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- Soul Driven
Five years ago, before I left on a journey out West, I walked into a tattoo shop in Brooklyn.
I got a small tattoo on my back left shoulder, positioned behind my heart. Subtle enough that most people would never notice it.
It read:
Soul Driven.
Those two words were a promise to myself.
To make decisions aligned with who I was. To move toward the things that gave me energy.
I wanted to carry that commitment wherever I went.
Growing up, I spent a lot of time thinking about how to make money doing something I cared about. I wanted earning a living and finding meaning to happen together.
Because the years spent building something are your life, too.
All I ever wanted was to build something that could scale around what I believed in. Around my ideas. A company I could pour myself into and see something of myself in as it grew.
That desire became Arcbound.
And there have been times when it made more sense to quit.
I've held on because I knew what I'd eventually go looking for again: a way to do meaningful work, make money, and feel good about the person I was becoming in the process.
Giving that up would leave me searching for a way back to the very thing I had walked away from.
Today, we get to spend time with people who have accomplished far more than I have. They've built companies, made the money, had the exit.
And as they consider their next chapter, our conversations often turn toward something deeply personal.
What do they care about now? What have they put aside? What would they love to pour themselves into?
They still have ambition. They want their next endeavor to succeed financially. They also want to feel connected to it.
I understand that desire because I've spent years trying to honor it myself.
To help them work through the very thing I'm working toward in my own life is an honor I don't take lightly.
Five years later, the tattoo is still there. So is the promise.
I think we all have an inner voice that gives us some sense of where we belong. It can get buried under other people’s expectations, the pressure to succeed, or the fear of changing direction.
For me, “Soul Driven” was a reminder to keep listening. And to give that voice a say in the decisions I made.
If you could put one commitment behind your heart, something to guide the next chapter of your life, what would your tattoo say?
Community Notes
1) Book Recommendation
I recently spent time in Dallas with my friend Bob Beaudine, author of The Power of Who. His new book, A Cup Short of Greatness, is out now!
2) Newsletter Recommendation
We all care about our health and how to take better care of it. Check out the first edition of Vitals, the newsletter from Dylan Gambardella.
3) The One Away Show: Latest Episodes
One Pivot Away From Protecting the World's Critical Infrastructure
With the CEO of Opswat
One Frozen Yogurt Shop Away From a Life in Business
With the CEO of Dreamliner Luxury Coaches
One Larry King Lesson Away from a 35 Year Career
With the Head of Visibility at UBS
Join Us October 13
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