The Ambition Blueprint (Pt 3/4)

Part III: The Strategy Session

Half past 12:00 AM. The only noise is the occasional hum of the refrigerator. Externally, it’s a portrait of peace. But here I am, staring at the ceiling. My brain on “Go!” I’ve got to get up. Get these thoughts out of my head! I slide out of bed. Put on my favorite oversized hoodie and plush socks that make the cold floor tolerable.

In a high-tech world, I still find pleasure in the ancient method of using paper and pen. I grab a notebook from the bookshelf. Punch ‘3’ on the keypad of the standing desk and watch it rise to chest height. A glass of red wine in my left hand. Notebook laid flat under the desk lamp. Here I stand. Flicking the hook of my pen with a click-snap, stopping only to lean over and scribble furiously whenever a notable thought comes to mind.

On the left page of the notebook, I draw a vertical line. Immediately, I jot down my wants and don’ts. [Right side. I write]: Don’t Copy. Don’t Force. Don’t Trend. 

Future Me (leaning against the bookshelf): “Gsh, anxious much? Look at you. Here. Awake. Thinking. While the rest of the world sleeps.”

Today Me (answers matter-of-factly): “Let’s not act surprised, shall we? Help me. I need an idea that scales.”

Future Me (sits down with a book in hand): “Ok. Scalability is about leverage, right? What can you build once and sell a thousand times over? What problem is big enough that people will pay for it to disappear?”

Today Me: “Those are good questions and great points. Let me think about that for a while.”

Future Me (opens book): “Okay. I’m here if you need me.”

[hours later]

I’m exhausted and decided it’s time to call it a night. I take a final long sip of wine to empty the glass, then stare at the notebook. The ink bled through the lined pages from the pressure of the pen. Marked margins. Highlights. Scratches. X’s and O’s. It’s a good place to pause for now.

[click] goes my finger against the light. [click ‘1’] Desk back to standard height…feeling accomplished, I tuck myself in and rest with the world. I hold a slight grin. I’m happy. I’m on my way to being set free.