Outlaw Logic

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Now for today's piece on outlaw logic.

Developing outlaw logic by choosing China.

I studied abroad in Shanghai, China in the fall of 2017 during my junior year of college.

I didn't know a lick of Chinese, I had never lived in a city (let alone the 5th most populated city in the world,) and I didn't know anyone participating in the program.

Folks thought I was insane. "Just go to Europe and have fun," they said.

I wasn't optimizing for fun. I wanted to challenge myself and go where others wouldn't.

As far as I was concerned, the "go to Europe" sentiment from the masses was a clear sign - a greenlight, if you will - that I was headed in the right direction by going to Asia.

This was my first interaction with outlaw logic. I just didn't know it yet.

An alumni film crew flew over to Shanghai to film footage for a new Elon admissions video. This isn't the full video, but it's a 2min cut that showcases some of the sights from my time in Shanghai.

What's outlaw logic?

Three years after I studied abroad, Matthew McConaughey released a curated collection of his finest journal entries over the years titled Greenlights.

In his book, the actor tells stories throughout his life that help depict his values system - one that centers on the idea of catching "greenlights" or successes.

Outlaw logic is a core component of the book. McConaughey sums up the concept quite nicely in a 2021 article:

This isn't about breaking rules that shouldn't be broken, though I did a little bit of that too growing up.

This is about breaking rules that are meant to be broken, and my experience in China motivated me to break a whole bunch more.

Multiple people purchased a physical copy of this book for me when it first came out. That was my first indication that I may align with some of the concepts presented here.

Beginning to intentionally break rules.

It's spring 2018, the semester after I studied abroad. I'm headed toward the end of my junior year, and I've unintentionally broken a major rule.

I haven't secured the coveted internship the summer after junior year - the one that leads to a full-time job offer and an easy-going senior year.

Top companies interview in the fall. I was in China then. They didn't want to schedule remote interviews around the time difference.

It's now April. I start scrambling. I begin interviewing not based on interest but on conformity. I don't want to be the one without an internship.

During an interview at a bank, I asked "what motivates you to do your work? Why do you do what you do?" The interviewer replied, "I don't see my kids much. I miss soccer games and t-ball games, but I know I make an impact by helping businesses make acquisitions."

I didn't like hearing that one bit.

They informed me that they wanted to fly me to Baltimore for a final round interview. I declined.

My thinking changed.

"What if I intentionally broke the rule of an internship the summer going into senior year?" I asked myself.

Memories of my trip to China began to come to the forefront of my mind after I decided that a traditional internship wasn't for me. More photos from my time in China can be found here.

The mountains in Western China led me to Montana.

It's mid-April. Summer is approaching. I need to land something, but I don't want to be in a cubicle. I thought back to my experience abroad.

I had been traveling in a western province of China called Gansu when a local asked me, "what does the west look like in the US?"

"I don't know," I replied. "I've never been."

The search was on. I began cold-calling ranches in Wyoming and Montana. Finally, one picked up - Mountain Sky Guest Ranch in Paradise Valley, Montana.

They had completed hiring for the summer, but they needed a ropes course facilitator.

"Do you have ropes experience?," Brittney the HR manager asked. "No, but I'm willing to learn," I replied.

Six weeks later I was driving across the country for one of the best summers of my life.

Before departing for Montana, my mom asked me, "Do you think you can do it?" I said with a smile, "Well, if anything happens, at least there isn't a language barrier like there was in Shanghai."

China had reset my baseline for rule-breaking. I've been questioning and reimagining the way in which we traditionally do things ever since, so it's safe to say that I've adopted a bit of outlaw logic (see van for more details).

Perhaps the rules in this season of your life don't revolve around a semester abroad, an internship, or life on the road. Whatever they may be, I hope this inspires you to question the status quo, and take action on the rules that were meant to be broken.

I had the chance to revisit Mountain Sky in Paradise Valley this past week. Two different seasons of outlaw logic in a single photo.

Photos of The Week

Location this past week: Paradise Valley, MT -> Big Sky, MT -> Coeur D'Alene, ID -> Seattle, WA -> Olympic National Park, WA

Had a great time celebrating the newlyweds, Schuyler and Greg, in Big Sky!

Horseback ride in the Gallatin National Forest. (L to R: Harrison, me, Andrew, Ali.)

Snagged a picture with my buddy, Mike, before heading over to the ceremony.

Providing my own transportation and lodging for weddings.

Putting my home on the ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge Island.

I wrote this newsletter from this campsite in Olympic National Park, an example of outlaw logic in a remote world.

Thanks for reading

What rules exist in your life that are in need of breaking?

Hit the reply button and let me know!

Josh

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