As a kid, I don’t think I loved any series quite as much as Star Wars (the OG ones of course). There was something about the battle between good and evil that captured me. I would watch them while thinking if something had gone a different way, how would the story have unfolded? The lasting impression that it had on me was that good always prevails, somehow. This mindset still is extremely deep rooted in who I am as a person. But that line between good and evil, that razor thin line, is much harder to navigate when you are the main character.
My purpose in life is to help others, as I think that is the case for the majority of humanity. And how that manifests in the world has been through the use of cameras and telling stories, mostly because it was the only way that I knew how to communicate. But I have come to realize that the expression is not necessarily the purpose itself. For example, my purpose is not to be a filmmaker, a creative, a designer, a writer, or an entrepreneur. It’s about using those skills to fulfill my purpose of helping others. I have a particular gift in having conversations in a way that encourages inspired actions not just by me, but those that I speak with. I can’t quite explain it, but there is this energy that I feel when this happens. I think that this what alignment to purpose feels like.
I mention this purpose because it is rooted in the belief that humans are all inherently good, that we all are destined for a purpose that leads to growth; that 1+1 can equal more than 2, especially in the natural world. All of these things are incredibly clear when put into a sandbox. But once you begin to add complexities, it gets much more complicated. I wanted to make films for non-profits when I began my career because the only thing I wanted to do was help others, my purpose. While I did that, I couldn’t afford to live. In order to make ends meet, I took on some corporate projects. Not what I intended, but I was at least still heading in the right general direction, helping others. But at some point along the way, the line became blurry. Not between good and evil, but purpose and necessity. This is not me saying corporate is bad or that money is bad. Both have the power to do incredible things. But equally, they have the power to do the opposite.
We live in a world today that is remarkably complex, which makes it almost impossible to understand. Humanity-induced complexity or not, it is what it is. While we have been living through the Age of Information, I believe we have transitioned into the “Age of Discernment” (if that hasn’t been coined yet, dibs). There is so much information now that discerning truth is next to impossible. And this isn’t about any political conversation, although that is always the low hanging fruit. This is about being able to discern our own power as an individual in the modern world. I am in an admittedly privileged position. I am the Founder and CEO of a media company that is on the sharp end of innovation and truly has the opportunity to reshape the future of media. Yet, I often feel powerless to make a difference.
I founded the company with the belief that stories of good people, doing good things, make great things happen. And I still believe that. But at the same time, there is a sacrifice that comes with that belief (at least in my experience). And that sacrifice is growth. Let’s take a good, easy example: AI. The positive, a transformative technology that has the potential (very important word) to lead to breakthroughs in almost every area of life. The negative, not enough power for the rest of the world and not a certainty that the technology will work. Yet, the billions are pouring in to chase this intangible uncertainty that is also questionable for the good of humanity. And this is the level of complexity where good vs. evil becomes paramount.
Before I dive deeper, I mentioned before that humans are inherently good. That is still true. So while I refer to evil, I don’t believe it is intentional evil, but the lack of choice and a long term mindset. We are all just doing the best that we can with the cards we have been dealt. With that out of the way, let’s get back to it.
Two years ago, GOAT probably could have received boatloads, and I mean BOATLOADS of funding if we were like everybody else in the world that just added AI to the end of our name. We would have plenty of runway, we would hire a lot of people, and we would be “so close” to a breakthrough when we would be just burning cash. And we wouldn’t even have to be transparent about it (thanks OpenAI). But to me, ethically, it is not the right thing to do.
Broadening the discussion from AI, this happens so much in the investment space in general. Most of the VC space is about a huge return so they can raise another fund, carry their salary on the float, wear the Patagonia vest, and feel important on a retreat in Tahoe. They are entirely missing the point. Returns are important, and profitability marks a good business, but patience is lacking from this entire picture. I was telling somebody today that the investor mindset needs to be more Berkshire Hathaway than Sequoia Capital. I don’t think anybody disagrees that Berkshire is quite successful. How did they do it? Patience and believing in good products, good people, and building good businesses. What we really need in this world is not more, but better.
So how does this even apply to people like you and me? We are the casualties of misplaced ambition. This powerless feeling that I have, that many have, is mostly because there is this feeling that no matter what we do, somebody is either pulling the strings or closing the door on opportunity for a reason that doesn’t seem believable. The more it happens, the harder it is to believe that things can be different. But in that moment, that is where the line between good and evil becomes most clear. You see, this battle of good and evil, the Star Wars scenario from the beginning, is just a reflection of the internal struggle that we face. At any point, there is a choice to be different, there is a choice to be good.
Every single day, there are numerous choices that can vastly change the trajectory of our lives. And each of these choices will have a path that is good and a path that is easy. I believe that most want the good path, whether it is said or not. But most aren’t prepared for the endurance that it takes to make it through. That’s not to say bad days won’t happen, I have them quite frequently. But thinking about a long enough timeline, the trajectory should always be in the upward direction.
I had an index card on my cork board when I was a kid. It was from my favorite author, John Steinbeck. His life and his writings are full of stories of good people, bad experiences, and meaningful moments. He is always somebody that I admired because most of it was inspired by his life experience, which also instills this sense of hope that good will always prevail. The notecard on the board was a simple sentence, “It is not taking the easy road the matters, but taking it right and true.”