In the series of "Toy Story" movies, Buzz Lightyear is arguably one of the most popular characters; an action figure with a fearless soul that is always ready to battle evil. Buzz's catch phrase is "to infinity and beyond". When I was little, I took that saying to be nothing more than the great battle cry of a hero. Now that I'm a bit older, it's interesting to think about the bigger implications of Buzz's signature saying. Infinity is a quantity that can never be reached; no matter how large a number or value may be, there can always be more added to it. What then, does Buzz mean when he strives to go beyond infinity?

I'm very interested in techology and entrepreneurship. I'm also very interested in how fear, or perceived fear, can prevent people from finding success. Often times with startups, and many times in life, fear will prevent people from doing things that could become spectacular. For instance, someone thinking about taking the plunge and starting a company might have qualms about what happens if he or she fails or what people might think if he or she is not super successful. Social fear can plague people into doubting themselves or not being as confident as they should be. Fear is a paralyzing force, it's something that prevents action and perpetuates inaction.

Whenever you're afraid, I think it might be beneficial to think about Buzz and his catch phrase, "to infinity and beyond". To me, the deeper meaning and the more powerful argument behind Buzz's saying is that no one should be afraid to explore and fail. Buzz can't reach infinity because no one can reach it, but that doens't mean he won't try to get there, and it definitely means that whoever reads this post shouldn't try to get there. Buzz didn't always do super well when he first set out to save the galaxy, and the first time you try something, you probably won't do extremely well either. But, keep at it, and maybe, just maybe, you'll reach a point that you never thought was possible. 

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I'm a firm believer that programmers are the most creative people in the world. If you know how to code, you have the ability to leverage technology to make things that can be life-changing. For instance, two very young programmers, Dan Shipper, and Sahil Lavingia, are working on projects that I believe can positively affect the way we live. They've identified two important markets: email marketing and online payments respectively, and have used their skills to aggresively solve problems existing in each area. Both of them have worked on creating great products, and their results are showing off. In a few days, I'll be writing a post about why it's important to know how to code. However, you might ask what you can create if haven't learned to program yet? What things can you make without being a programmer?

If you can't code, and don't have the time to learn how to program right now, there are plenty of things you can work on that might have a large impact on other people and really affect them. For instance, I haven't learned how to program in my life yet, but I still make things. For the past week, I've been writing a song that I'm hoping to work on with a couple of friends. Do I know much about song-writing? Nope. But, I'm learning a lot about stringing words together in a way that produces an interesting rythym, and I think I'm broadcasting a powerful message that others will benefit from. Besides writing songs, you can see powerful results by writing just about anything. Start a blog, write and self-publish a book using createspace, take some time and write a poem, construct a short-story. If you're artistically inclined, draw something, paint something, go make a cool icon in Photoshop and put it on display.

I believe the world belongs to the people who make it. My advice for whoever reads this is to go and build anything that seems interesting; don't wait. Seize the day, forge the new creations in society, and see success come your way.

After taking a hiatus from blogging for the past few months, I've decided to start writing online again. Sharing advice and thoughts with people is something that I enjoy, and unfortunately I had to take a break from posting for a while due to a lack of time.

In the future, my goal is to write about startups, entrepreneurship, and life, telling stories from my own experiences that others might find valuable. I'm a big fan of James Altucher's blog and the words of wisdom he provides in each post, so I'm hoping to emulate the honesty he uses in the stories he tells when I think about my own posts. I would like to write two or three posts every week, though there will most likely be many weeks when I only have the time to write one post. Thanks for stopping by, and be on the lookout for some good stories from me in the future!