How to become a Venture Capitalist but save your soul

A lot is written about how to become a VC. Very little is shared about how to keep your soul vibrant and healthy while you do the work. One has to start somewhere: guidelines, codes, morals are important. They give us direction when the way is otherwise obscured. This is my mine.

1. Read more poetry than tweets.

2. Build a circle of co-investors you trust. Be patient, this will take years. Send your absolute best companies to them consistently. Forget everyone else.

3. Maintain a daily embodied practice. Your body knows things your brain does not.

4. Sleep 8+ hrs at least 5 nights per week.

5. Feed your soul with art at least 1X/month. Take meetings at the museum if you have to.

6. Define success for yourself. Make sure your definition includes (but is not limited to!) making $$ for your LPs.

7. Focus on your founders, not your followers.

8. Practice Pleasure Activism at work. If it doesn’t feel good, stop.

9. Cancel the uncancelable.

10. Play your game. Their game is rigged.