Apology:
I need to first and foremost make a few comments about my post last week. When writing for this blog I try to walk a fine line between wearing the cloak of anonymous blogger that few people at UB know personally and promoter of a random blog that none of my friends have much interest in but whom all happen to be in tune with my personal life. Last week I completely failed at that. I made more people that I truly care about angry than I'd care to mention and for that I can't say enough about how sorry I am. The only reason I write is for shits and giggles so please don't take offense to it.
The Background:
It's that point in the semester where I feel like it's way too cliche for me to be bitching about classes. Yes, I have way too much school work to do and yes, I don't have enough time to do it. But ya know what? So do you. I'd love to sit here and try to relate to your academic problems but I'd rather get your mind off of school and make you use your noggin for a second - lord knows your classes don't do that.
Because I've been so stifled by schoolwork, my creative mind hasn't had much time to think about what I actually care about. Thus, as of about 2 hours ago, I didn't have a single topic that was personally relevant enough to inspire a rant. After sitting, uninspired, in front of my laptop aimlessly pecking at keys for an hour or so I decided to head to Turps with the roomie for a little liquid inspiration. While sitting at the bar, making mindless conversation, I got a text from one of my boys which jolted my mind back into reality.
As I've said before, I can be biggest, worthless-to-society party animal there is (yin) OR the most inspired-to-positively-impact-the-world-around-me guy there is (yang.)
If all goes according to plan I will be graduating in May (just a shade under a decade and no, I will not be doctor.) Accordingly, I'm making plans as to what I'm going to be doing with myself when I'm finished with the old undergrad. Fortunately, I have many opportunities available to me when I graduate. Unfortunately, the easiest opportunities for me to take advantage of aren't necessarily my first options.
Plan B (the logic of seizing the moment):
I am an entrepreneur at heart. It's something that comes naturally to me and when I get excited about an entrepreneurial endeavor it's hard to take my focus away from that. Recently I have been afforded the opportunity to work for a friend who has done very well for himself with several small businesses. I could easily see myself working under him, learning the ropes of running a business and eventually starting up my own small venture.
Likewise, I've been very interested in real estate lately. Over the summer I was afforded the opportunity to be a project manager for a house that was to be put on the market. My job was to get the house ready to sell. I was given a certain amount of money and told that I needed to get x, y and z projects completed on time and under budget. This gave me a taste of the type of freedom and responsibility that I enjoy in a job.
One of my very close boys, since middle school, is considering buying a house here soon. He has the money to invest so he wants to buy in this down market but he also plans on traveling for the next year+. It happens to work out that I have experience with rehabbing/renovating houses, project management, financial/budget management and will be finished with school and looking for work at the same time he needs to have someone to do all of the above for him. We are currently in the midst of working out a deal where he will buy the house, leave town according to plan and I will be his property manager.
If none of the above works out I might just have to get a 9-5 (please don't tell anyone that I actually wrote this, it's a bad word where I come from) in the field that I am interested in - sustainability consulting - and slave away with the rest of the working population.
Plan A (go big or go home):
Though I would likely have a relatively fulfilling life if I ran with one of the above options there is something inside me that is resisting - "Miles, this is not what we agreed upon, what happened to your dreams?"
I've always envisioned that when I graduated I would go travel the world and experience what it has to offer. The first six months following graduation I won't have any loans to pay off. I will be a young, spry, 24 year old guy with no one to answer to and the world by the short'n'curly's. Will there be a better time to travel and do what I want to do than now?
My dreams to save the world through social entrepreneurship aren't local, they're global. How can I really improve the world by hanging around the same people in the same town with the same ideas? Shouldn't I at least completely uproot myself and go out in search of the movers and the shakers?
I am a firm believer in opening up all the doors of opportunity that life has to offer - ya never know which one you'll be interested in stepping through down the road, right? I read the Wall Street Journal. Anytime I see a big name mentioned in the journal that name is typically followed by a Ph.D., M.B.A., J.D. or M.S. If I am really to keep all of my opportunity doors open, shouldn't my name be followed by a fancy acronym?
Tony Robbins "Do the Damn Thing" Rant:
I'm a big subscriber to the "shoot for the moon" philosophy. No one ever accomplished anything great by settling for what they were given. I've been accused in the past of being a 'dreamer' - I have my head in the clouds and don't live in a realistic world. I say there is a fine line between genius and insanity. I may not have a conventional viewpoint but I think that conventional wisdom leads to mediocrity. Societal norms are stifling.
Somewhere along the line it became legit to settle for Plan B: I did just what they told me to do. I went to college, picked a degree that they said I'd make money at, I got a job they said would support a family, I found a husband/wife to raise a family, I bought a house. . . You've heard it before. What do YOU want? What makes YOU happy?
Quit listening to the people around you and figure out what it is that makes you happy - and if that's appeasing those around you take a deeper look. Find someone that you admire, someone that you think is truly successful and make them your mentor. When you need advice, turn to them. When you are feeling like you're aimlessly drifting, turn to them. Make it a point to take them out to lunch once a month just to keep in touch. Whatever you do, please don't do what you think everyone else thinks is best for you.
Remember kids: Be well, do good work and always know your dealer.
Cheers,
Miles.
