do not go where the path may lead
go instead where there is no path and
leave a trail
i believe you can hear the siren call in
your lives without it leading to you
crashing against the rocks
and i think that's worth sharing not
everything in silicon valley or any
industry or
life for that matter need be portrayed
as home runs or strikeouts success or
failure it's so ridiculous that it's
portrayed that way
but it's what sells newspapers so it's
what you read about
you can have an idea that doesn't yield
a better way to do your job or your
career but it's
changes your life
the most successful people i know are
divorced and they tell me it wasn't
worth it
don't do it don't sacrifice your
families
hold your children up high as your
greatest inventions because they
are i invented something that many of
you use every day you don't know it it's
buried in the enterprise but i know it
and i know how it feels i'll tell you it
doesn't compare to every day
holding that one's happy and healthy
little hand and by the way
don't step on anyone's neck to advance
your cause
don't sue anyone and try not to get sued
you'll sleep better at night
my wife and i don't put work before our
daughter or each other
engineers in my company with similar
families and i have been together
most of our careers we don't waste time
commuting to offices
we don't have each other over for dinner
we don't have holiday parties
we get it done and then we see our
families
we're like a less good-looking legal
married with children version of the
ocean's 11 team
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we build good companies that great
companies buy and take around the world
as our path of least resistance
to contributing to the world building
smaller companies takes a lot less
capital and therefore a lot less risk
and therefore a lot less of a personal
toll and this also works in other
industries
my companies look a lot like seth
rogen's movies
a strict budget an acceptably sized
audience
although much smaller than a blockbuster
you know what he seems like a pretty
happy guy
too i agreed to join non-profit board my
primary school board and it changed my
life
i learned about parenting and education
and philanthropy and
what motivates people maybe you'll have
an
idea about attacking global warming or
maybe you'll have an idea about
attacking poverty
or maybe you'll have an idea about
attacking
truth and news reporting maybe you'll do
none of those things
but maybe you'll speak from your heart
authentically in front of the person
that you're going to marry and maybe
you'll be inspiring
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i took the only path to see you along
tiburon boulevard today where even our
most resourceful
most well-meaning people can't seem to
get their acts together regarding
changing their daily driving habits to
affect
traffic and so it goes in our little
town
and so it goes in most towns
how do we sacrifice allah to save the
planet if we can't even sacrifice
a little the union of concerned
scientists just forecasted that nearly 4
400 homes in marin county alone
are going to be completely underwater
in less than 30 years due to sea level
rise
so my generation your generation we're
gonna have to do something
we're gonna have to do something for now
i keep searching for ideas
like taking our daughter to school on an
electric tandem bicycle
we count the idling cars as we pass in
traffic we wave to them
they used to wave to us but we're
getting a little annoying now so they
kind of just
but it's something it's it's something
that we can do
in an increasingly unrecognizable world
my career
trajectory should be recognizable to you
this means you can do what i've done you
can have
this life you can be happy
in your career and your family and if
you want the world to know your name
well then i applaud you i really do the
world needs you
and i'll wish you every success if
you're willing to sacrifice it all
bet it all blow out the curve just
remember my name
as your backup plan
we named our daughter after emerson who
wrote
do not go where the path may lead
go instead where there is no path and
leave a trail
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you