Lately I have been putting a lot of thought into a quote from Steve Jobs’ 2005 commencement address at Stanford University.
“If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.
If I am completely honest with myself, when I ask myself that same question lately the answer has regrettably been “No”. And it has been that way for quite a while. So, it is with a heavy heart that I have decided it is time to move on to a new chapter in my life. The biggest change being that it is time to leave behind the companies that I co-founded with my close personal friends Tony Novak and Eric Jordan, and move on to the next challenge. While both 2Advanced Studios and Bad Juju Games are still going strong, and have a wonderful team of talented people who I helped in part to assemble; those companies are no longer where my heart lies.
Over the past decade and a half the industry has been transformed, for better or worse. While innovation abounds, the standard client service nature of an agency really prevents one from being allowed the freedom to truly innovate. Profit margins are too slim, and clients want it their way; and of course they want it yesterday. And in the interim I have poured all my energy into the companies, to the exclusion of all else. Just ask my ex-wife, or my friends and family whom I barely ever see. I’ve lost my spark, and it’s time to find it again.
So, it’s time for some honest “me” time. It’s time to see my friends and family who I have ignored. It’s time to leave the iPhone and MacBook at home, and spend a day at the beach – or the mountains – or anywhere else inspiring and beautiful. It’s time to discover who I really am, possibly for the first time in my life.