When I was a child, I was a very good reader, yet I could not find many books that fully grabbed my imagination. One book that really spoke to me was The Giver by Lois Lowry. There was something about the search for deeper knowledge and deviation from the status quo that really spoke to me.
In that book, The Giver bears a terrible burden of carrying the knowledge and truth of the world and sharing it with Jonas, a young boy, who was singled out to be the next giver.
At the end of the book, The Giver passes along all of the knowledge of the world to the one who was singled out to carry the experience and then passes away. Sorry for the spoiler alert, the book is over 30 years old. It was in that moment that I realized the way I want to die is after sharing all of the knowledge that I possibly could with the few people equipped to responsibly carry it.
How do I want to live?
I’ve never understood why people would want to live in a utopian society where everything is the same. When Jonas started seeing in color is when he realized that there was something different about him. I want to live a colorful existence, even if it means having an intimate awareness about the dystopic nature of what is actually going on around me.
In society, people seem to curate their existence from frameworks that have already been established. This doesn’t seem that rewarding to me. I’m curious about the variety of what the world has to offer while I have the opportunity to ponder upon it. I feel like this is why Jonas resonated with me at a young age.
As I value both knowledge and experience, I need to keep learning nonstop so I can gain the body of knowledge about the world that opens my mind enough to truly understand how the big spinny globe operates. A lot of life looks like ants marching if you zoom out on the telescope from outer space. I want to know why the ants are content to continue marching, or if it is the only thing they know.
Why does it matter?
I have to live with myself until the day I die. I would rather spend a lifetime understanding what truly is rather than pondering what I have been told. Experiential wisdom means everything to me.
Sharing the wisdom of the world is not for the weak of heart, nor is it for the closed-minded individual. At the same time, sharing experience about history is the only way to avoid repeating it in the future. In American society in 2026, a truly dystopian existence, we need old school wisdom more than ever.
Seeing what is wrong with the world and not doing something to chase the higher understanding about it would be truly ignorant of me. The ability of one person to impact change is small, but is fearsomely mighty when used correctly. I’m trying to prepare the ones I love for a resilient existence. That’s why this matters to me.
Outro
The Giver is truly an example of art imitating life. The way that The Giver died was humble and noble, the same way that he lived his life. Once I read the book, I was hooked on understanding what was real and what was presented to me as such and differentiating the two.
It’s something to aspire to. It’s something to understand the power of. It is not a burden for all to carry, but it is needed more than ever.
Recently, I’ve learned that just because you show something all the love and loyalty that you have doesn’t mean that love will be reciprocated. Especially when it comes to corporate entities.
Intellectual property is supremely important to innovation in a world that is dull and grayscale. The true power is how and when we choose to share our thoughts and our close-kept works. There are merits to different approaches.
I’ve typically taken a very liberal approach in how I choose to share my thoughts with others, usually because I value communication. I’m a hip hop musician, where sampling is one of the core components of the entire artform, so I should wholeheartedly support this. I’ve found that as life has progressed, people have become more and more brazen and nonchalant about taking something that is not theirs, therefore I find myself questioning intellectual property as philosophy.
I’m not one to back down from a battle of the minds, I know I can hold my own with anybody in this world. I’m not one to back down from a battle of intestinal fortitude, because I’ve largely fought for everything in my life. It’s the politics behind it all that really bugs me.
Why Does It Matter?
In an increasingly dog-eat-dog world, people look for any possible advantage that they can to get ahead. The most pure of people operate fully above ground, while others prefer to operate in a gray space of what is considered acceptable and what is considered legal. This is especially true in the corporate world.
Your ideas are one of the coolest things that you have in this world. Your thoughts are what make you unique. It’s how we as people choose to act on our thoughts and the thoughts of others that can either unite or cause discord.
I’m admittedly long in the tooth, but being too loose-lipped or telegraphing the next move leaves folks vulnerable to having their ideas taken from underneath their nose, often without recourse. This is a lesson I’ve had to learn the hard way multiple times, and ultimately why I feel passionate about sharing this philosophy. I’m sure there’s context to a joke about why folks don’t use their turning signals here.
Outro
As the list of things that I care about in this world gradually narrows and synchronizes, I never see myself committing professionally to anything full-send ever again. I’ve been bit in the ass more times than I would like to admit just for trying to impact a positive change in the world. As a result, I’m far more protective of my work, and I would encourage others to do the same. Peace of mind means everything.
Nobody likes bad surprises. Especially avoidable ones. Even moreso when that bad surprise impacts a vested interest. Nobody wants to be sold a false bill of goods. Thinking about the person on the other side of the interaction can assist with working towards common understandings.
Managing Expectations
Understanding and communicating the quirks and limitations of any system that you work with is half of the battle. The other half of the battle is making sure that everybody is on the same page about what is wanted, what is possible, and what has specifically been committed to the Statement of Work. The more aligned that folks are on these two things, the easier any work together will be.
In my experience, I’ve noticed that transparency and honesty are the two most important attributes to communicating and managing expectations. I refuse to sell you a shit sandwich and tell you that it is a muffuletta. Nobody likes hearing or delivering bad news, and it can certainly be an anxious endeavor, but the person on the other side of the communication usually appreciates the straightforward nature of the interaction, even when it’s not what they want to hear. I’d rather tell you that we accomplished exactly what we set out to do and repeatedly communicated to each other.
Keeping Your Word
It’s a pet peeve of mine when people say one thing and do another. Especially so professionally. I’ve never understood the bait and switch tactic. I’ve been told that I’m too sensitive because of this, and I’m completely okay with that.
If I’m putting my name on something or behind something, it’s because I believe in the impact of what I am supporting or actively putting my name on. I never want people to misunderstand the intention behind the motive.
If somebody is talking to me, my opinion of them is far higher if they do what they say they will. I don’t ask for a lot from people, but I know that I don’t want to be around people who feel comfortable constantly renegotiating or deliberately misaligning.
Being Respectful
I don’t consider myself to be a beacon of morality. I’ve made plenty of questionable decisions in life. But I refuse to do someone wrong if they haven’t done me wrong first. Naturally, this is not a perfect practice. This is solely the intention.
If you live in my country in 2026, you understand that America is a society where people are increasingly comfortable boldly showing malice. None of us feel great about the current state of our cities, states, or even the overall state of the world. Life is hard enough that people aren’t excited anymore, they just show up for things.
I got a chance to experience being respectful today when I was getting the oil changed in my wife’s car. The guy at Grease Monkey refused to accept a coupon for $10 even though I told him about it at the very start of the interaction, claiming that his employee threw away what was needed to claim that coupon. Rather than cussing him out (which was the intrusive thought in my mind), I understood that the company did have a policy in place for this (wretched as it was), and I paid for my oil change.
