American Optimism

Hello everyone! I am writing this from the Forward tour which has been phenomenal. I went on Bill Maher on Friday and had a blast. Then I met some amazing people in San Francisco yesterday:

Also while I was here my first Forward Party swag arrived!

The Bay Area was one of the first places to embrace my presidential campaign, I believe in part because the people here are more attuned to both technology and what is coming down the pike.  It’s a place of heightened possibility due to the culture of entrepreneurship here. 

In contrast, I had a call with a friend this week and she said something that struck me as a pretty good summary of the way a lot of people feel nowadays: 

“It’s like everyone can see the problem but no one thinks we can do anything about it.” 

She was talking about our politics, but she could have been referring to any number of things.
 
I’m an entrepreneur.  Most people find me to be very can-do and positive.  It’s part of what you do as a founder.  You take something that doesn’t exist, tell everyone it should exist, and then go make it happen.

Of course, a lot goes into this process. My first real brush with trying to start a company back in 2000 ended in failure.  It damaged my confidence quite badly, and everyone who knew me also knew that I’d failed.  That’s a feature of starting something new – at some point you tell everyone you know because you need them to help or get excited.  So if it doesn’t work out, it’s unlikely to be a private failure.

I picked myself up and worked for a series of small growth companies, eventually becoming CEO of an education company that grew to be number one in the country.  I saw firsthand how organizations can grow from modest beginnings to significant scale. I’ve been part of a series of unlikely successes, from a non-profit that I founded that grew to a dozen cities to a presidential campaign that grew into a popular movement. 

I try to tell people that entrepreneurship is just solving a problem or making things work better.  If you start a book club or a carpool, that’s entrepreneurship.  Most efforts won’t grow to the sky, but they’re still vital.  

I spent years trying to make entrepreneurship more available and accessible for young people in different communities.  It’s my favorite thing.  It’s magic. 

This is a tough time.  There’s a lot of struggle and a palpable sense of loss.  Lives have been disrupted.  People work remotely and sometimes get depressed (remote work is easier because it’s lower friction but it can also be isolating).  It’s a difficult time to be optimistic. 

Yet that’s when we need it the most. 

I’ve been struck by how much negativity pervades our politics.  There’s a lot of fear, a lot of “That’s not possible.” 

I spoke to a group of business leaders this week.  I said to them, “You would never accept this level of dysfunction in your companies or your industry.  Why do we accept them in our politics?” 

We can do better. We can move Forward.  

American Optimism.  We need more of it.  Let’s provide it. 

I am excited to have on this Monday’s podcast one of the most positive and entrepreneurial people I know, Xander Schultz.  Xander is the co-founder of One for Democracy as well as Give Us he Ballot, two initiatives that are investing millions in voter accessibility and strengthening democratic institutions.  Xander sent me a text a little while ago that gives you a sense of how he thinks:  “This is the first time in human history when abundance is possible and there’s more than enough for everyone.  We have to take advantage of it as quickly as we can.” 

Xander’s sense of optimism grew out of, or despite, personal tragedy.  His father, David Schultz, was a champion wrestler who was killed when Xander was a child.  This was documented in the movie ‘Foxcatcher’ starring Channing Tatum.   

I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did.  I learn something from Xander anytime I talk to him.  He keeps my head up. 

This week the Forward Tour continues to Irvine, CA and then to Des Moines, Iowa, where I’ve spent a lot of time.  We have added a talk and signing in New York City on November 13th. 

You can of course grab the book anywhere and the swag at forwardparty.com.  

New dates will be announced soon – I’m loving meeting some of the most optimistic and hopeful people around!  Let’s grow the tribe.  See you soon.