Principles, Parenting & Purpose

Pursue Your Dreams

December 24, 2020

“Ah, these times are so uncertain.” — Don Henley - The Heart of the Matter (Official Music Video)

Self-help “experts” have become increasingly cynical about encouraging dream-chasing. They’re not wrong—we see privileged, self-indulgent people “chasing dreams,” curating lives on Instagram and YouTube that seem perfect. But we’ve learned: social media isn’t reality.

Still, too many pundits are throwing the baby out with the bathwater. They’ve collapsed their commentary into a one-dimensional view, missing the nuance in “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Maybe we live in a faithless age—lacking trust, paralyzed by fear. But we still have responsibility. We still have the power to move forward bravely.

If you could have anything in five or ten years—what would it be?

In 11th grade English class, Mr. Welker had us write about our future. One page for five years. One for ten. We provided self-addressed stamped envelopes—he’d mail them to us a decade later. Mine never arrived, but I remember exactly what I wrote:

1987: I’d be near graduation, sitting in the grass with my girlfriend at college, studying computer science, interning at a video game company.

1992: Married to the woman of my dreams, working for Atari.

Reality? Not quite. In 1987, I wasn’t close to graduation—I wouldn’t finish until 1990. But I was already working 40+ hours a week with Paragon. Dating had been a disaster—until April 15, 1987, when I met Anne. By April 1988, we were married. Check.

I studied Electronics Engineering but programmed professionally. Check.

In May 1987, I helped build the PC game, Sherlock, for Bob Bates. Not as an intern at a game company. But, close enough! Check.

In 1989, we started Legend Entertainment Company. By 1992, we’d published several games. Check.

And in June 1992, I became a father. Alexandra was the first pure, transformative love of my life. ...not a goal... but certainly, the dream of a lifetime.

As for Atari—by 1992, the dream was dead. But the universe wasn’t done with me.

In December 1998, GT Interactive acquired Legend as we worked on Wheel of Time.

Late in the development of Wheel of Time, while I was visiting Epic's new office in Raleigh, Mark Rein asked me if Legend would be interested in building Unreal II. For me, it was a jaw-dropping moment—the dream of a lifetime. When I got back to our office in Virginia, our team agreed—100% yes—we'd start in November 1999 immediately after wrapping up Wheel of Time.

Within months, that dream became a nightmare: tech shifts, team shifts, market shifts—by 2001, time was flying by too fast, and failure loomed.

Then, February 2001: divorce.

Then, April, Mike Verdu, my closest friend, business partner since 1985 and our co-Studio Head, announced that he was leaving Legend to join Electronic Arts in California.

Then, 9/11.

But the universe has a sense of humor.

By Fall, I had my first serious post-divorce girlfriend. And the Sweet November DVD arrived from Netflix. My girlfriend didn’t look like Charlize Theron, and we both lived in Northern Virginia—but otherwise, the parallels were eerie. Most importantly: She taught me to live again.

In 2002: we worked through endless drama at our small studio in Virginia. But we pushed through. Our team finally came together in April—and Unreal II was finally coming together. On Christmas Day, I tested a late build in my home office. The box art was printed. The game was shipping.

On January 12, 2003, Unreal II: The Awakening became the first title published by Atari. Yes... published by ATARI. Eleven years beyond my 1982 dream… but still: Check.

What’s your dream?

Write it down. Revise it. Keep moving. You’re not chasing fantasy—you’re collaborating with the universe.

Trust me. It’s extraordinary.

Discover what's ahead of you.

Keep moving forward.