I need to first and foremost make a few comments about my post last week. When writing for this blog I try to walk a fine line between wearing the cloak of anonymous blogger that few people at UB know personally and promoter of a random blog that none of my friends have much interest in but whom all happen to be in tune with my personal life. Last week I completely failed at that. I made more people that I truly care about angry than I'd care to mention and for that I can't say enough about how sorry I am. The only reason I write is for shits and giggles so please don't take offense to it.
The Background:
It's that point in the semester where I feel like it's way too cliche for me to be bitching about classes. Yes, I have way too much school work to do and yes, I don't have enough time to do it. But ya know what? So do you. I'd love to sit here and try to relate to your academic problems but I'd rather get your mind off of school and make you use your noggin for a second - lord knows your classes don't do that.
Because I've been so stifled by schoolwork, my creative mind hasn't had much time to think about what I actually care about. Thus, as of about 2 hours ago, I didn't have a single topic that was personally relevant enough to inspire a rant. After sitting, uninspired, in front of my laptop aimlessly pecking at keys for an hour or so I decided to head to Turps with the roomie for a little liquid inspiration. While sitting at the bar, making mindless conversation, I got a text from one of my boys which jolted my mind back into reality.
As I've said before, I can be biggest, worthless-to-society party animal there is (yin) OR the most inspired-to-positively-impact-the-world-around-me guy there is (yang.)
If all goes according to plan I will be graduating in May (just a shade under a decade and no, I will not be doctor.) Accordingly, I'm making plans as to what I'm going to be doing with myself when I'm finished with the old undergrad. Fortunately, I have many opportunities available to me when I graduate. Unfortunately, the easiest opportunities for me to take advantage of aren't necessarily my first options.
Plan B (the logic of seizing the moment):
I am an entrepreneur at heart. It's something that comes naturally to me and when I get excited about an entrepreneurial endeavor it's hard to take my focus away from that. Recently I have been afforded the opportunity to work for a friend who has done very well for himself with several small businesses. I could easily see myself working under him, learning the ropes of running a business and eventually starting up my own small venture.
Likewise, I've been very interested in real estate lately. Over the summer I was afforded the opportunity to be a project manager for a house that was to be put on the market. My job was to get the house ready to sell. I was given a certain amount of money and told that I needed to get x, y and z projects completed on time and under budget. This gave me a taste of the type of freedom and responsibility that I enjoy in a job.
One of my very close boys, since middle school, is considering buying a house here soon. He has the money to invest so he wants to buy in this down market but he also plans on traveling for the next year+. It happens to work out that I have experience with rehabbing/renovating houses, project management, financial/budget management and will be finished with school and looking for work at the same time he needs to have someone to do all of the above for him. We are currently in the midst of working out a deal where he will buy the house, leave town according to plan and I will be his property manager.
If none of the above works out I might just have to get a 9-5 (please don't tell anyone that I actually wrote this, it's a bad word where I come from) in the field that I am interested in - sustainability consulting - and slave away with the rest of the working population.
Plan A (go big or go home):
Though I would likely have a relatively fulfilling life if I ran with one of the above options there is something inside me that is resisting - "Miles, this is not what we agreed upon, what happened to your dreams?"
I've always envisioned that when I graduated I would go travel the world and experience what it has to offer. The first six months following graduation I won't have any loans to pay off. I will be a young, spry, 24 year old guy with no one to answer to and the world by the short'n'curly's. Will there be a better time to travel and do what I want to do than now?
My dreams to save the world through social entrepreneurship aren't local, they're global. How can I really improve the world by hanging around the same people in the same town with the same ideas? Shouldn't I at least completely uproot myself and go out in search of the movers and the shakers?
I am a firm believer in opening up all the doors of opportunity that life has to offer - ya never know which one you'll be interested in stepping through down the road, right? I read the Wall Street Journal. Anytime I see a big name mentioned in the journal that name is typically followed by a Ph.D., M.B.A., J.D. or M.S. If I am really to keep all of my opportunity doors open, shouldn't my name be followed by a fancy acronym?
Tony Robbins "Do the Damn Thing" Rant:
I'm a big subscriber to the "shoot for the moon" philosophy. No one ever accomplished anything great by settling for what they were given. I've been accused in the past of being a 'dreamer' - I have my head in the clouds and don't live in a realistic world. I say there is a fine line between genius and insanity. I may not have a conventional viewpoint but I think that conventional wisdom leads to mediocrity. Societal norms are stifling.
Somewhere along the line it became legit to settle for Plan B: I did just what they told me to do. I went to college, picked a degree that they said I'd make money at, I got a job they said would support a family, I found a husband/wife to raise a family, I bought a house. . . You've heard it before. What do YOU want? What makes YOU happy?
Quit listening to the people around you and figure out what it is that makes you happy - and if that's appeasing those around you take a deeper look. Find someone that you admire, someone that you think is truly successful and make them your mentor. When you need advice, turn to them. When you are feeling like you're aimlessly drifting, turn to them. Make it a point to take them out to lunch once a month just to keep in touch. Whatever you do, please don't do what you think everyone else thinks is best for you.
Remember kids: Be well, do good work and always know your dealer.
Cheers,
Miles.
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