A typical day in my life includes…
I like to start the first hour of my day in total isolation with no distractions – no social media, no phone, no TV, no text messaging, no calls, no music, no news. This allows me to embark on each new day with a clear & sharp mind to focus on the important objectives for the day, without immediately getting bogged down with unnecessary nuisances.
Afterwards, in the current state of remote work, I pick a quiet, local coffee shop to get work done. I usually visit 2 or 3 cafes in a day, to give myself breaks and switch up the scenery. I have found that moving around physically synchronously moves & energizes my mind.
I read 1 hour a day, everyday, so after the working day is done – I read a book. Currently, I am reading “Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions”.
Before closing out the day, I try to make it to the gym.
I was born… in Albania during the fall of its communist regime. My family & I arrived in the United States when I was a young boy, at age 4.
My favorite thing about Arizona… is the freedom of the open road. I like the feeling of open space and seeing the mountains on the horizon.
I’m listening to… True Faith by New Order! (Saw them live in 2018 – amazing!)
If I could have dinner with anyone, it would be… Benjamin Franklin.
One thing I cannot live without… are my noise-canceling headphones I bought in the summer of 2017, the best purchase I’ve made to date.
The one person who motivates me is… Elon Musk.
If I could change anything in the world, it would be… to help people understand that happiness is simply a by-product of producing or creating something good for the world, and that happiness is not the ultimate objective. After you die, your personal “collection” of “happiness” will mean nothing – but your contributions to the world & society will.
My first job was…
Not an official “job”; but as a teenager, a group of friends & I created a platform to exchange video game currency for real-life currency and vice versa. It lasted only a few months before the game developers determined they didn’t like what we were doing and shut us down, but it was very satisfying!
My favorite escape… is the 2nd floor at Teaism in Dupont (R & Connecticut NW) in Washington DC. Cozy & charming place I frequently went to for tea & sandwiches.
I’m currently working on… new categories to add to our platform, MadeMay! We envision it becoming a marketplace to request & order custom-made ANYTHING! In addition to custom artwork, we are working on expanding to custom-made goods, such as coffee tables, jewelry, crafts, cutting boards, candles, etc., etc. (If you have ideas of custom-made goods we should offer on our site, please let us know!)
Always… be truthful.
Never… forget the people that played a role in getting you to where you are now or the places you are headed.
Favorite Quote… “The wrong decision is better than indecision.”
Biggest Dream… As Leonardo Da Vinci put it, “As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so life well-used brings happy death”.
At the essence of it all, my biggest dream is to have lived a meaningful life.
More About Rei Llazani:
Rei Llazani is the Founder/CEO of MadeMay, a place to request & order custom-made artwork from top-rated & independent artists. For instance, you can hire an artist to create an oil portrait painting of your puppy or hire a sculptor to create a marble sculpture of yourself.
Each artwork request is made by hand from scratch – by a real person for a real person. In a world of cold, mass-produced, and automated goods, MadeMay aims to “revive the human touch” in commerce by becoming the #1 place to hire an expert to create something for you.
