The other day, a friend of mine asked where I wanted to be in 10 years.

I’m not the kind of person who usually plans ahead or hopes for some sort of certainty in his life, but this question got me to thinking about what my life philosophy is. I would like to attempt to share one small piece of it, starting with a simple analogy.

In rowing, you work extremely hard every day to improve your technique, your fitness, and your psyche. Unlike most sports, the chances to compete are rare and brief. In those rare occasions where you finally show your hard work, you are still entirely uncertain about the outcome of the race until the end.

The only confidence that you can build within yourself during these long training intervals between races, is based on the fact that you are doing your best to position yourself to win. Again, you have no idea what is going to occur in the race, you have little or no idea of how fast your opponents will be, and in the end, you can only control what happens to your boat.

I think about organizing my life around planning some sort of trajectory. I’m going to do my best to end up where I think I should be, but obviously, I have no idea where I ultimately will end up.

The best approach I can take is to acquire the skills and tools that, to the best of my knowledge, will allow me to better understand the workings of this world, its people, and its general organization. These fundamentals not only prepare me for the unknown, but also provide more flexibility for taking advantage of unforeseen opportunities that may lie ahead.

I know many people who attempt to define their path through life and, to an extent, I feel sorry for them. Life is about exploration, admiration, and inspiration. To feel entirely satisfied, I must take risks, find new elements to incorporate into my life, and allow them to inspire the way I live. This process will keep my mind young, and my soul rich.