My mantra to help me achieve my sabbatical goals

I was born and raised in Seattle, WA.  Reside in Santa Monica, CA.  And the world is my playground.

I’ve worked in AdTech since before it was called AdTech and currently am at a Mobile focused start-up as the Director of Accounts on the West Coast.  Pretty much trying to figure out what consumer experiences will look like in five years and aligning to the ever evolving consumer purchase habits and have hedged my bets against mobile as being the beacon of growth and….

Wait…

No…
Why is everyone’s first question when you meet “What do you do”?  What you’re really asking is “How do you make money?”  That’s not what defines me.  I’m going to start asking people “What makes you happy?”  or “What defines you?”.  Well this is how I define myself… I’m an avid football fan #gohawks, a son to amazing parents, a proud older brother to five siblings, a yogi and meditator, a runner/biker/hiker, a Washington State Cougar, a manager of an amazing and inspiring team, a bundle of overwound nerves (I’m working on it), an amateur movie critic, a constant scourerer of the interwebs in search of new music, and a part of an amazing group of childhood friends whose inclusion in my life warrants its own blog and probably an HBO miniseries.  But most importantly, I’m an obsessor of experiencing life through travel.  My Dad has given me some shitty direction over the course of life (i.e. invest in individual stock) but he’s also given me the most profound advice that has lead me to the fork in the road I look fixedly down.  “Spare no expense on travel”.  I’ve taken it to heart, Dad.  Mom, you can blame him.

The Portuguese have a singular word for it, Saudade:

A deep emotional state of nostalgic or profound melancholic longing for an absent something or someone that one loves.  

This is my Saudade… and it is leading me down the road of living life under my terms.