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The basics and bests of Aspirations of Excellence
Moving from quiet dissatisfaction to purposeful alignment
Join nearly 2,000 readers moving from ambition to excellence through the pursuit of service, craft, and time stewardship.
I’m David Wells, a strategic thinker and author based in Nashville, TN. Over two decades, I have worked as an investor, entrepreneur, and board member blending philosophical depth with practical judgment.
I’m the author of two books, When Anything Is Possible and The Family Enterprise Playbook. I started Aspirations of Excellence, a weekly newsletter about how we find alignment in life.
Professionally, I serve as President of Greycourt & Co., advising some of the world’s wealthiest families on investment management, governance, and preparing rising generations. Previously, I co-founded a hedge fund, launched a strategy consultancy for single-family offices, and spent years in investment research.
A Wake Forest graduate with a business degree and a philosophy minor, I write about navigating midlife through the lenses of service, craft, and the wise stewardship of time. I’m an avid reader and lover of the arts, and live in Nashville with my wife, three children, and one very patient goldendoodle.
The best of Aspirations of Excellence
Excellence
How to build a meaningful life Who we are becoming matters. It offers hope to those sad about who they are. It offers direction and purpose
Craft
Embracing mundanity through focus and practice “The little moments of life are profoundly important precisely because they are the little moments that we live in and that form us.” Paul David Tripp
The Quiet War Between Now and Not-Yet When we narrow our focus on craft, on the steady pursuit of improvement each day, we remove the tyranny of the past or speculation about the future.
The business of re-work. Whatever your creative act may be - whether in the arts or the office - get your repetitions up. Do more of it.
Service
It may take 20 years to start your vocation. Not that anyone has asked (yet), here’s the college graduation speech I’d give today
Time
You don’t know anything until you’ve had 100 meetings The first time I looked for a job I accidentally learned one of the most important lessons of my entire career.
The pain of delay A problem avoided today accrues interest like a payday loan. Avoidance is never free.