One fun piece of PBN’s 40 Under Forty program is asking the honorees a series of questions, the answers to which you see with each of their portraits in this special section. We can’t run all the answers – some are just too long for the pages available – but reading them all yields an interesting view into the commonalities and diversity of our winners.
One question – “What advice would you give your 22-year-old self?” – yields fun answers. From Kara Butler’s “Listen!” to Steven Boyajian’s “Keep building boats” to Katherine Messier’s “Use all of your vacation time,” it is clear some honorees know many of life’s best parts are not found in an office setting, but from taking that road less traveled and engaging people along the way.
But in a business publication the question, “Did you select your profession or did it select you?” may have the most resonance. So many of the answers, both those printed and those not, made clear that finding a career came from taking a journey. Yes, many people knew what they wanted to be as children. But finding a calling for most required experiencing life, trying things and understanding what you really want and who you really are. That is a powerful message, counter to the pressure being put on young people today to focus on a career early on. Life is not a sprint, but a marathon. Run it well.
Back this year as presenting sponsor of the 40 Under Forty program is Marsh & McLennan Agency. The two sponsor partners are Cox Business and Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island. The program, including the big celebration held July 20 at the Aldrich Mansion on Warwick Neck, would not be possible without their support.
Mark S. Murphy
Editor
