From Ricardo Velasquez, CEO of Alternova
One of the major determinants of our life and our outcomes, both personally and professionally, is the narrative we follow. What we think, what we say, what we read, the activities that occupy most of our time, and the content we consume create patterns in our behavior that pave the way for how we act in the face of achievements and difficulties. And it is these actions that have the greatest impact on our quality of life, our interpersonal relationships, and business results. That’s why this year, I’m seeking narratives that add performance to my behaviors instead of extracting it. Here they are:
1) I want to learn more about how artificial intelligence is going to positively transform our lives and the opportunities for new products and services that can be created. I’m not interested in the threat that artificial intelligence poses to society and jobs. I want to focus on how this technology can add, rather than obsess over how it can subtract.
2) This year, I’m going to express myself more and hold back less as a person and as a business leader. I have a strong desire to share more of my opinions about our industry, about how we manage and allocate resources, about why we invest in some things, but not others. I want to have constructive discussions with my team about the projects that we feel excited to build, and I hope this will help us collectively close the gap between what we want to do and what we have to do.
3) Now that Alternova has a structure that can support almost all processes, I’m going to dedicate time to get back to programming. It’s my great passion in life, and being a CEO for the past 3 years has occupied all my mental space and physical energy. I already have an idea for an internal tool that I want to build for the company, and if I can realize this vision, I would like to offer it as a “commercial open-source software (COSS)”. Being able to dedicate more time to something I deeply enjoy, without haste, and with the luxury of exploiting all my curiosity and my capacity to learn is something I can’t wait to start doing.
4) In 2024, I want to be more conscious in recognizing and thanking all the people who positively contribute to my life, to the privileges I was given and those I’ve worked to achieve. Personally, I want to live a calm and fulfilling life. Professionally, I want to have an exciting experience, in which I work to create all the necessary conditions for many achievements to come to our entire team, including myself, of course.
5) I want to continue my practice from 2023, where I try to make many of my actions pursue the philosophy of what I want to be, what I want to create, and what I want to contribute to the world. Having a solid philosophical foundation is a simple way to handle the frenzy of the countless decisions that have to be made every day. Having a clear direction that guides our actions substantially reduces the burden of having to worry about living up to unrealistic expectations or having to satisfy the opinion of other “non-playable characters (NPCs)” of life and the industry.
This post is inspired by this video from Hank Green, in which he talks about the ability to desire, to want. For anyone who, for whatever reason, has experienced the feeling of not wanting to desire, being able to do so again, is a blessing.
Alternova designs, builds, and operates technology to improve human wellbeing and boost conscious businesses blending the latest tech + compliance + gaming expertise.