What that guy didn’t realize is that not honoring a $10 coupon means he lost $600 of car repairs in the upcoming months. But he didn’t need to know that. He’s just showing up for things. I don’t know what’s going on in his life. He probably really needs that job and can’t be flexible.
Being Conscientious
People just generally carry out the orders of others to obtain either power or influence. If you’ve ever had a corporate or government job, you know this. Knowing which battles are worth fighting and which ones are not is the ultimate balancing act. Every action has a consequence.
Maintaining the professional tightrope is easier when I prepare for situations, especially when I’m delivering messages to others. A little thinking beforehand means that I can be more present in… well… the present. Having the bandwidth to actively listen and make educated judgments based off what is already muscle memory means I can act proactively and minimize the my reactive footprint.
Bob Ross once said “any time you learn, you gain”. My modus operandi is a little simpler than that. I can summarize mine as “use your brain”.
Understanding Emotional Intelligence
One cool thing about being neurodiverse is that I have fucking superpowers. I also have a breadth of perspective with a variety of folks because I’ve lived in situations ranging from abject poverty to living among the 1%. Combining these is how I attempt to approach any professional situation involving others.
I’m never trying to put on airs. I’m also not trying to disappoint the people who have invested in me. I’m literally just a zig in a world of zags. Life is far too short for bullshit.
If you can try to meet me where I’m at, I promise to meet you where you’re at. That’s my most important takeaway regarding soft skills. I know you’d appreciate it if the feeling was reciprocal, and it’s really as simple as that.
Outro
I really didn’t want to post about this because there’s a fair amount of content that could be seen as virtue signaling. That’s the last thing that I want to do. The whole idea here is to approach life with intention. Nobody is perfect. Nobody will be. And that’s reality.
Think about how people treat you, then think about how you want to be treated. Are there disparities? Those disparities are precisely what we should focus on, because that’s the special sauce to making a positive impact in the world.
When I think about the reason for modern conflict in this world, I usually think about either land grabs or wars over race. At the same time, I’ve always known through my studies that some of the most ruthless battles in history have been fought over religion. Groups wish to flaunt their ideological supremacy over others in the name of a mystic being to take accountability for the dumb decisions that they make. This is a tale as old as time. Honestly, it’s why Catholicism isn’t for me.
One of my colleagues just returned from a trip to Africa. They were in a different country than the one that they usually spent time in or the one that they were from. In this country, American IP addresses were largely locked. This led to us to discussing geopolitics vs. religion.
There are approximately 50 countries in Africa. Both within and beyond these borders exist thousands and thousands of different groups of people with different lanuages, norms, and customs that existed far before any man-made borders separated them.
With so many unique variations of life in a single place, the commonality that bonds is belief in a higher power. This can also be the commonality that destroys.
I knew this to be true in more reported on places such as Israel, given theological knowledge, historical knowledge, and a pair of eyes. As three religions all have significant ties to that region, they would naturally feel strongly about it.
I learned that in Africa, the lines of conflict are much closer to religious ties than any national or tribal ones, and that Christianity vs Islam is the cause of much of the unrest. This surprised me given the imperiality of the Americans, and my American citizenship jades how the information of the world is presented to me.
My only wish for the people of the world regardless of ideological system is to realize that no truly beneficent being would ever call upon someone to take the life of another, human or deity. Even what separates and categorizes people in life isn’t as different as we would think. Good people exist all over the world the same way that bad ones do, so find the good ones.
I’ve heard plenty of people say “life is what you make of it”. I feel like the same can be said about death. I’ve been to four funerals and felt very different at each one of them.
How we remember those who have passed on is often a function of how we remembered them when they were alive, in addition to the circumstances that led to their death.
I remember the very best of one of the people. I remember one as a quiet leader and a hero to many. I remember another one as a massive influence who couldn’t stay out of their own way. I remember one as a truly unique person who passed far too soon, although we were never close.
Life has many different shapes, sizes, colors, and timelines. I think the only thing that matters here is that you can control some of the outcomes to impact how you perceive yourself and how others see you.
I messed up a couple of years ago. I am a selfish person in that I have a tendency to lock in on a decision before consulting those I love. I am quick triggered and I regularly act like I have nothing to lose. For most of my life, this has 100% been the case. One cannot devalue something without a perceived worth to the world. And if you hear something enough, even if it is patently false, you just might start to believe it.
A career is just the repetition of showing up to complete someone else’s interest over and over again. When someone offends you, you sometimes make rash decisions. Like quitting a mediocre tech support job in the spirit of floating a giant middle finger blimp across the ocean. None of us know what the future holds, none of us ever have. But it’s never okay to cause turbulence to the stability of your children and their mother on this pursuit.
I’ve learned a harsh bit of accountability over the last couple years, and I would be lying my ass off to say that single decision has paid off at this juncture. I’m truly grateful to the people who can understand the situation, what is at stake, and every day I become more certain that I have the right people on my side. So, like, if I fail, it’s not for a lack of effort. And it’s not for the lack of goodwill. If I fail, it is 100% on me. I don’t often fail, but when I do, it eats at me forever.
Due to the efforts and kindness of others in addition to the work I have already put in, this last week was extremely productive for chasing genuine connections, genuine leads for work, and compartmentalizing my energies to recharge my soul. I truly hope to see the results of my tenacity sooner rather than later, and I appreciate every single person who has kept my name loud, both established associate and friendly stranger.
Everybody bleeds. Everybody dies. Life is a biathalon of bootlicking and one-uppery. Whoever inflicts the most pain onto others while retaining the least resistance rides high without regard to the lifeforce of the others. The human experience is a textbook example of inhumanity.
I was raised by wolves and sharpened by the wisdom of generations long forgotten. From whence I came, I shall return. I am a creature of the earth and a steward of the mind. I’ve spent time alone in the dark corners of alleys, corners, and the fucking pit of my stomach. I’ve seen both the heights of success and the utter disappointment of failure many times over. My greatest accomplishments have been extinguished by unimaginable grief.
I’m most comfortable alone. I perform my best in the company of a chosen few, moreso when everything is on the line. I’m not proud of the family with whom I share a name, or being forced to reinvent myself repeatedly, always out of necessity. I am proud of the family with whom I share my time, who inspire me to build and to constantly iterate upon the foundation.
You never know the true face of evil until you stare that motherfucker down, trying to see where a motherfucker is at. Not physically. Deep in their soul, seven rounds into a fucking title fight. Well after the bloodletting has started, long before a warrior can return to the soil from which they were grown.
The same power that can be used to destroy can be used to build. That same shame and insecurity that kills can be channeled into a body of work much greater than the sum of its individual parts.
Every story has a backstory forged through experience, and everybody has their own story to tell. This attempts to detail how I intend on keeping my online presence as authentic to my character as I can.
