I have always loved Thanksgiving. Great times with family. Lots and lots of great food. And most of all, some time set aside to step back and reflect upon everything you are grateful for in life. My father is Norwegian and one of the common phrases you’ll hear in Norway is “tusen takk”. Tusen takk literally translates to one-thousand thanks and is how a Norwegian might say “thank you very much”. I have always enjoyed the image of someone thanking you emphatically by saying “thank you” one-thousand times over and over again. As I write this post out at my father-in-law’s office (no internet at my wife’s childhood home in rural Virginia. I know, I think it is crazy too, but they really don’t seem to mind), I can’t help but think about the thousand things I have to be grateful for this Thanksgiving season. Here are a few of the things I have been thinking about most.
My Family
I am incredibly lucky to have the family I do. I have the best wife in the world and the past year of our marriage has without a doubt been the greatest year of my life. My family has always been incredibly supportive and they are still always there for me even though we no longer live close to one another. My brothers are my best friends. My dad is my role model. My mom is the rock that holds our family together. I am also so incredibly grateful for my in-laws who have welcomed me into their family with open arms.
My Faith
This isn’t something I talk about a lot on this blog because of its personal nature, but I would be making too big of an omission if I left it out of this post. My faith is the foundation of who I am and it is my guiding light through thick and thin.
Our New Home
My wife and I are so grateful for the new home we have found in Columbus. We have really enjoyed our short time in the city and cannot overstate how much we have felt welcomed with open arms. I had never spent any meaningful time in the Midwest prior to our move, and I have been struck time and time again by the kindness of people living here (and the deliciousness of their food…). It is truly a privilege to be part of such a young, growing city. In Columbus, there is a palpable optimism that is wonderful to be a part of. People here truly believe that tomorrow will be better than yesterday (which is not something that can be said about many parts of our country, especially our previous home, Washington, DC.)
My New Job
The reason I moved my family half-way across the country to a state we had never been before was to take a job as an Analyst at Rev1 Ventures. I took this leap because I wanted to be a part of building the next great tech ecosystem and because I wanted to help support entrepreneurs that were creating truly impactful companies. I couldn’t be happier with the progress I have made so far. There is still a lot of work to be done and I am not anywhere close to accomplishing what I have set out to at Rev1, but I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to work at an organization like Rev1. I am grateful to work alongside some incredible colleagues who all believe in the power for entrepreneurship to fuel the American Dream as much as I do. I am grateful that I have the opportunity to support entrepreneurs that are genuinely trying to change the world. I am grateful that my Sunday evenings are a time of eager anticipation.
You
This blog started out as a tool in my VC-job-search utility belt. It was a way to demonstrate that I was using my free time to be thoughtful about the space. It has become so much more than that to me and I am truly grateful for everyone that takes time out of their day to read through my musings (sometimes ramblings) on the world of venture capital and tech startups. I have been really happy with the cadence I have worked up to and really believe that my writing and analysis improves with every post. Thanks for reading!
These are just a few of the things I am most grateful for. If I really listed out everything that I am thankful for, I would still be working on this post come next Thanksgiving. I know this post is a little bit outside the norm, but I hope that you enjoyed it.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving with you and yours!