 skills a student needs to know, according to zen habits. Any feedback on this?

The interesting thing is we agree with a lot of the list and that is why we started our company. For example, we've always felt financial skills (investing, budgeting, frugality, etc.) are incredibly important and that we've both gotten a leg up because our parents taught us these skills. It's still unfortunate that these skills aren't taught and developed in school, though with (mostly) declining school budgets I can see why administrators aren't rushing to add these classes. I actually volunteered to teach a leadership/teamwork skills class at Galloway and was shut down about a year ago - I was shocked at how the idea was quickly shot down! Oh well... happy readings from vacation (I'll be in and out through July 4th).