I always had a hard time determining my values and finding my purpose throughout my teens and twenties because I cared too much that people wouldn’t like me for who I am. That was stressful. At some point, I largely stopped caring about the judgement of others and started focusing my energy solely towards the task at hand. All this goes to say that I feel my goals and purpose are less clear than those of others, however what I hold closest to me is generally whatever I spend the most time doing, so they are largely a function of repetition more than something I feel inside myself. What moves me doesn’t always pay the bills and vice versa.
LinkedIn Transformation
The first activity in my exercise is to analyze the parts of my LinkedIn profile for quality and value alignment and make any changes that are necessary. I did spent a lot of time in early 2024, doing just this, so I don’t envision making as many changes as I would have had to make at this time last year.
The construction of my headline is pretty straightforward about who I am, which is a Certified Salesforce Administrator, but also about what I stand for, which is shiny things and dance parties. My header photo is also a direct homage to my late musical contemporary Alex Camero, who died of brain cancer in August 2024.
While writing this out, I did update my headline slightly to most accurately represent what I am working towards.
It’s always been a challenge for me to analyze the worth I can provide to others, I just like getting right to action, however much of a professional career depends on the value that you can provide to others. Looking through the top of my profile, I feel like I’ve highlighted many of the things I care about and wish to intersect. They know my credentials, they know I’m a vibe, and they know what pushes me. I also have a section for what roles I am interested in, which are various Salesforce roles.
About Section
I’ll give you a look at my About section as it is currently. It’s honestly not bad. I’d hire myself. They should too.
Given some considerations to weigh, let’s have a quick think about how we can make this pop more. I will try to rewrite the pieces that are sorry and introduce some new flavor to the platform.
The first consideration we need to weigh is whether we truly detail the problems that we solve. Although I talk about the tools I work with, I don’t really talk about my specialties into each product, where the common thread would be a focus on data quality. Rather than talking about port forwarding, an activity I absolutely hate but am willing to do, it would be desirable for me to position myself about things that give my brain the juice it needs to keep going.
The second consideration that I am chasing is detailing who I serve. Although the top of my profile kind of intimates that I serve people who are looking for full time work or paid project work, I feel I could be more specific in this regard. Perhaps the About column isn’t the best place to pontificate about the future though. I feel like the last sentence of this is the strongest statement about who I wish to serve. I’m half content with this, half thinking about minor changes, but updating this bit specifically does not appear to be a priority for me. It’s definitely personal though, my main concern is the efficacy of the messaging.
The next item to check is whether I accurately reflect the values that drive my work. I did a really good job at this, I’m not too worried about this part at all.
Offering others a look into my own unique perspective on things may be the most challenging part of this whole equation, but ultimately, I feel like me rocking with the people of this world for more than their job title pretty succinctly demonstrates that perspective in one line.
The item that likely requires the most work is going to be evaluating the impact that I want to make. I’m a firm believer that life will fall into place, however I should still let the world know how I’m trying to operate in my life. This is going to require a bit of soul searching for sure.
All of these considerations in mind, let’s try to rewrite this in a way that keeps what I thought was good about the initial writeup but includes more thoughtful content and more of a professionally based voice, whereas the current iteration is firmly from the mind of a creator.
Rewriting About Section
Here is something that I believe fits who I am a little closer while still maintaining the energy that I would poke a swarm of bees with a stick. Additionally, I kept aspects of my original bio.
Enhancing Trailblazer Profile
The next step is improving my online presence on my Trailblazer Profile. Although I feel like it is okay (not fantastic), I have never prioritized that as an area of focus, given that I primarily use Trailhead for the gamification of the processes that I need to learn anyway.
For the outline of the project template I will use the following –
Project Name
Challenge
Solution
Impact
Value Alignment
I will arrange this information in reverse chronological order for the purpose of detailing my learning journey in a way to showcase my growth over time.
I will include technical skills and industry knowledge as part of the solution section to detail how the solution was completed, rather than what the situation was. This will most accurately detail my areas of expertise.
In the impact section, I will include available mnmetrics for projects I’ve done.
The value alignment section will detail why each respective project spoke to me.
January 2025 – Lenticular Solutions
We are challenged with remodeling some permission sets in an org due to the data model changing.
The solution is for me to locate the requisite functionality to create new permission sets to account for the changes.
This has an impact of giving a budding business interest peace of mind regarding org structure during his company’s infancy as well as me the paid professional experience I need to succeed in the Salesforce industry.
This aligns with my values as this is someone who is deep in the Trailblazer Community who intends to bring up more aspiring Trailblazers with a local path to paid project work.
November – December 2024 – Lenticular Solutions
We were challenged with reviewing six years of vendor records and contracts for the Oddities & Curiosities Expo, ensuring that all information made it from their record archives into their org, and standardizing fields that were not standardized in the past.
The solution was for using lots of hotkey shortcuts to quickly type repetitive text bits, lots of clicking and dragging down a column, and sifting through ~12000 records to audit and update any values that needed it. Formula fields played a key part in validating my data standardization.
This had an impact of being the first time the entire history of the Oddities & Curiosities Expo that all of their event records were standardized in a single repository, which is hugely important as the event continues to scale.
This aligns with my values as I’m very much a creative type in my heart and I like people and situations that have flavor to them. This was also my first paid consultancy, a huge landmark as I forge my path forward in the ecosystem.
March – April 2024 – Mile High Dreamin’
We were challenged with doing a complete org migration and preparing a data model for many new managed packages to ensure that Mile High Dreamin’ seamlessly transitioned from the 2023 stack to the 2024 stack. My responsibility was data migration for 85 objects with between one and 20 related objects. I also created a handful of permission sets to account for the new functionality.
The solution was achieved by using Data Loader to perform one primary insert and a variable number of upserts per object to ensure that all related records carried over.
This had an impact of preparing Mile High Dreamin’ with the information and security we needed for the 2024 event to go over seamlessly.
This aligns with my values as I was fresh to the Community Group and they gave me the opportunity to show what I know right away.
Expertise Areas
Technical Skills – ETL processes, data standardization, data modeling
Industry Knowledge – Service Cloud, Sales Cloud, Managed Packages, API, AppExchange
Value Alignment – creative license and highly technical
Impact Focus – I prefer for my independent impact to focus on non-profit programming and small businesses who encourage creative excellence.
Due to space constraints on the Trailblazer Bio, I put some on the bio and all of it on the career page. I do not have my work experience on there as it is both on my website and on LinkedIn. I did include my project experience.
Engagement Strategy
Analyzing my strategy of producing content and tying in interested people is going to be an interesting thing to do. I’m generally inconsistent about how and when I post on networks. Essentially, if you’re not on Bluesky, you’re not plugged in to my stream of consciousness. I need to focus on making this website specifically my main channel of sharing information, as it is the most expansive and yet most personal online indicator of who I am.
