Nick HutchisonFounder and CEO, BookThinkers

The importance of transparency

15 Jun 2023 · 1 min

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1:01

In this reflective monologue, the speaker discusses how personal transparency has developed over time, especially after becoming a parent. He explains that fatherhood shifts focus from self to family, creating space for growth. He recounts his early career as the youngest district manager and how losing that 'youngest' badge prompted an identity crisis. Drawing on Gary Vaynerchuk’s message, he emphasizes that at 35 he is only a third through his life, underscoring the value of a long‑term perspective. He also cites late‑blooming success stories, such as Harrison Ford, to illustrate that significant achievements can occur well after the typical early‑career window, encouraging patience and perseverance.

Chapters

Is that something you've always done? Have you always been pretty transparent about your story? I probably wouldn't have been when I was younger. So I think that came with time and understanding and also fatherhood. Like, I think you learn so much when you become a parent because your life stops just becoming about you and starts becoming about them. And so I think that gives you a lot of opportunity for growth. And then even stuff too, like Gary Vee, when he talks about like, I was always the youngest person to do a thing. When I became district manager at my company, I was the youngest to do it, the youngest to become district manager of the year. I was the youngest in all of these things. That was like a badge of honor that I wore. And so once I stopped being the youngest, I kind of felt like, oh shit, who am I now? Because I'm no longer the youngest, like I'm not special anymore. And so like hearing Gary Vee's message of like, you have so much more life ahead of you. Like I'm only 35, so I'm only a third of the way through my life. Like I have more in front of me than I do behind me, you know? And I think it's important to have that. And when you see people who have found amazing success, like Harrison Ford didn't start acting till he's like 40 or something, I think. And that could be wrong, but it's somewhere in that part of his life. And so it's like, if you aren't doing the thing you want to do yet, it doesn't mean you can never do it. You just have to wait your time.