Whether Wyatt Earp, Louis Armstrong, Hank Bauer, Frank Lloyd Wright, or Walt Disney, Chicago has produced some of the most creative, interesting and successful people in our country.  The World Exposition of 1893 was an architectural and landscaping wonder of the world, outdoing the French World Trade exposition which produced the Eiffel Tower.  It gave us Al Capone but it also gave Eliott Ness and the momentum for the FBI to be the greatest law enforcement agency on the planet.  And incidentally, Mr Disney and Mr. Wright proved that great creativity, inspiration and perspiration trump a college education as both were drop outs.  Leo Burnett, another Chicago creative genius tells us, “When you reach for the stars you may not quite get one, but you won’t come up with a handful of mud either.”

 

This is my aim, to reach for the stars, and come up with a handful of success and happiness.

 

I believe that success is created by those bold enough to seize the right opportunities, those who put their nose to the grindstone, and those who push themselves to constantly learn.  My ambition is to hold true to these beliefs and find myself successful on the other side of whatever life throws my way.  At this point in the journey (a spry 23), I am putting one foot in front of the other on the trail of life and taking in every experience that it affords.  Ambitiously I believe no physical degree will serve quite like my death certificate in summing up my the extent to which I am a “learned” human.  I call this “hunger,” Einstein refers to it more eloquently; “Genius is 1% talent and 99% hard work,” where “creativity is intelligence having fun.”

 

In exercising this creativity I have come up with more specific ambitions that I will see realized with the application of hard work.

Specific Goals »»»»»»»

 

Along the way it is of critical importance that I am a positive world citizen and contributor to US and world society.  This means, minimizing my own externalities wherever possible, it means encouraging social justice, it means holding up my end of the deal and being responsible for myself and my family.  More than that, at some point (retiring age) I would like to serve in the US Foreign Service to help promote economic stability and growth for the US and world.