I was at a friend’s place yesterday, sitting on the roof, contemplating the skyline. I find skylines, especially at night, very calming. Meditative. The clouds move in, creating layers that light pollution reflect on. Hanging out on a rooftop with friends with nothing but the sky above you often gets people talking about life.

His mom was visiting that weekend and when we moved downstairs into his place, she commented with the breeze of an older person’s wisdom,

You will never be as smart as you are right now.

She meant this in the pessimistic sense. As in, this moment, this time that you’re living right now, you won’t ever be this smart again. I’m not too sure how I feel about this. I’m not the most optimist person in the world, but I have optimism to spare for life. I love learning. I don’t learn as much as I’d like to, but in 20 years, I want to still be learning and expanding my knowledge base. It’s what keeps life more interesting.

My interpretation of her statement is:

Right now, you are smart. For the future, you can take the action to make yourself even smarter.

My friend gave me the book, “The Accidental Entrepreneur,” and  in it, she talks about how a successful entrepreneur needs a never-ending stream of optimism. You need to believe that you can do this. If I can picture my business succeeding, then everything else will fall into line with the aid of hard work and a supportive network.

My biggest driver right now? I don’t want to work for another company again. Yes, I will have customers to serve, businesses to coordinate between, but I chose this path and I control it.

I’m optimistic that I will learn by leaps and bounds how to operate a successful business.

chicago skyline life thoughts