I’ve never cared much for what people thought about the content I’ve created in the past, and I hate the idea that humans are brands because we’re actually humans, but I love to teach people new things and exchange knowledge, so I need my messaging to reflect both a very personal and very informative strategy. My ultimate value proposition is going to be about inspiring others to think critically.
For the outline of my content creation strategy I will be using the following.
Day: Subject
Focus
Format
Value
For content themes, there are some areas I am much stronger at than others, so I am going to try playing to my strengths and interests here to keep it interesting.
In terms of knowledge sharing, I want to be sharing niche use cases where I can attract both creative types and linear thinkers to the content.
For technical tips, shortcuts are going to be my bread and butter, as that is commonly my calling card in a workspace.
Implementation insights are something that I could do pretty well at – I’m pretty strong at providing considerations to people so giving people new ideas is going to be my specialty here
Problem-solving approaches is a pretty cut and dry approach to me, I think a philosophical deep dive would be interesting.
I’m not sure how great I can convey a specific learning experience. I’m much stronger at telling a story, so any learning experience should maintain a story format to not get boring with it.
I don’t like speaking to my impact to others – ideally this media strategy highlights my impact plenty without me needing to speak to it. I wouldn’t even know where to start here to be honest.
I don’t necessarily have enough project outcomes under my belt to speak about them in the manner that I would like to, so I’ll likely keep these posts limited to my website (and then shared to social media) as opposed to doing anything super networky with it.
My community contributions are far more organic and personal than most people I come across in this world. I’ll probably lean into this mindset as I create content.
Value creation examples is something I’m curious about – I need to find a way to make people critically think – that’s for sure going to be the sauce here.
Highlighting the learning journey is going to be my best bet to build out a story. I don’t like the way most people share their educational pursuits, so I’m going to highlight this in my Education section on my website in detail and in social media in more creative, sarcastic formats (such as writing a villain arc for an AI Marc Benioff). Crafting the story would ideally include a deliverable, so this will be a chance to explore deeper how I can integrate Salesforce data and methodologies across platforms.
For content channels, I’ll trust my instinct on this, as I generally know how to deliver a message properly in a wide number of formats and environments.
The value will vary depending on what the topic is, but the common denominator will be that everything will attempt to tie technology to enhance a less-technical interest.
I’ll start with rotating the topics based on day of week, rotating focus based on the scuttlebutt from around the ecosystem to keep the deliverables relevant.
I don’t think my primary value proposition uses video format, so I will rely on different written and visual mediums to share my message. If the concepts were more elementary, a video format would be better, but I’m a strong writer and will play to that strength.
I’m pretty regularly online, so there’s no excuse for me to not do some level of self-marketing each day. That in mind, I will do a daily posting schedule as opposed to a thrice-weekly frequency.
Each day I want to hop in at least one Salesforce-related conversation each day, alternating platforms to ensure that I am getting a wider cross-section of the ecosystem. This would ideally entail at least three back and forth comments where knowledge is exchanged. My engagement approach will vary slightly every day as I’m not trying to create monotonous material. I already follow up with every legitimate career-related inquiry quickly, so this is a natural daily occurrence.
Each week, I want to find new mentorship opportunities and connect them with the people who need them. I’ve noticed quite a disconnect between these two parties in particular. I’d like to ideally create 10 organic connections each week across media platforms and to highlight at least one mentorship program.
Keeping the same focuses on the same day each week throughout the month allows me to create themes, variations, iterate upon ideas, and generally gives me a level of stability that I appreciate. I’ll rotate the subject of the story for each post itself daily so I’m not working along the same use cases/agendas. This will keep the material fresh for the viewer and creatively rewarding for myself while allowing me the space I need to float through the universe untethered by creative limitation.
Content Calendar
Monday
Focus – sharing of knowledge and resources
Format – written format with gifs to illustrate each concept visually
Value – staying on top of new functionality and the most recent documentation
Tuesday
Focus – implementation insights and problem-solving approaches
Format – social media focused
Value – natural connection with others, having people share their commentary to gain new insights, philosophical discussion
Wednesday
Focus – learning experiences/how to impact others
Format – prose
Value – holistic view of tech while sharing real-life anecdotes in a medium I feel comfortable
Thursday
Focus – projects and community
Format – heavily referenceable and deliverable information sheets
Value – connecting projects to the people who complete them
Friday
Focus – the intersection of creating value and finding values
Format – this needs to be in a social media format to encourage discussion
Value – deeper connections with like-minded individuals
Saturday
Focus – the learning journey
Format – website, this seems pretentious for me to put on LinkedIn
Value – self-reflection, an ever-changing mindset
Sunday
Focus – telling a story
Format – website, should create a section for personal anecdotes
Value – people get to know me deeper than as a dude in the universe
Impact Metrics
We need data from trial and error to come to the ideal framework for metrics, but a preliminary measure of career efficacy on a monthly basis would be as follows
Reach – 10000 total engagements each month across platform
Profile Views – 150 on LinkedIn, 75 unique website visitors (50% increase on LinkedIn, exponential increase on website)
Content engagement – 150 comments monthly, aim for 3 comments on each of my posts.
Network growth – grow LinkedIn by 15%, grow Bluesky by 10%, gain 5 subscribers to website per month
Community Influence – Aim for 5 likes on every post regardless of platform as the algorithm will take over at that point.
People helped – every single act outside of self-development needs to be done with the intention of helping people one way or another
Knowledge shared – 30 external resources each month
Connections enabled – 3-5 industry functions each month
These numbers give me something kind of intense to work towards, but something that can sure be done given my best-performing professional self.
With all of this planning above, I feel like I have a solid framework to move forward making progress in my career and would not hesitate to trial this framework for 30 days.
This is an example of how I envision my life going in 2028. To preface, I fully anticipate having a remote career by then.
My ideal day would start at 6:00 by waking up, taking a shower, and making coffee, followed by waking the girls up for school and making sure that we all eat breakfast.
In the 7:00 hour, my priorities would entail making sure I know the agenda for a day and exercising for at least 15 minutes. I would likely drink my second cup of coffee at this time. I’d also take the girls to school on any day that their mom does not.
In the 8:00 hour, I would be mentally preparing myself for the day, as it is an exhaustive routine to make sure I bring my A game as much as possible.
At 9:00, I would clock in for work, understand the professional agenda, and respond to any asynchronous communication. I would knock out any urgent items during this timeframe.
