Seven years ago you would have found me surrounded by children living in extreme poverty in Tibet. Five years ago you would have found me rebuilding a community in rural Mongolia. Three weeks ago, you would have found me working with Tibetan Refugees, a pickaxe in hand, and knee deep in the rubble of a 300 year-old Buddhist Monastery located in a village called Chairro tucked away in the Himalayan mountains of Nepal. Today, I’m on the 2nd floor of a San Francisco high-rise working on investments for Meltwater Group. What’s the connection, the common link, the motivation? The answer is: The world’s best high-five.
For those of you who have experienced hard manual labor in a developing Asian country, you know that there is a natural phenomenon that occurs on day 5 or 6….As you begin to tear down and rebuild a physical structure there comes a moment when you stop caring about all the dirt you’re inhaling and the sore muscles you have earned. You begin to notice your environment; the majestic mountains, fresh incense, and chanting monks take you into a Zen-like meditative state where you ponder…..”Seriously….who the hell would I have to talk to in order to get a burrito and a hot shower?!?!”
As I now look back on my experiences, I realize that whether it’s developing a sustainable fishing farm in Peru or sitting in a finance class to complete my MBA at Stanford, I am continually learning how to invest and how to get a…
