I got a chance to check out Bill Gurley's new book Runnin' Down a Dream this past week. I couldn’t put it down and ended up reading it in two days. Gurley says to chase your curiosity, not a career plan. I've been obsessed with psychology and mental health since I was a kid. I built brain-computer interfaces in high school for fun, watched neuroscience YouTube videos, and always found myself in 2am rabbit holes researching cognitive science. Eventually all of that turned into @berryaiplushies. It was the same fascination for years until it started to become something real. He also writes about going where the action is. A month ago I left Austin and moved to San Francisco alone at 17 for a Founder in Residence program. In one month here I've made more progress on Berry than in the previous six months combined. Two things I'm doubling down on after reading this: 1. Studying the history. Gurley says learning the canon of your field is an obligation. I've been heads-down building, but I haven't gone deep enough on the history of companion products, mental health innovation, and the companies that came before me. That changes now. 2. Giving back. This is the principle that resonated with me most deeply. I've built a tight peer group of founders at Alpha and I learn outside my field constantly. But I want to do more: help young founders, share what I'm learning publicly, and make sure the people coming up behind me have a clearer path than I did. I'm grateful to @bgurley for helping me get clearer on what I'm building and why. If you're young and feel that pull toward something everyone says is too risky: read this book.