Make Room For A Wrong Hunch

In my mind, I had already been elected. I could see it so clearly.

It would be my first chance to serve the public in an official capacity. I knew what angle I had on the incumbent. Maddie helped me come up with my campaign slogan. I'd made a list of the first 20 people I would call to ask for advice and to endorse me publicly. By the end of Sunday night, I knew what I'd do in my first 100 days in office.

I woke up Monday morning having literally dreamt about my acceptance speech, about how I would be different from other politicians, and about how my campaign would be the first of its kind to leverage technology and AI in a way that was humanizing for voters, not extractive and pestering.

(Can we talk about all the campaign emails begging for money over this past weekend?)

And then, over my first cup of coffee, I logged into the NYC Election Commission's website to better understand what I'd have to do to become a candidate. That's when I saw it.

It hit me like a ton of bricks....

After moving apartments, I was no longer zoned for the position I had spent the previous 18 hours (consciously and unconsciously) thinking about.

But I learned a ton also.

Throughout the rest of the day, I could see why that hunch had so captivated my mind and the parts of my psyche that were so stimulated by it.

I have often said that I don't need to run for office; it is not something I've always wanted to do.

But when I look at many of the elected officials I have gotten the chance to see up close and even some that we've just gotten to know for all the wrong reasons, I fear that I may one day HAVE to run for office.

Recently, that fear has been that I may one day have to run for office much sooner than I would like.

My 60s? Sure - that sounds about right.

In my 40s? In the next eight years? That has previously felt too soon for my game plan for how life would go.

But that 18-hour episode where I knew how I would win a local elected position before I found out I was not able to run for that position taught me that I've been thinking about this in the back of my mind way more than I was aware of.

It taught me that a part of me is ready to put myself out there in that way and serve something greater than myself.

It taught me that even though that position isn't available to me, maybe something else will be one day in the not too distant future.

It taught me that I have people around me whom I knew I could call to talk about this, policies in my head that I think would make a difference, and a pride for my city, state, and country that just might one day compel me to double down and put it all on the line.

So this is your reminder to pull all the loose threads and see where they take you. You never know what you might learn along the way, even if it turns out not to be the right hunch after all.

Quote That Sticks With Me

"Always be running for President." - Bud Sullivan

This quote was shared at his funeral by his son and one of my best friends, Edward. It was one of four maxims that Bud lived by and that Edward and his siblings honored his memory with.

Tweet That Fueled Me

Course I Took in 2022 To Prepare Myself

I am a huge fan of what this group is building. Through offering classes about how our city and state actually work, they are building a community of people who not only care but are equipped with the knowledge to run for office and make a difference.

The next cohort was just announced and will start in August.

Where I Wrote It All Out

I recently finished my 22nd journal since moving to New York City in 2010. I am so grateful to have a place to put wrong hunches and flesh them out to understand the lessons that are there to be learned anyway.

If you've never found the joy of journaling, I wrote a little something to share how I think about it for myself.

Recent Podcast Appearance That I Loved