At 10:00, I would make myself available for meetings until 16:00. At any point during this time in which I am not in a meeting, my primary responsibility is to knock out items systematically, starting with the items due most immediately. In the instance where I have multiple items due at the same date/time, I would prioritize the items by potential reward. The third level of comparison I would do is to assess the level of risk to any decision I make should it become necessary. The reason that I choose to put this last is that if there is an item that entails higher risk, I want more time to let the thought simmer in my mind and come to a confident conclusion about the correct action to move forward.
At 13:00, I would take 15 minutes to make lunch and eat it at the desk while catching up on emails and asynchronous communication.
At 16:00, I begin my wind-down routine for the day. I first catch up on loose ends from the day. After that, I respond to emails and asynchronous communication for the final time that day. I schedule out any meetings and assess tomorrow’s agenda during this time. I would end each day by taking 10 minutes to clear my work area to come in with a fresh mind the next day.
At 17:00, my primary source of income will be finished for the day. I will do the dishes and clean the living room at this time. I will also run to the store to grab items for dinner at this time if that is needed.
At 18:00, we will cook dinner and eat it as a family. Once that is complete, I will empty out the dishwasher, clean the table, and refill the dishwasher.
At 19:00, we will help the girls with any homework that they have, in addition to me starting any side gig or volunteer obligation that I have for the day.
At 20:00, the girls will start their wind-down routine for the day. I’ll continue working on side gigs and volunteer work during this time.
At 21:00, I’ll wrap up any loose ends with the side gigs and volunteer work and begin my wind-down routine for the day.
At 22:00, that’s my deadline to head back to the bedroom. There’s an hour of leeway to hang out with my girlfriend before I self-impose a bedtime of 23:00 for myself.
In summation, my morning hours entail the most urgent and high priority work in addition to the health and wellbeing of my family, my afternoons ultimately retain a level of flexibility that allows me to both take meetings and knock out most of the day’s to-do list, and my evenings include family time plus requisite time to maintain the house and chase passion projects. I know that I will have done everything I could for the day by this point. My work will align with my values in that I get the space and time I need to properly calculate my action plan, go where I feel I am needed most, and to keep nurturing both my creativity and that of my family.
2. Market Opportunity Analysis
These are 10 roles within the Salesforce ecosystem that would excite me. For most of these roles, I’m entirely agnostic towards what company or industry. I will call out any specifics regarding company or industry if one exists.
Salesforce Consultant
Value Creation Potential – High
Impact Opportunities – Curiosity and communication
Cultural Alignment – Knowledgable and flexible
Growth Trajectory – Willing to train me and cover certifications
Compensation Range – Up to $85k
Salesforce Administrator
Value Creation Potential – High
Impact Opportunities – Technical and cybersecurity
Cultural Alignment – Creative and persistent
Growth Trajectory – Ability to take extra projects and to scale the project up in size
Compensation Range – Up to $115k
Salesforce Developer
Value Creation Potential – High
Impact Opportunities – Technical and logical
Cultural Alignment – Creativity and preparation
Growth Trajectory – Ability to shape which integrations are used
Compensation Range – Up to $130k
Salesforce Instructor
Value Creation Potential – Medium
Impact Opportunities – Communication and belonging
Cultural Alignment – Communication and spiritual
Growth Trajectory – Technical writing and eventually onboading
Compensation Range – I’d do this one pretty cheap as I view this as more of a passion project than I do a full-time job
Salesforce Solutions Architect
Value Creation Potential – High
Impact Opportunities – Strategizing and executing
Cultural Alignment – Curious and creative
Growth Trajectory – A path to executive influence
Compensation Range – Up to $150k
Salesforce Nonprofit Administrator
Value Creation Potential – Low
Impact Opportunities – Purpose and technical
Cultural Alignment – Values-based and policy
Growth Trajectory – To work more with the mission and less with the system itself
Compensation Range – Unless I’m running the whole show, this would max out around $90k/year
Salesforce Business Analyst
Value Creation Potential – Medium
Impact Opportunities – Mathematical and business
Cultural Alignment – Knowledgeable and logical
Growth Trajectory – An opportunity to assist with high value decisionmaking
Compensation Range – Up to $130k
Salesforce Evangelist at Salesforce
Value Creation Potential – High
Impact Opportunities – Communication and strategy
Cultural Alignment – Communication and providing energy
Growth Trajectory – Guilda Hilaire. I’m trying to be Guilda. I’ll happily settle for Kate Lessard!!
Compensation Range – Up to $225k
Independent Salesforce Consultant
Value Creation Potential – High
Impact Opportunities – Ultimate creativity and flexbility
Cultural Alignment – Unlimited potential and creative license
Growth Trajectory – Kind of unlimited here, I call the shots
Compensation Range – I’d go variable rate based on the cause, current rate is $50/hr for my work so I would want to start my next project at $55/hr
Salesforce Project Manager
Value Creation Potential – High
Impact Opportunities – Leadership and strategy
Cultural Alignment – Teamwork and compromise
Growth Trajectory – Clear path to executives
Compensation Range – Up to $110k
3. Value-Aligned Bridge Plan
Creating an actionable, value-aligned strategy to get me to my future self. For each period of time, I am going to detail how my skills need to evolve, how I need to get a deeper network, and how I need to show people that I can add value to their lives.
3 Month Plan
Skills Evolution
Current capabilities – I need to keep finding things that would truly fit who I am because I’m not trying to work any more short term jobs in a perfect world.
Required growth – I need to get my Platform App Builder certification
Learning milestones – I need to finish this course, the SCLP course, and to complete Udemy courses for the certification
Impact increase – I will take more of a role working with Lenticular Solutions as it arises from infancy.
Network Development
Value-aligned connections – I’m going to keep rocking with the people who chase the same things I do and show some level of motivation towards them.
Community contribution – I feel like my contributions here and to study groups with Amplify and Mile High Dreamin’ will keep me busy in this regard.
Knowledge sharing – I never sweat this. True beneficent beings build the sharing of knowledge and exchange of culture into the fabric into every single exchange.
Mentorship opportunities – I’m going to keep rocking with my own mentor. Should somebody wish to be mentored by me, I would for sure take them under my wing, but I would never consider myself a mentor, even though a mentor has a million different faces and definitions (Allie McCarron). I’m the big homie or the protege depending on which circle I’m in.
Experience Creation
Project opportunities – I need to chase the project about Indie Music + CRM, I need to start the new Lenticular Project when Chris gets back to me, and I need to keep my nose down for any paid projects.
Impact evidence – Paid work means I’m making an impact.
Value demonstration – Paid work means I’m providing for my family.
Story building – Not everything about life is glamorous, and not everything in life happens at the drop of a hat. I need to be patient but stay persistent.
6 Month Plan
Skills Evolution
Current capabilities
I will have built out a framework for my website so I can log everything career wise in a place that it can be deliverable and value-adding.
