San Francisco/Palo Alto Feb 2009

The plush landscapes, rolling hills, and moderate climate always make me appreciate the natural beauty of Northern California; throw in some mountains & sea mass and it’s a certified playground! The aura and allure of adventure, the cultural diversity of the city, the concentration of human & financial capital…where do I sign?

Despite the disappointment of not physically living there at the moment, all things considered, it was great to getaway for a few days and a chance to breath some entrepreneurial air-for that I am thankful. But I’m not going to lie: Driving down Sand Hill Road made me feel like a kid in a candy store: There are literally millions and billions of dollars moving right there I thought to myself. As I caught some silhouettes through the business park windows from afar, I managed to forget that I was driving. Putting it all in perspective (realizing that I was in the midst of this market), it wasn’t long before I was reminded of an important lesson I learned in my earlier days in San Diego: in a general sense, you never know who you’re talking to.

Who’s driving in front of me? Who did I just chat with at the grocery check-out? Who lives in that mansion up in the mountain and what do they do for a living? What judgments am I making about this person based on their material/physical image or their body language? I relished in childlike curiosity as I explored my environment, just taking it all in and soaking it up, which brings me to some personal ramblings on my own curiosity:

Genuine curiosity demands a deeper level of self honesty and it requires the confidence to admit that which I don’t know and to questioning that which I already assume I do know. All too often I fall victim to the false security of “knowing” and thus being “certain” about some aspects that compose my “wordview”, so I can see the value in challenging my assumptions and the ability I have to consciously change them as needed. In this sense, it’s important for me to constantly be reminded of just how much I don’t know because it’s important that I practice humility. I think it’s essential for me to stay curious and I plan on continuing my curiosity quest.

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