2Q26 Overview
This quarter was very in line with guidance from the previous quarter — enjoyed cutting grass, traveling, and working through finding a new role at Envisage to become a financial advisor. All goals were completed or are very close to being obtained and will be held through next quarter with the addition of a few new ones, with the largest risk being spread too thin.
From cutting grass, going on a road trip west, Faith's graduation at the beach, Toronto, Chicago, Buck 50, Middle Bass, a promising lead with Ms. Campbell, headway in a new role that provided higher long-term upside potential in exchange for freedom — Q2 proved to be successful and solidifying that leaving Equitable was not, in fact, a mistake but a crucial pivot that allowed such headway to be made this high preforming quarter.
2Q26 Goals
Run a marathon/have one booked for fall/be injured
I picked out the Columbus Marathon and my goal time is sub-4 hours, and the tough part of the goal is not getting hurt at any point beforehand, as it's still far out and I have had times where my hips and knees experienced pain
This goal was achieved and will be changed to consistently running and hitting mileage and doing the extra injury prevention stuff each week so it's more likely I hit sub-4hrs
Land new role
Role is technically landed but not set to a start date — I said early September and the CEO said cool, so the goal is close, but a few final details need to be driven home before this goal completely crosses the line
Will keep this goal as it's not completely achieved yet, then likely adjust mid-quarter, and I'll likely share the revised goal in 3Q26 once I know what to expect to create a useful goal then
Have a sick travel abroad before next j*b, or more likely: a few bands saved up specifically for a crazy trip, and good weekend trips to 2 cool places like: Niagara Falls/Toronto, Nashville, St. Louis, Smoky Mountains, Pictured Rocks, Boundary Waters, a beach, Washington DC, Seneca Rocks + Spruce Knob
Chicago w/ Mr. Johnson
Road Trip MN to WA
Faith Graduation in SC
Toronto
Have a few bands saved up intended for travel
I was in/drove through 14 states, and in half of them I did something that wasn't just driving, in this quarter alone
Planning on taking something big in August before work at Envisage could take my time — I was given verbal confirmation that this role and growth pathway does allow for me to continue to travel, especially long term
Crushed this goal, as the road trip I took and the one I returned from in Q3 could both count as epic trips — this goal was beat on all metrics
Keep on track for Bible in a Year
This was done, but it was rocky — I'd miss a few days then read a few on a single day, more yo-yoing than I would like, and I hope this to be more consistent and smooth out this upcoming quarter, but achieved nonetheless
3Q26 Goals
Max out 2026 Roth or have gone abroad
Put myself in a position where running sub-4hr is likely — hit weekly mileage, injury prevention, not get hurt
Make something happen with Ms. Campbell
Start role at Envisage: hoping to learn more about how CEO Jeff operates and thinks that made him very successful
Stay on track with Bible in a Year plan so it's likely I finish it in a year — plan on reading ahead when I can, to pre-yo-yo not catch-up yo-yo, or finish it in less than a year - will try to shift reading away from before bed as too sleepy to read was an issue
Get CHL/CCW or motorcycle license — wouldn't be opposed to both, but I don't know what my free time will be like, so the other will be a next-quarter goal if I don't achieve both in Q3
Motorcycle license is so I can use bikes/vespas abroad, not to ride here or go 150+ mph around 270
Learned
You can't make luck, but you can put yourself in a position where it's likely you get lucky — you can do it over and over again where it would be unlucky to get lucky
Nothing is always good or bad — just has trade-offs with pros and cons for each side depending on your prespective
What makes people give up isn't the pain, but suffering longer than expected or with no definite end date, aka looking at the full task all at once. To reverse-engineer giving up is to be near-sighted: don't think "how will I make it a full 18-mile long run" — very scary — "what song will I play first? Where will I run this mile? Can I run to that mailbox 200 feet away?" are better thoughts
Making small changes over time and doing them consistently yields the best results, despite each input looking small — in the end it amounts to something big — attention to detail and effort speed up results
Very analytical, measurable, efficiency-focused, problem-solving thinking is very efficient to solve most problems, but for some challenges where that thinking becomes a headwind - The same thing that can get you great results in one part of your life can be a con in other parts of your life - again comes back to trade offs
Books read: 7 - 13 total in 2026 — half were fat AF, Harry Potter ain't short with 700 pages a book on the last 3 — listening to podcasts instead hurt numbers in the latter half of the quarter
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
1984
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The Alchemy of Finance
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
The Genius Files
The Lawman's Deadly Bargain*
3Q26 Guidance:
I have no guidance for July and August, just that it will be epic — it could hold anything from cutting grass to Columbia and anything in between, but I do expect to start working in September and will very much miss the freedom I had in Q2. I expect the opportunity couldn't be better, and I expect to learn a lot — very bullish on learning, but the biggest question mark is if I can survive in an office/suit - if thats the enverment. Work will likley dominate this quarter, and with it being unlikey I can take as many epic trips, my joy will come from hanging with friends. Lots of value placed in marathon training since it will consume my free time, probably lots of thinking and figuring out while stacking cash — maybe start saving up money for a house, who knows.
🦬 High Low Buffalo 🦬
High:
The trip going west that ended in SC
Low:
Very high floor, very good quarter — but to just pick a low: feeling behind on metrics, like not owning a house
Buffalo:
Was in the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean within 24 hours — can't be beat, despite a quarter of good ones
🎵 Songs of the Quarter 🎵
Hurricane – Bob Dylan
Hooped Earrings – Briscoe
No Soy Una de Esas – Jesse & Joy (feat. Alejandro Sanz)
Photos of the Quarter:
Click Here — I forgot to take photos of a lot of cool stuff
Requesting feedback: what about the weekly updates can be improved? What can be added, removed, liked, disliked, etc.
-VB