The best advice I ever received came from a man I barely knew

Welcome to this week’s issue of The Adventure Capitalist! I enjoyed all the messages after last week’s newsletter. This newsletter is definitely an experiment, so hearing from you helps me craft future issues.

Here’s what you can expect in this issue:

• The best advice I ever received came from a man I barely know

• Why the Bitcoin miners are flocking to Ethiopia

• A 53-year old with kids drops wisdom about his 30s and 40s.

Let’s go.

The Best Advice I’ve Ever Received

I got my first taste of "fuck-you money" when I was 21 years old. Fresh out of college, I was visiting a friend at her family’s summer house on Fishers Island, a enclave for American Elite off the coast of Long Island.

Fishers Island is old money to its core. Families like the DuPonts, the Rockefellers, and the Roosevelts have all called it home at one point. It’s the real-life East Egg from “The Great Gatsby”.

The house on Fishers belonged to my friend’s mother's side of the family. It was classic New England, and unpretentious – weathered shingles, ivy-clad walls, and a meticulously edged lawn lined with tulips. Everything, including the vintage Land Cruiser in the driveway, looked like it belonged.

My friend’s parents recently divorced and there was drama. Her mother wanted her ex-husband to vacate the island, but he refused. Her father was a self-made VC who, just to spite his ex-wife, decided to buy an ostentatious home on the other side of this exclusive island.

As soon as I walked in to her father’s house, I remember thinking, ‘This house is expensive.’” It’s front featured floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the water and the kitchen was expansive and dripping with marble.

At 21, fueled by ego and a recent Fulbright Fellowship, I felt like I had life figured out – a sentiment reinforced by many of the adults I met. But my friend’s dad was unimpressed.

Over drinks at his imposing "fuck-you" beach house, he challenged me. "What will you learn from this Fellowship? How will it prepare you for your future?”

My response was tepid at best. I remember sharing a vague intent to turn the fellowship into a banking job in Hong Kong.

"Let me give you some advice that's helped me throughout my career. No matter what you're doing and how much money you're earning, if you're not learning it's time to move on."

Good advice is a combination of substance and setting. His words, framed by his waterfront home and intense interest in my future struck a chord. That conversation has since guided every major decision in my life.

Every project, or job, or path provides a capped opportunity to learn before your compensation becomes primarily earning.

So I pose this question to you, "What are you learning in your current role?"

If your learning phase is running out, or has already run out, perhaps it's time to consider a new path.

The Lifestyle:

🌎 Global Adventure

• Why the Bitcoin miners are moving to Ethiopia (link)

• Looking for a fun adventure? Check out the OTILLO Swim Run. I’m considering joining the one in Austin in November (link)

💰Wealth, Business, and Life

• I found this interview with Tim Ferris to be excellent. Lot’s of fantastic advice about picking new projects, how to think about investing your time, and what money is actually good for (link)

• Some wisdom from a 53 year old with kids about going back and re-living his 30s/40s. 10/10 truth (link)

• “What I wish someone had told me” from Sam Altman (link)

🚁 The Best of the Best

• Introducing the best 20 trains in the world (link)

Small Ask:

This newsletter is a work in progress and I’d love to hear from you. Please reply to this email and tell me what you like about it, or what you’d like to hear more about. Or simply reply and introduce yourself!

To your health and happiness,

Austin