because the world is bizarre, about once a year i end up speaking to large groups.
my favorite place to speak is the daily nexus. and yet i still get nervous.
i worry im going to be boring
i worry they wont think im “cool”
i worry im gonna waste their time.
as i drove to work today i thought about a rough outline in my mind
- when you are in your teens and 20s you are bubbling with creativity. based on almost every other writer and musician in history (and of course there are exceptions) the best stuff you will make is before youre 30. so write it all down now. the more you write now the better off you’ll be after youre 30.
- kiss all the girls
- i know facebook and the twitter arent cool, but use them anyway, every day, because the jobs you will get out of college will be web production and social media and they will expect you to be experts. the good news is the college grads you will be competing with wouldnt have heard this advice and will suck at the twitter and the facebook and you will be amazing.
- read all the books
- when it’s light out study, when its dark out party.
- ask questions like you know they are dying for you ask them. and follow up like you cant believe the bullshit they just answered you with.
- have courage. if you get nervous, fake your courage.
- get some damn breaking news going via periscope and/or facebook live
- read the bible
- put something from every paycheck you get into your retirement fund and never touch it.
And then I’m going to pass out a copy of my favorite opinion column from my college days and tell them that anything is possible at the Nexus. It is your job to push the envelope, not retract it.