All throughout College and High School, there is one question that everyone gets asked countless times. Sometimes it's from your friends, other times your teachers, college counselors but most often your parents.
"Teddy, what do you want to do when you grow up?"
How the heck should I know? I'm only 18, I have no life experiences, my biggest concerns were counter strike and which girl to ask to prom. I knew almost nothing about making money, business (of course at the time I thought i had everything set. Teens are always the worst in that they can probably be classified as retarded in terms of knowledge but think they are geniuses). And I'm suppose to know how I want to live the next 70 years of my life? (Yeah, not expecting to die anytime soon)
Maybe it was because I was always hyperactive, or perhaps for a brief moment I really was having an epiphany. My answer was "I want to do everything!" Of course I had no idea how I was going to realize this dream and neither did the people around me. Coming from a Hong Kong finance family probably meant that I would become a banker or maybe attempt real estate or law. Luckily my father had been dabbling into venture cap and was willing to take me under his wing (or maybe realized there was no other hope). A few years later it suddenly hit me, that I AM actually able to do everything!
I think that you can always learn the most when you pickup something new. Whether it be a new job, new position, new language, new sport etc... You can learn the basics of something in a few short months and then it slowly tapers off.... For this reason i'm usually supportive of friends switching industries unless they're hoping to climb the corporate ladder. For my investment methodology I love to take a hands on approach where possible, of course this isn't always possible due to a non technical background but I will always love to research the market, dive into the industry and join the company. I hate silent investor roles because it doesn't help me grow as a person, I would probably benefit more buying an apartment somewhere and waiting for China demand to drive the price up.
But more importantly, I get to learn so much. Each project I joined has opened my eyes to new ideas and strategies I would never have considered before. In terms of learning, I feel that I am really going to school now. Being able to meet people from drastically different backgrounds, visions, ages, race, technical skills etc has been invaluable. And I'm not talking about things like how to lead an investment, term sheets and business plans (although those have been beneficial, it doesn't make me feel like I'm living my life the way I want it to be).
- Reading Tarot Cards, Feng Shui and other numerology practices
- Disease detection through protein reception
- Video game hero design
- How to brew beer
- App programming and promotion on various platforms
- Photography, graphic design
- Analyzing the Laker's winning offense strategies
- Writing my STORYS post on a future award winning website
If anyone told me I would be doing this 4 years ago I would have laughed him off and probably feel a little offended. Today I am enjoying every moment of this wonderful journey. I've just received a chance to go to the MIT Sloan Analytics conference, speak with various NBA,NFL,NCAA coaches etc... The fatboy 3 years ago would never have dreamed of that.
I cannot wait to see what's coming next, maybe i'll be stacking hay and milking a cow in 6 months (I think foodstuffs and farms are a good investment in the future). Most people wouldn't associate that with Angel Investing.... but I feel like i'm able to live many different careers right now and I wouldn't trade that for anything.
Well then, that's my first STORY, and it might be the first English one on the site. Hopefully some people can benefit from it, or at least laugh at my stupidity.
