I had read about this trademark Startup Institute phrase long before I walked in the doors, but it meant something today. It meant something, in that room of 33 other people just like me. People who quit perfectly good jobs, gave up lofty salaries, assumed a scary amount of risk and showed up this morning with the hopes of making something better of themselves.

Drawing the fucking owl.

It means getting shit done. Learning to do, instead of learning to regurgitate for an exam. Getting started instead of always waiting for direction. Taking a stab at it instead of having someone hold your hand through it.

The motto of my next eight weeks, and one I’m ready to wholeheartedly embrace. It’s going to be a wild ride and a shit ton of work. It’s going to test my capacity for stress in a way I don’t think anything else ever has. It’s going to fully immerse me in an ecosystem full of like-minded get-shit-done individuals, and most importantly, it’s going to make me a better me.

I can hardly wait.