I have been blessed in my life and I know it.
I think it is fair to say that I am a life-long volunteer. I have been engaged in community projects since I was in grammar school in San Francisco, including neighborhood clean-ups, after-school bake sale fundraisers – you name it.
When I was a little older, I started swinging a hammer for Christmas in April, delivering food to people in need.
While living in L.A., I worked with disadvantaged youths and in prison ministry.
My mother was in the Army and then became a Correctional Officer. Her life has always motivated me to dig deeper into giving. This is not to say that my life has been easy, because it hasn’t been. Growing up, I struggled to find my place in the world and took several attempts to earn my Undergraduate degree in Business Management. I was conflicted in my early twenties and sometimes it was just easier to “lose” myself than to focus on my career and life.
Through serendipity, I found myself living in New York, and then my career and achievement took off. I created the company I run and enjoy today, Design Management Company – a consultancy dedicated to helping small business owners prosper. It has helped thousands of people while providing me with the income that I am now using to run for Congress.
I spend a lot of time walking my dog, thinking about things that matter to me, such as why people make the choices they do and ways to inspire them to make better ones.
When possible, I go to the gym and lift weights and run; I like to ski and ride horses; but perhaps most of all, I love reading. There is so much that I don’t know and learning from books has always been a joy for me.
In many respects, I find myself quite ordinary. In others, I know I’m different. I believe I have an unusual ability to see the true nature of things before most, and it this seeming connection to the unseen that most inspires me.