Required growth
I will need to have my Platform App Builder Certification by this point and be making significant steps back towards AI Specialist.
Learning milestones
I will need to have purchased the AI Specialist Practice Exams and get to work on them by this point.
Impact increase
I’ll be making a bigger impact in my work with Chris for his projects.
Network Development
Value-aligned connections
During this timeframe, I will be in Atlanta for Southeast Dreamin 2025, which means I get to meet many geographically distant folks and get deeper on this Salesforce grind.
Community contribution
A lot of my choices do involve building a community, so please see above.
Knowledge sharing
I’m going to keep pushing material through my website on a deeper level that I was doing last year.
Mentorship opportunities
Just trying to maintain contact with my current mentor and if any new opportunities arise
Experience Creation
Project opportunities
I’ll be working on Southeast Dreamin’ and try to take a larger role with Mile High Dreamin’ this year, as just going to the events doesn’t really speak to me.
Impact evidence
I’ll know that I have made an impact when the Salesforce conferences go over without a hitch.
Value demonstration
I’m going to be a Swag Boy at a Salesforce Conference. If throwing items of value at people isn’t a demonstration of what I stand for, I really think you don’t know me.
Story building
Some of the best stories write themselves – it’s important to prepare hard in advance to really let loose when it’s time to shine. Sometimes, we contribute to our own stories and do things that can impact who we are. Sometimes, a person comes along who wants to rewrite the entire book in iambic pentameter. That’s me.
1 Year Plan
Skills Evolution
Current capabilities
I will have 2 more certifications and have a gameplan for a third.
Required growth
I’ll be in more study cohorts and more involved with my community groups.
Learning milestones
I want to be All Star Ranger
Impact increase
I know I will have made an impact as I have concrete metrics to chase, so success is ultimately the only indicator.
Network Development
Value-aligned connections
I’m going to keep adding connections. I envision doing this in a more holistic way and a less purely energetic way over the next year so I can preserve my peace.
Community contribution
I love my community group and I’m going to have at least two different presentations done by this time.
Knowledge sharing
More study cohorts, more website posting.
Mentorship opportunities
I feel at this point, all mentorship opportunities in the ecosystem will be organic ones, as I know many of the core figures I will encounter throughout my career and it will be primarily about nurturing those relationships.
Experience Creation
Project opportunities
I’d really like to have a steady lineup of independent consultant work at this point.
Impact evidence
I’ll know I’ve made an impact when my independent project queue hits more than one project at a single time.
Value demonstration
Long-term tenacity is the value that I need to demonstrate to myself and others for myself to be pleased here.
Story building
Time is a fickle object. In addition to human longevity being a finite resource, all the times you wish lasted forever come to pass before you know it, and all the moments you want to immediately be out of seem to be the ones that persist indefinitely. It’s all about taking control of the time we do have and keeping the eyes on the prize in the long run.
2 Year Plan
Skills Evolution
Current capabilities
In two years, I need to be fully confident at understanding the context of each and every coding language, as many of them should follow similar conventions.
Required growth
Lots and lots of bookmarked documentation and AI summaries of code bits that can be used across platforms.
Learning milestones
I want to fully understand Javascript first. Eventually, I want to understand Swift and do some mobile development for iPhones.
Impact increase
I want to fully be able to provide for my family so Alexis having a job would be optional. That’s the only impact I care about.
Network Development
Value-aligned connections
Many of my Salesforce connections should run deep by this time, and many of the people that I have met will be real life connections by this point.
Community contribution
I should be relatively well-known as a creative thought leader among the Salesforce community and keep pumping interesting shit out into the atmosphere.
Knowledge sharing
Much of the knowledge that I wish to share at this point will start to pivot back towards the lessons I learned in the music business and how I can use lessons to assist others with their creative pursuits.
Mentorship opportunities
Ideally, I’ll be chasing mentors deep in the Salesforce industry and relatively deep in the music business at this time.
Experience Creation
Project opportunities
At this point, I would like to have a menu of projects to choose from and begin time blocking my schedules by projects rather than by tasks.
Impact evidence
A schedule that has an ultimate flow will be the true indicator of impact.
Value demonstration
Pivoting back towards music, I’m able to get back to what I care about and what I’m intensely talented at.
Story building
At this point, I’ll actively be writing my own story and my reliance on others to provide me with best practices will start to wane as I will begin to fully trust my instinct and muscle memory regarding Salesforce by this time.
3 Year Plan
Skills Evolution
Current capabilities
I’ll be fully proficient at every cloud tool and start mastering the concepts of the full stack that I’m not good at (graphics, interfacing hardware and software) that can also be used for music.
Required growth
I’ll need to know a number of new technologies at this point. I’m going to decline to name any because 3 years is a length of time to where the tech industry won’t even look remotely like it looks today.
Learning milestones
Certifications in other platforms and other languages will be the key milestones for learning here.
Impact increase
The more advice I am able to provide others across the technology suite, the more impact I will have.
Network Development
Value-aligned connections
I’d like to be in contact with a number of decision makers directly connected to Salesforce by this point.
Community contribution
I’d basically like to stand alone for the quality and type of thought that I provide regarding most things media and technology.
Knowledge sharing
I’d like to put together some level of hustlers at this point to share knowledge with and eventually throw paid work towards.
Mentorship opportunities
I firmly want executive mentors by this point so I can plan for success based on the folks who are successful. Still has to be a vibe match though.
Experience Creation
Project opportunities
I want to be able to give paid work to others by this point.
Impact evidence
I know that I will have made an impact when many of the items from this three year plan start to come to fruition.
Value demonstration
Some level of sponsorship for my creations would be ultimate determination of value. If I can make money just being me and doing what I do, that’s the move.
Story building
3 years is a long time. To put it into context, 3 years ago, my girlfriend and her daughter had just moved here, and my daughter wasn’t even born yet. 3 years is enough time to really set some shit in motion, and it’s all on me to make it happen. There is no excuse to not succeed as this is the framework for how to succeed and I’m ultimately just going to outprepare everybody to get to where I need to be. My daughter will be in school by this point. I want to be able to take meetings at all time of the day and really control my time to make the most of it.
4. Trade-off Framework
3 Month Plan
Investment Required
Time commitment
Time is without a doubt going to be the biggest commitment during this time.
Financial investment
There is no financial investment during this timeframe, I already have invested in those materials.
Energy allocation
Energy is the second biggest commitment during this time.
Support needed
Primary emotional and vocational.
Value Alignment Check
Community contribution
There is a large opportunity to make a community contribution through both my thoughts and through my actions preparing for Southeast Dreamin.
Purpose fulfillment
There will be moments of purpose fulfillment, but I don’t envision much during this time. There will be significantly more later.
Impact potential
I have the opportunity to go out and impact change every single day with every decision I make, I just need to keep that in mind.
