Looking back at lessons learned at UT πŸ€˜Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ 

EDITION #13

Hey folks! Sorry for the delay, but this edition of TCK is coming from Fredericksburg, TX. I hit an early morning hike and am cruising the town. Not too shabby for a Wednesday. Hoping your day is even better!

Read Time: 3 Min
 

I posted on LinkedIn the other week about my 3-year anniversary of graduating from The University of Texas at Austin.

The post was well received so I wanted to take the time to dive a bit deeper.

For some context, I graduated in May of 2020. Since then…

- A global pandemic has come and gone
- I moved from Austin to Dallas to Austin again
- I've worked for a 5000-person company, a 30-person company, and myself
- I quit a job, was laid off from a job, and started a side hustle
- I had knee surgery and ran a 1/2 marathon
- Served on the board of a nonprofit
- And traveled a lot

While much has changed for me in the past 3 years, 5 things I learned from my time at UT are still true today.

If you're a new grad, consider keeping the below in mind as you navigate the working world.

If you’ve been working for a while I hope the below tips serve as a reminder/refresher.

Let’s dive in!


1/ Who you surround yourself with matters.

I've had loads of college friends come and go, but the people I was closest with in college are still my support network today.

I believe wholeheartedly that we are the sum of our 5 closest friends. Choose to surround yourself with drama and chaos and you will feel dramatic and chaotic.

Choose to surround yourself with growth and health and you will grow and be healthy.

Unfortunately, we don’t always have control over who surrounds us in the working world.

However, we do have 100% control of our personal lives.

If you aren't being uplifted by those around you (at home or work) it may be time to move on.


2/ Showing up is half the battle.

It's amazing what can happen when you do something consistently for an extended period of time... like going to class!

If you aren't sure about something, show up with an open mind.

Most of the opportunities I’ve had over the past 3 years have come because of this mindset.

Want a promotion? Start doing the job first.

Want to lose weight? Commit to the little things every day.

Want to learn a new language? Speak it every day.

When you show up consistently a few things happen…

1. The competition fades away.

Most people simply can’t commit to something for longer than a few weeks at a time.

2. It becomes a habit.

At around 3 weeks of doing something consistently, our brains start to become familiar with the activity and thus we don’t need to think about it as hard.

3. You will earn recognition.

As a product of the above, when the competition fades and something becomes natural you will quickly establish yourself as a thought leader/expert.

Show up every day and the rest will figure itself out.

*If you are just out of school, I STRONGLY recommend getting to a physical office as much as possible.


3/ You can't win them all.

This one is simple... thanks Longhorn football for this lesson. πŸ₯²

At some point, you will fail. That's just how life works.

Fail often and keep playing the game.

Many of you have been laid off over the past couple of months. It sucks, I’ve been there.

At some point, whether it’s a layoff or a lost game of chess, you just have to shrug your shoulders and say β€œWelp, what’s next?”.

If you recently got laid off or fear a layoff is coming, read this.


4/ Never stop learning.

College is great because you are forced to learn every day. When you enroll you accept these terms in exchange for a fancy piece of paper further down the line.

Unfortunately, many of us will settle into a cushy job with cushy benefits and a cushy life.

Next thing you know, you’ll blink and you are 30 pounds overweight, unhappy at work, and having family troubles.

I don’t want that for you and you don’t want that for you.


Don't stop challenging yourself, learning, and growing just because school is "over”.

Find books or podcasts related to your industry.

Ask a stranger you look up to professionally for an informational interview.

Go to the conference.

Put simply, as Daron K. Roberts, J.D. says, "Stay in the Deep End."


5/ "Normal" is for chumps.

Matthew McConaughey is a Longhorn legend and the University's "Minister of Culture". He is also a really weird dude.

Trust me, I've met him. Yet, it is his weirdness that makes him awesome.

Life is full of β€œshoulds”.

You should be waking up at 5am.

You should go get an MBA.

You should be married by 30.

Don't do what you "should" do.

Do what you "want" to do.

No career path trends upwards and to the right forever.

If you want to take a year off to travel Asia. Do it!

If you want to move laterally to explore something new. Do it!

If you want to stay at home with your kids. Do it!

It’s your life. Not β€œtheirs”.


Whether you’re 3 years or 30 years out of school, my hope is that you are happy and fulfilled professionally.

You deserve it.


Enjoy the day,

Ben
 

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