I was 4 years old and one of the kids I would play with in the neighborhood was riding her bike down my street. She was a few years older than me so to 4 year old me she might as well been 21 in the way I viewed her so in that sense I looked to her as an authority and someone who knew their shiz.

As she approached my house I exclaimed “wanna play!?” and she replied “yea, but not with you” – and she continued riding her bike down the street.

I was stunned. Yes, she DID want to play… but… no… not with…me?

It made perfect sense what she said but that reaction was one I had never even considered before. Up until that moment in my life I had only thought about either wanting to play or not wanting to play. Not being in the mood for play was understandable but I thought that if someone did want to play, then that’s the end of the analysis. The concept of wanting to play with some over others changed my whole perspective about the world. Merely existing was not enough. I had to achieve. I had to win people over. I had to be someone people would want to play with.

And thus the journey started…