Personal Growth
A lot of my personal growth is going to be towards challenging myself with the most critical of thoughts and preparing solutions and roadmaps for success.
6 Month Plan
Investment Required
Time commitment
Still, lots of time. I fully envision 2025 being an ambitious year.
Financial investment
No unanticipated financial investment over the next six months.
Energy allocation
Lots and lots of energy.
Support needed
I will need support of both people in the Salesforce industry and the music industry to start bringing my ideas to fruition.
Value Alignment Check
Community contribution
I’m going to start cooking up this music CRM in the hopes to get a minimum viable product by Mile High Dreamin 2023.
Purpose fulfillment
Purpose is largely a function of one’s attitude toward a circumstance, meaning it’s still fully on me to make the most out of it. I 100% control the success of failure of this operation
Impact potential
There is plenty of impact to be made, starting with the people that I am going to spend time planning with, and then even more visible impact to be made by executing said plans over the next six months.
Personal growth
I just want to keep forming a more well-balanced mindstate. If I can find some level of inner peace in the next six months, that’s a win.
1 Year Plan
Investment Required
Time commitment
Lots and lots of time. As the years progress, there will be less of a time commitment as I have a constant mindset of streamlining routines for optimal efficiency.
Financial investment
This is where unforeseen financial investments would start, given that I need to figure out what certifications to chase, which investments provide the best payoffs, and my work situation in regards to achieving work certifications.
Energy allocation
As the operation becomes more streamlined, the energy I allocate will be towards ideas rather than maintenance, which will refresh me.
Support needed
I desperately need to find a solid paying Salesforce role or series of projects without pause by this time. If I cannot find something worthwhile by this time, it would be time to consider a next move.
Value Alignment Check
Community contribution
I’m going to keep going hard for the people until I collapse from exhaustion. How that progresses remains to be seen.
Purpose fulfillment
The more time that passes, the more I anticipate the ability to chase what matters to me, so I’ll definitely have the wheels in motion.
Impact potential
A year is plenty of time for me to kick a lot of ass and take a lot of names. 2024 was one of those years to an extent but that only scratched the surface of what I can do.
Personal Growth
I’ll be even more comfortable with myself as I continue to grow. This is forever going to be the case, as that is my only option to find peace within myself. Even if there are setbacks, there will be comebacks.
2 Year Plan
Investment Required
Time commitment
The time I am committing is going to be focused much more on the execution of my plans rather than the planning.
Financial investment
There will likely be a number of unforeseen investments at this time, however I anticipate continuing to successfully talk my way into things across opportunities, because I’ve ALWAYS been oddly good at that.
Energy allocation
Lots of energy, but not nearly as much of the anxious energy that I anticipate in the short term.
Support needed
This is going to be the point where my family support will outweigh professional support in my eyes. I’ll be in a decent professional position by this time or I’ll be in jail for trying to be in a professional position by this time.
Value Alignment Check
Community contribution
Two years down the road, I anticipate being something of a legend to a very niche group of tech goofballs who aren’t really comfortable with themselves but REALLY not comfortable with others. My established community connections will have seen me shine by this point.
Purpose fulfillment
Two years down the road, that’s when I’m starting to go all out towards purpose given that I will have a developed framework for success and actionable steps for each checkpoint along the way.
Impact potential
In two years, I could reasonably teach my daughter how to use a CRM. That’s a lot of time to accomplish anything if I can balance it the right way.
Personal Growth
In two years, Scout is almost going to be school age. All of my personal growth will be found in engaging her mind and her soul to help her find herself at an early age so she can ultimately be as comfortable and resilient as she can when she starts experiencing the world.
3 Year Plan
Investment Required
Time commitment
In three years, I expect my time commitments to become more and more out-of-town opportunities and less specifically local things.
Financial investment
There’s going to be quite a bit of travel investment that I want to make by this time, as I have places to go and people to see on my mission to kick ass.
Energy allocation
At this point, the energy requirement may become more rigorous once again, as I will be forcing myself to pick up new skill sets independently.
Support needed
Tech documentation and a solid gameplan
Value Alignment Check
Community contribution
My community contribution will firmly face the intersection of music and technology at this time.
Purpose fulfillment
I’ll be learning new shit every single day. That’s plenty of purpose for me.
Impact potential
I’ve got big dreams, meaning I have to make ambitious goals that can still be within reach, but I really need to lock in. Locking in in the short term will make this more of a habit and less of an active thought as the years pass.
Personal Growth
Scout’s going to be in school, Sailor is going to be in middle school. All personal growth will come from opening up opportunities for the girls to chase what they love and to explore new interests.
5. Success Metrics
3 Month Plan
Impact Metrics
Progress made on Indie Music + CRM
Number of certifications
Hours spent planning Southeast Dreamin 2025
Value Alignment Indicators
Is there a path to professional development with this?
Is this an opportunity from within the professional circle that I wish to surround myself with?
Would I be selling myself out in any way, shape, or form?
Personal Growth Measures
Continued lower levels of depression
Starting to control the anxiety that permeates my life
Am I a fully supportive boyfriend?
Community Contribution
This is going to be one that is very hard for me to define, because I don’t expect any help, and depending on the situation, I also have a hard time accepting the help.
Creating new connections through my thoughts
Financial Goals
Clear financial outlook for Lenticular Solutions
Clear path forward on CRM + Music funding
A full time job if I cannot achieve the first two.
6 Month Plan
Impact Metrics
Deliverables regarding Music + CRM
How much potential funding is as stake?
How much potential funding has been secured?
Value Alignment Indicators
Am I in a more creative mindset?
Am I starting to feel fulfillment?
Am I uplifting those around me?
Personal Growth Measures
Is my schedule starting to become a routine?
Am I sharing more positivity with the world than negative?
Can I make anything shake career wise?
Community Contribution
Can I rock Southeast Dreamin?
Can I rock Mile High Dreamin?
Can I get a CRM + Music speaking obligation?
Financial Goals
Do I have recurring projects?
Do I have full time work?
Am I making at least $4k per month?
1 Year Plan
Impact Metrics
Number of certifications
Number of posts on website
Investment into CRM + Music
Value Alignment Indicators
Am I approaching 50/50 mindset between creative and tactical?
Do I feel that I need to focus on anything new?
Do I feel that something no longer aligns that once did?
Personal Growth Measures
Is my family less stressed?
Can Alexis and I get out for a date night more than once per year?
Do I have a path forward to combat anxiety before it happens?
Community Contribution
How much buy in is there to CRM + Music?
What opportunities exist in the Salesforce Community to encourage independent thought?
Can I find a community of music/tech nerds that aren’t music producers? Although I’m a music producer, I generally don’t like other music producers.
