Inspiring SF

In my post on San Fran, I touched upon the inspiration that tends to overflow out of the city. I don’t believe I talked about it enough, however.

This morning, I read a Financial Times article on the story of Instagram and I was reminded of all the people I met in SF, living the ‘start-up’ life, dreaming the dream that one day Facebook or Google or Microsoft will buy them out.

Sure, the risk is high. You can throw a stone in San Francisco and expect to hit someone who is working with a start-up. But that’s what San Francisco is about. It gives you this remarkable sense of hope, this faith that the dots will connect in the future, giving you the courage to “follow your heart even when it leads you off the well-worn path”. That Steve Jobs quote cannot be repeated enough and captures the essence of the SanFran dream.

And the people there do it justice. I met people who left so-called successful careers to come to SF and follow their passion. I met people who rejected the fancy offers from fancy schools to start a mini, self-sufficient farm in their backyard. I met people who work with non-profits that are educating children around the country and giving victims of domestic violence the much-needed helping hand. I met people who can be so openly and normally gay that they are not defined by their sexuality, but by the success of their cafes and their massage studios. And I met the ones who had realized their dream, the 20-something Microsoft-funded millionaires.

The point is that when you do step out of your comfort-zone and have the courage to follow your dreams and do what you absolutely love, you tap into your greatest potential and your strongest characteristics. And that will take you all the way.