"The man who asks a question is a fool for a minute, the man who does not ask at all is a fool for life." — Confucius

Constantly critique, question, and develop yourself in a perpetual search for self-understanding. While we are young, we should dare to be foolish. Make mistakes and let those experiences form calluses on our mind, fortifying our perspective for the challenges ahead.

Live a life free of regret. Recognize that inhibition is the single greatest barrier to achieving what we dream of doing and aspire to be. Don’t let the 99.99% convince you that you can't be the .01%. Dream of playing in the NBA, creating a groundbreaking product, or becoming a Nobel laureate; Be prepared to back it up. Do not allow your dreams to remain as fantasies; transform them into plans and methods of action. Plan. Execute. When you truly believe in something, your conviction will illuminate the paths and steps needed to bring that belief into reality.

Find guides in life to use as inspirational models. Study what they do, what they say, and how they act. Use their lives as a foundation upon which you can build your own. René Girard’s Mimetic Theory speaks to this beautifully. If you want to build an enterprise like Nike, look at what Nike did at different levels of their scale journey and replicate. If you want to go to the NBA, look at a player who's similar to your playstyle and study their moves. Practice the shots they practice, regiment they follow, and mindset they adopt and replicate it. If you aspire to become the next Virgil Abloh, understand the importance of marketing and culture. This doesn't mean you need to meet Kanye West tomorrow, but rather that you should place yourself in the same kinds of spaces, to varying degrees, that Virgil occupied, compounding subtleties and skills every day. Since we are the culmination of our experiences, you can shape your destiny by aligning your actions with those of your influences. Recognize that they also put in a lot of work to get to where they are. Replicate that work most importantly, and then some.

Lead with kindness, but move with intent. A foundation of genuine kindness makes others receptive to you and your vision. The world can feel cruel, but that is a cycle perpetuated by that very belief; Be the outlier.

Define your purpose and be unwavering in that purpose. So many people drift through life on the whims of others. A clear purpose is magnetic. People carry an admiration for those who move about life with a clear and defined purpose and will want to vicariously experience your tenacity. That quality and trait is rare. Be bold and even callous at points if need be. Be relentlessly focused and innovative to compound those contributions you'll find into a significant enterprise. Herein lies the balance: trust the intuition born from a good heart, and guide it with stark logic. Master both, never depending solely on one.

Be cunning in moments when it is called for; Have consistent performance be your natural mode of habit. Being a troublemaker, square peg, and rulebreaker will give you that cunningness. You'll find that in order to survive as a troublemaker, you have to be cunning; Know how to talk your way out of situations, outwit others, and think outside of the box; Much like Odysseus in The Odyssey. While possessing the skills of cunning, there needs to be an inflection point where you make the shift to reliability and consistency. Think now about Achilles: A strong, proud warrior who could dependably win battles for the Greeks. Possess both sides of this spectrum and victory will find you in this life.

Finally, believe that you can change the world. However small you may feel, your network, reach, and capabilities can scale infinitely. History has repeatedly shown that the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, typically are the ones who do. Truly believe it, and you can be one of them.