Kevin Vogelsang

These days are a blur for me, partly because I have so much I want to do, partly because I don’t want them to go away, partly because so much has changed.  I’ve come a long way this year, more so than usual.

The New Year is about looking ahead.  But, you can’t look ahead thoughtfully without taking a look back .  Here’s what I view as significant this year for me personally:

1. I graduated from MIT .  For me, the sentiment of graduation wasn’t “Hooray, I did it! What a journey! I have a degree!” it was “I finally have a chance to do my real work.”.  An education is undoubtedly valuable, but school always seemed like a cage to me, which was frustrating since I love learning new things.  It was also a relief when I discovered why, I like to learn in order to create:
2. Discovered my calling: to make valuable things.  If I’m not producing something of tangible valuable from my own two hands, I’m not being me.
3. I discovered I’ve got a real “hand” for writing.  I didn’t realize this until I started blogging, which I started doing for other reasons.
4. Started my first business venture.  I went for it, and although it’s a long tough road for an entrepreneur, I feel like I’ve already gotten a payout.  I had a blast.  I’m way ahead of the curve when it comes to knowing how to start something (which is an aspiration many have.)  I got to meet a lot of interesting people like Paul Graham, Marc Fleury, and Allen Nance–entrepreneurs are the most interesting group of people in the world.  (However, by no means was any of it easy at all.)
5. Developed an understanding of what it really means to be Relentless. It takes time to make something great and you really have to slog through the mud to make anything happen, and I want to make things happen.  All doers must understand this.

I’m looking ahead to some audacious goals for the coming year.

Live your dream in 2010.

-Kevin
12.1.2010