Where can I best serve & build equity?

Howdy from Cheyenne, WY,

Welcome to the 3 new subscribers from last week.

That's right, folks. We're back on the road.

Updates on what I'm optimizing for, what's goin' on with the van, and van video #4 can be found below.

I optimized for independence & discovery in my early 20s.

I spent years 20-25 trying to gain an understanding of how to support myself (independence) and who I was (discovery).

I made the following transitions during this time:

• Started a career in consulting -> honed product mgmt. skills in the AI space

• Began refining my own ideas -> started publishing my writing online

• Needed to learn from entrepreneurs -> created a podcast to engage w/ founders

• Wanted to see the country -> built a chariot on wheels to live in

Through all of that work, some of which I'm still doing, I've learned 2 things:

1. I like to build stuff.

2. I like to tell stories.

Funny how we think refinement leads to complexity. Really, it leads to simple yet profound answers.

I know more about myself at 25 than I did at 22.

Yet, as I approach the back half of my 20s, I feel the need to prioritize 2 new variables above independence and discovery.

Optimizing for 2 different variables in my late 20s.

Discovery and independence are centered on one's self, but they are far from selfish.

It is your responsibility to challenge yourself, uncover your skills/interests, and find what makes you happy and healthy.

But what is the purpose of this self-work if you don't share its fruits with others?

I will continue to invest time/energy into my own discovery and independence, but I will not weight them as the top 2 variables as I did in my early 20s.

Instead, I plan on prioritizing 2 different variables in my late 20s:

1. Service - putting the needs of others before myself.

2. Equity - literal ownership in the things I build and the stories I tell. Metaphorical ownership of my goals, habits, attitudes, and behaviors.

How do you optimize for service & equity?

The work I've completed in my early 20s has clued me into the answer.

Service & equity requires me to know the heartbeat, or the people, of a place.

With so much moving around, I've had the chance to cast a wide net and meet people from all walks of life across the country.

Constant moving has incredible benefits but one clear drawback - breadth, not depth, in relationships with local community leaders.

I need to build strong, local friendships with:

• Artists - so I can understand their works (on stage & in galleries)

• Historians - so I can learn the stories of the city that have been passed down

• Civic leaders - so I can understand the existing resources within the community

• Startup founders - so I can learn from people who have built equity in companies

• Authors/podcasters - so I can learn from people who have built equity with words

• Accountability groups - so folks can help me match my words with my actions

• Small business owners - so I can support their enterprises with my resources

• Underrepresented groups - so I can best serve the needs of the community

These folks will help guide me in terms of serving and building equity.

Does this mean I'm done with discovery & independence?

Heck no.

I will prioritize service and equity, but I do not intend to stop uncovering more about myself.

The ideal state is to have the roots to cultivate community/connection and the wings to explore/challenge myself.

I plan on accomplishing this by signing a 12-month lease in a city this fall and keeping the van as my daily driver.

That way, I can call a spot home but still have a recreational vehicle to explore part-time.

So, if Caroline the Cabin on Wheels could stop breakin' down and keep cooperating, then that'd be a real treat.

I mean shoot, just having her back on the road this week has fired me up for adventure - more on that below.

The van is fixed.

Only time will tell whether or not that statement remains true.

Each breakdown was fuel pump related. It was good that it wasn't 4 different things, but it was also frustrating that we couldn't get to the bottom of it.

The Ford dealership found a faulty wire towards the back of the vehicle that was supposed to ground the fuel pump (but was failing to do so.)

So even though we had replaced all of the fuel pump components in previous repair attempts, the fuel pump still wasn't getting power.

I spent the past 3 weeks couch surfing, and let me say this: the next time you're up the creek, I hope you have friends as good as mine to help you through.

Mike, Harrison, Andrew, Owen, Jack, & Chrissy, thank you all for getting me through.

Where to now? Well, I was supposed to be in Oregon by now. Due to lost time, we're switching things up. We're going north. We'll head west later in September.

Van Video #4

I recorded the van build and broke it into 5 videos:

1. Design & Demolition

2. Vertical Framing & Sound Insulation

3. Building the Bed Frame

4. Wool Insulation & Walls

5. Cabinets & Countertops

The fourth video, Wool Insulation & Walls, can be found below.

The final video, Cabinets & Countertops, will be in next week's newsletter!

Photos of The Week

Location this past week: Denver, CO -> Cheyenne, WY

Taking in a Rockies-Diamondbacks game.

View of the sunset over the Rocky Mountains as a storm comes in from Coors Field.

I named my first car after the town of Cheyenne, so visiting for the first time feels like a homecoming 😂.

The Wyoming State Capitol.

My first car, Cheyenne the '98 Jeep Grand Cherokee, after I detailed her one summer day in 2015. I named her Cheyenne because I used to joke that she was the color of champagne (boy, 17-year-old me was a hoot.) Miss you every dang day, Chey.

A second pic of Cheyenne because, if you give me an inch when talking about my former Jeep, I'll take a mile.

Thanks for reading

What variables are you optimizing for in this season of life?

Hit the reply button and let me know!

Josh

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