The immigrant's mentality

My Dad grew up in post-World War 2 Indonesia selling ice cubes on the street as a child. He was fortunate to have had the opportunity to go to school here in the U.S. and start his own business. He was able to live the “American Dream”.

It wasn’t easy though. Running his own business meant he worked 6 days a week. I recall he was constantly stressed and never really at ease despite having a successful business. He always seemed like he was constantly hustling. Even to this day, he still works despite likely not needing to.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to realize and appreciate my Dad’s hustle as his immigrant mentality. For better or worse, he was never comfortable and always looking to get ahead and get stuff done. Business is going well — hustle. Business is going poorly — hustle. Of course, there is a balance and I felt that my Dad probably went overboard at times.

At the same time, I hope to never lose that immigrant’s mentality and I look forward to passing it along to Colin despite having a much easier life than my Dad. I believe it’s my family’s secret sauce. As such, here I am on a Friday in the office at 8:30am after a very successful 2025. It’s time to hustle.