We made a promise to each other. We said, this is how we are going to show up for each other.

We committed to our community. We knew who we wanted to help, and tried to understand their story.

We decided what we do when we fail. Failing happens more than winning, so have a plan for how to make each failure a celebration.

We agreed on what winning looked like. Is it winning the race? Or is it finishing the journey?

We told each other that we'll have each others back. We're in it together.

My team, a team that I love and care for, had our quarter long work validated. None of us have ever done the job we were asked to do, and our work was validated by people who know much more than we.

Someone asked how it felt to present our work and see it validated?
I said, "indifferent." The person became curious and asked why. I replied, "What feels amazing is that our team of scrappy, creative, and eccentric people met 3 months ago and decided how, when, and that we were going to start on this journey; today someone told us that we took the right path."

If you can decide how you will start, you win.