The Thrill of the First Bus Ride Alone

One of our executives wrote in his essay about his oldest memory: riding a bus alone for the first time as a young boy. The timetable had peeled off; he didn't know if the bus would come, or if the one that came was right; he lacked the courage to ask. Sweating, he stepped aboard anyway.

Tension first — darting eyes, pounding heart — easing into relief, and only upon arrival, exhilaration. He extracted a law of life: everything begins with anxiety; the pounding comes first, and the thrill arrives only afterward. It is true for adults too — new jobs, founding companies, going public.

Those who wait to feel excited before moving never move. When did you last board a "first bus"?

What do you work for?