Scott Kyle was driven to succeed at an early age, pouring over biographies of successful people to learn what attributes allowed them to thrive. What he learned was there were three main characteristics that successful people embodied:

1. They found something they were passionate about doing.
2. They had the natural skills.
3. They practiced hard work and put in their time to become a success.

In the course of his childhood, Scott practiced these principles through his passion for sailing and even developed spreadsheets recording his goals. At age eleven, he set himself a goal that he would be a world champion sailor in ten years and beat that goal by two years. Part of practicing the principles of successful people meant that Scott did whatever it took to succeed, including breaking the ice on a lake in the Chicago suburbs in the middle of winter to sail. His success translated to many areas of his life by continuing to focus on the three principles. Scott won another world championship in sailing, along with nine national titles. He is also an Ironman triathlon finisher and a third-degree black belt in Shaolin Kempo.

Early on, Scott described his success as vertical and very individually focused. He only felt fulfilled when he achieved his given objective. Later, Scott broadened his sense of success, which included enjoying the journey and being out of his comfort zone, even if that meant that he didn’t always win. He also realized that he could attain more success if he could break out of his introverted shell and reach out and connect more with others. Scott found this new definition of success to be much more fulfilling than just focusing on attaining a goal and now laughs at himself, saying that he has lived life backwards—he was too serious in his formative years and now he interjects much more fun and enjoyment into his life. Scott shared one example of when he practiced his new definition of success. After reading that fewer people had swum the English Channel than had climbed Mt. Everest, Scott decided that would be a challenge he would like to surmount. Being dedicated to fitness and staying trim, this goal really put Scott out of his comfort zone by having to put on fifty pounds of body fat to protect him from the cold when swimming the English Channel. While he didn’t complete the English Channel journey and didn’t win the “gold star,” he greatly enjoyed the experience that allowed him to stretch himself, meet incredible people, and learn a great deal along the way.

Beyond his sporting passions, Scott also realized that he had an enthusiasm for both economics and finance. Determined to become successful in these fields, Scott attended top schools: Tufts University for degrees in economics and international relations, the London School of Economics for a general course degree in international relations, and Harvard University for a master’s degree in business. After his studies, Scott focused on gaining a breadth of experience from financial analysis to financial publishing to equity investing while working and living in the financial hubs of New York and Chicago. Due to his extensive knowledge and experience, Scott has also served on nearly twenty for-profit and nonprofit boards.

While Scott was being groomed to run a 300-person company in Chicago in the mid 1990s, he took a moment to reflect on what he really wanted and focused on a greater, richer life in all senses of the word. He kept finding himself in San Diego to soak up the sunshine and take advantage of his love for outdoor sports. Scott always felt great and energized while he was in San Diego. While some perhaps thought he was insane to leave a high-profile job, Scott felt like it was time for him to take a leap of faith and find a more enriching, balanced lifestyle.

Upon moving to San Diego, Scott combined his passion for both sports and finance by purchasing an interest in and becoming CEO and publisher of Triathlon Group North America, LLC, the parent company to the world’s largest triathlon publication, Triathlete. Post acquisition, Scott led a team for the subsequent year that returned the magazine to profitability. Scott served on the company’s board of directors until he sold his interest in the magazine seven years later.

After his stint at Triathlete, Scott again combined his love for finance and sports by co-founding The Active Network, Inc., which was named one of the top 100 fastest-growing companies in North America by Inc. magazine in 2006 and the 15th fastest-growing company in North America by Deloitte & Touche (2006 Fast 500). Scott served as CFO and as director of the board for Active. Today, Active has over two thousand employees worldwide.

Currently, Scott runs Coastwise Capital Group, LLC, where he continues his passion for finance/money management, practices the principles for success, and celebrates his choice to live in a city where he feels alive and energized each day and where he can enjoy outside sports and activities year-round. He also finds additional balance by spending as much time as he can with his wife and young son.

Scott’s Tips:

• Embrace the chaos that life presents—that is where you can find opportunities.
• Focus on what you can control, rather than on factors that are beyond your circle of control.
• Be open to continuous learning and be adaptive to change.
• Have a long-term vision, but take small steps each day that will get you to where you need to be. Little steps can create a huge impact over time, like the power of compounding in finance.
• Integrate the things important to you so that you create a way of life. No matter how busy Scott is at work, he still exercises every day as a way to balance body and mind—even holding business meetings on runs!
• Trust that it takes time to get results and that hard work each day will pay off over time.
• Be consistent in your efforts and you will succeed.
• Read biographies of successful people and adopt characteristics that resonate with you.
• Give back. Scott has set up a scholarship fund via his business.
• When times get tough, continue to take good care of yourself and trust that things will get better.
• Live a rich life in all areas of your existence.