I received this email from a co-worker of mine a few weeks ago, and have probably read it about a dozen times. It is an segment from a Commencement speech given to a business school by Brad Feld (a venture capitalist, and very influential figure in the Boulder/Start-up community). I know Commencement addresses are usually geared towards the “young 20-somethings” of the world, but if you stop and listen to or read most of them, the underlying themes can apply to almost anyone.
Most of us LOVE articles/posts/videos/books like this, and the more we read them, the more jazzed up we get to “Crush it!” (thanks, Gary V.)
But how many of us REALLY HAVE? That question is only semi-rhetorical. Make changes and take steps towards getting to the life we all DREAM of having. Instead of being so overwhelmed by allll of the requirements, make a list, and attack them one at a time. We all CAN do it. But as Gary Vaynerchuck has said in the past, those who have made it don’t mind if others keep putting it off… that leaves more for them.
C’mon, people! Let’s help each other out in becoming more accountable for reaching these goals of ours.
Thanks for sharing the speech with me, Matt! Email paste begins now….
Below is an excerpt from a speech Brad Feld gave to graduating MBAs. Worth reading. Twice.
Imagine that you are 45 and are looking back on your last 15-20 years. Is your work, and life, full of meaning?
Don’t worry about money right now. You can always get a job that pays you plenty of money. Don’t worry about your resume. Don’t worry about “am I positioning myself the right way for something five years from now.” I know way too many 45 year olds who have plenty of money, have done all the right career things, yet are unhappy with where they are in life, where they live, and what they do. Don’t be that guy or gal.
Start by choosing the place you want to make a life. If it’s Boulder, figure out how to stay here. If it’s New York, there’s an easy United flight that gets you there in under four hours – take it the day after you graduate. San Francisco? That flight is only two hours long. Just go and figure it out when you get there. Don’t talk about “I’m going to live there some day” – go get in the middle of wherever it is that you want to build a life. Oh, and Boise is a pretty cool place, as is Austin, Seattle, Miami, DC, and at least 95 other cities in the United States.
Next, choose a domain that you want to dedicate your life to. If you’ve dreamed of being an investment banker or consultant to Fortune 1000 companies since you were 10, then Goldman Sachs or McKinsey is looking for you. If you want to be an entrepreneur, working at an investment bank or consulting firm for a while is pointless. Be an entrepreneur starting now. Pick that domain that turns you on the most – start at a high level (e.g. software, Internet, clean tech) but then pick a thing that you really care about and a set of problems you want to solve. If you aren’t technical, go find a technical co-founder right now – there are hundreds of them on this campus. Get your ass out of your chair and just get started.
Finally, make sure you are living your life. You are young and hopefully have plenty of time on this planet. But don’t wait because you never know when the lights are going to go out.
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