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| "Semper Avanti" - Photos by Brooke Lonegan in London, 2011. |
"Semper Avanti" is something my grandfather has always said - he says it all the time.
It means Ever Forward and Always Ahead. And it has become the most important philosophy in my life.
Ever forward: Is a command. It helps me to remember that there is certainly more work to be done, things that can be improved, or more that you can give to a cause. When I feel like resting, or settling, I remember that now is the time to push on.
Always ahead: Is a statement of fact. Always head reminds me that I am, in fact, still ahead in this game. It is an optimism that guides everything I do - cliche as it is, my glass is always over half full.
These two definitions need one another. The challenge of constantly moving forward can be overwhelming if it weren't of the peace of mind that comes from knowing that you are still ahead of the curve.
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Now, who am I? Im just a guy. My name is Tony. Im 24 and from New Jersey. I grew up playing a lot of sports and dreaming of being a professional football player. In high school, the sport changed to lacrosse and the dream goal was to become a "Wall Street" type. I went to a small liberal arts college in PA where I was able to play lacrosse for four years, explore several academic pursuits outside of my Business & Economics degree and become deeply involved in leadership roles on campus.I credit a leadership conference at UPitt and semester abroad in Florence, Italy as being the two events that most changed the course of my future. I realized that I no longer wanted to be a part of the corporate rat race. I didn't want the big business atmosphere or the conveyer-belt career that comes with being an analyst - not that there is anything wrong with it. It just wasn't for me. I knew that I could not find a competitive advantage in that space. It didn't align with what truly motivated me.
I wanted to travel. I wanted to work in start ups. I wanted to live in New York - and enjoy it. I wanted to be an entrepreneur.
After graduation in May of 2011, I had an opportunity to spend time abroad and I took it. I lived in Europe for 5 months while working for a young but rapidly growing student travel company. In that time, I took nearly 1,000 study-abroad students on trips all over Europe. I lived in Florence, Italy - for free, traveled around Europe - for free, and, most importantly, I met some truly amazing people.
Upon returning home to New Jersey, I spent a year splitting my time between two of my favorite things: menswear and fitness. I was a stylist at thriving clothing line and a trainer/coach at a Sports Performance Center / CrossFit Gym. In both of these spaces I was able to leverage my charisma and work ethic to make, what I believe to be, a positive impact on the lives of the people I worked with and for.
In February of 2013, I took another step toward my goal. I now live in New York and work for a very young menswear company. I am in a role I could never have been in at another larger corporation. And though I feel prepared to take on any challenge that will arise there is no doubt that I am learning on the fly. I will not pretend to have all of the answers (or any of them, for that matter). I simply plan to use this blog to share the highlights from some of the best learning tools that I have stumbled upon so far.
Please give me feedback. Let me know how to improve.
Be Well - Do Good,
Tony