Financial Goals
Can Alexis quit a second job for good?
Can I buy the girls dinner one night by surprise if I feel like it?
Can I manage to fund an entire year of Salesforce activities through resourceful bargaining?
2 Year Plan
Impact Metrics
Current Job Role?
Is CRM + Music going to pop or not?
Can I chase musical pursuits again?
Value Alignment Indicators
Am I directly at the intersection of music and CRM?
Am I helping others grow as I grow?
Am I spiritually fulfilled?
Personal Growth Measures
Is Alexis happy?
Is Sailor finding her groove in school?
Does Scout have a defined path for success?
Community Contribution
Do I have sponsorships to write by this point?
Do I have well-known publications?
Am I a thought leader in my own lane?
Financial Goals
Can I afford all of my own professional pursuits?
Do I have a 1:2 ratio of gig income and full time income?
3 Year Plan
Impact Metrics
Cashflow
Number of sources of income
Am I finding the sweet spot for the life I imagined?
Value Alignment Indicators
Am I firmly working with the music business?
Am I firmly working with a creative pursuit?
Am I firmly working towards something I’d be happy doing for 50 years?
Personal Growth Measures
Is my family happy?
Am I happy?
Do I need to change my plan moving forward?
Community Contribution
Am I legendary in the tech community in my town?
Am I regarded in the tech community regionally?
Am I known in the tech community nationally?
Financial Goals
Can I eliminate all my credit card debt?
Do I have a 1:1 ratio of gig income and full time income?
1. In college, I was part of the spirit band that played at basketball games. We got a gig before a New Orleans Hornets game sponsored by Zatarain’s. We provided much of the soundtrack for the folks walking in to the New Orleans arena that day. I was a trombonist, and there were 6-8 others in our group that day. This moment stands out as my first paid gig that was not sponsored through my school. It’s also a moment that really speaks to people seeing value in my creativity. What I personally found most valuable was bringing the energy and noise.
2. When I worked as a dispatcher for the meter maids, my creativity bug got the better of me and I decided to create a department newsletter for Right Of Way Enforcement called “ROWE, ROWE, ROWE Your Boat”. In what was ultimately an attempt to make government less annoying to all, I decided to create a semi-newsletter, semi-satire document, talking about the mayor hosting a dodgeball tournament in the foyer and all that. I was the creator and the only person working on this newsletter, which ultimately made it about four issues. This moment stands out to me as this was a job where the people didn’t reciprocate the same energy I gave them but my creativity reciprocated me in spades as a well-intentioned middle finger to those who didn’t like how I operated. The newsletter went over much better than I ever anticipated and I’m glad people were able to let loose momentarily.
3. When I was at Validity, there was a hurricane back in October 2022 in Tampa that rendered every single person on my team without power and not in a workable situation. For the next four days, I was the only support agent across DemandTools, GridBuddy, and DupeBlocker products. I was the point person for any data-related question during this time. This moment stands out as I put millions of dollars of ARR directly on my back and carried us through it when I was still relatively fresh in the role. My tenacity is what stuck out the most to me here – I usually put forth my most inspired work exactly when it is needed and not a moment early or late. I got after it in a way that shocked my coworkers and managers and kept our SLA from tanking during a time when we were at 10% strength.
4. When I was at Validity, the Broomfield office took a company trip to go-kart. I was one of about 15 or 20 coworkers actively zooming around the track. I’m unsure what is the best role for me to claim here, as it is almost a perfect mix of antagonist and competitor. What stuck out to me in this moment is that there is absolutely no competition too small for me to lose my mind over, and what followed was an out of body experience of me screaming at my coworkers, laughing my head off with them, getting cut off, playing mind games about which angle I would hit the turn at to essentially play chicken with the other competitors. There’s a lot of values that this one situation speaks to about me, I honestly don’t think my coworkers ever fully understood my energy until this moment. I was fireworks at a funeral and it was very refreshing.
5. At my first administrative job for the city government, the other guy who was on my project was diagnosed with cancer in the middle of it. Chad and I were the other two people who worked out of the printer room, and we decided to shave our heads when Chris did to show solidarity with our guy. Chad and I also went half on a gift card to an old-school haberdasher and he got himself an exquisite hat that matched his elevated style quite well. This stands out as Chris didn’t ask for any of it but Chad and I could both read a room well enough to understand what we could do as people who spent as much time with him as anybody. That would also eliminate any questions about Chris having cancer, as none of us had hair, and Chris really wasn’t trying to chase any sympathy. The only impact I hope this had is that my guy realized that he was 100% rad and that he had folks in his corner during a rough time.
6. When I worked at a creperie in New Orleans, I was smoking a cigarette on one of my breaks, and some old head came downstairs from the record shop right above where I worked. We got into a conversation about music and he told me he was currently signed to Strange Music and gave me his little promo poster and a nice little note. I looked up this dude’s music when I got home and he was definitely a legendary local rapper (Young Bleed) who was literally just going through his town running business and took the time to talk to me because I was cooling out. It was a nice bit of serendipity in the middle of a warm New Orleans day back when life was a bit slower. I was just a dude on the side of the building talking to another dude on the side of a building and that’s how many of the best conversations in life happen. Curiousity is the main theme of this story and what I took away from it. A little fellowship led to me really liking this dude and studying up on his music to realize he was indeed more of a legend than he put on. I didn’t have much of an impact except a dude who wanted to hear what this man had to say, and that was the right energy for the moment.
7. Early on in college, around the time I was promoting music heavily, I was also a DJ on our college online radio station. I treated this more and more like a job as time went on because I started gaining way more traction than I anticipated, but I was still an 18 year old doing whatever I felt like doing on Friday nights, and that resonated with a bunch of folks from my school as there were nearly as many tortured creative types as there were party types. One night, I decided to grab every musician from Loyola campus that I possibly could and offered them networking and a chilled out atmosphere. At one point there were 22 people in a studio that could comfortably fit 5. There were no less than 50 musicians from campus who came through that night, and it was one of the most spontaneous things I ever did in my musical career. The moment stands out as it crossed genre, crossed gender, race, and sexuality, and had a number of commercially successful musicians on the broadcast, at the same time, forming greater relationships with each other. This is another one where genuine curiousity led to wanting to fit my entire campus in one 12×12 (4mx4m) space, and I did a damn good job at it. I felt my main impact was bringing people together, I didn’t care as much about the setting, I just wanted to know these people in their natural environment on a level they understand.
Career Patterns
3 recurring values in my best moments include curiosity, creativity, and spontaneity.
3 consistent recurring sources of energy are communication, creativity, and ideation.
3 types of impact that matter the most to me are socioeconomic, cultural, and personal connection.
3 environmental factors that help me thrive are stability, nurturing, and creative.
Christopher Sauer 
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