Bigger Things #60 - My Commencement Address
That I was NOT asked to give at my sons' graduation
It is hard to believe that my boys graduated from high school last week.
Wow! What’s the saying…
the days are long but the years are short.
The boys were born prematurely at 31 week and spent their first month of life in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Monterrey, Mexico where they were born.
From preemie 3 pounders to 6’ 3” and 6’ tall, they have matured into great young men and I am so proud of both of them.
I was NOT asked to give a commencement address 🤣🤣… so I decided to write one instead.
Here goes…
We live in a changing world and so the old path of…. go to school, graduate, get a good job with a good company, work there for life and retire comfortably on the company pension plan… well that concept was almost dead by the time I graduated from university some 25 years ago, and is completely dead today.
So now, in today’s changing world, to live and lead a successful life and career requires a new and different plan.
And with that new and different plan I am very, very optimistic and excited about the future.
Here is my best advice that I want to pass on to my boys:
Be an entrepreneur everywhere, always - Regardless of whether you own your own company or work for someone else, be an entrepreneur. Consider yourself an entrepreneur. Identify as an entrepreneur. Introduce yourself as an entrepreneur. Being an entrepreneur means two thing:
Never expecting anything from anyone without first creating value for them, and
Take full responsibility for yourself, your life and your future! Drop the entitlement, the victimhood and expectation of what others should or shouldn’t do. As the Principal of the boys school said to them often, “You are the CEO of Self”.
Be cheerful, constructive and optimistic - There are many things in this world that we can’t change, but our attitude is one that we can continually choose. Shift from a mentality of - “I have to…” to “I get to…”. Remain optimistic despite challenging circumstances, the world today is more abundant with greater opportunities than ever. Don’t get caught up in useless news and negativity. People want to hang around with and work with people who bring and give energy.
The glass IS half full, don’t ever stop believing that.
Be focused - The world is full of distractions and more so today than ever. Software today is literally programmed to distract and addict you. Keep your Mission and Vision and Goals in front of you, focus on those alone and ignore the other million ideas and irrelevant information coming at you daily.
Embrace technology & AI - My entire career has seen Moore’s Law in effect where the power of computing doubled every 18 months. Now with AI we will see the power of technology go exponentially higher. Don’t do tech for tech’s sake. Like the point above, be clear on your Mission, Vision and Goals and then leverage and utilize AI and technology to move faster and achieve your goals. Think of it as a great opportunity to be your co-pilot of free workforce enabled to help you move faster toward your goals.
You reap what you sow - Almost nothing I’ve achieved this year is because of anything I did this year. Money, business ideas, personal network, fitness, relationships and reputation all benefit from the Compound Effect.
Small, consistent action over time leads to massive results.
We plant seeds in the Spring and harvest in the Autumn. You’re young, so get to planting.
Build self-management skills - Having coached and consulted to hundreds of organizations and individuals, the critical success skills are self-management and leadership. This means a life of continuous learning and development of your planning, organizing, managing, inspiring, motivating, creativity and leadership skills. These are the critical skills that we are always looking for in our future leaders, above and beyond technical skills. These are the critical skills of the 21st century and those that can’t easily be replaced by AI.
Own hard, scarce assets - Chris Pan bravely and famously encouraged Ohio State University students in his commencement address to:
explore unconventional ideas,
to be independent thinkers,
to stay curious, and
to research those ideas.
That included suggesting they research and consider buying Bitcoin to protect themselves from inflation. Chris was booed in his speech for this which is ironic considering both the point he was trying to make of being open minded to unconventional ideas and the fact that Bitcoin went on to be the world’s best performing asset since that speech in May 2024. So… be open minded, explore unconventional ideas, be an independent thinker and stay curious. Research and learn about hard, scarce, uncorrelated assets to protect yourself and your family from inflation.
Take risks and don’t play it safe - Don’t be afraid to make mistakes and take risks, especially when you are young (under 50 😎). I quit a great job and career in 2002 to go backpacking around the world. Candace and I agreed to move to Mexico for my career in 2005, when no one else would. Great investments and adventures are always at first misunderstood and turned down by 99% of people. That’s where the upside, opportunity and adventure comes from. People tend to dramatically overestimate risk and underestimate opportunities.
Run your own race - Ask others for advice, seek wise counsel and always have a coach or mentor, but at the end of the day,
make your own decisions.
In 2009 some very successful business people strongly advised me to NOT to leave my career with massive, safe, stable company and NOT to go on my own and start my own business. But I did anyway. And it worked out and we built an amazing business.
There are always two voices speaking to us - that of the world and the quiet whisper from inside of us. Listen to both but at the end of the day, follow the quiet voice from inside as that is the calling on your life.
Live an adventure - Go places and do things that inspire you. Spend time visiting and adventuring in the mountains, forests, oceans and deserts. See the miracles that are all around us. Stand before these wonders of the world and never lose your awe of them.
Believe in something bigger than yourself - As I reach “halftime” (I turn 50 next week) of my life and have achieved some level of material success, the boys are graduating high school, my parents’ friends and family are getting elderly and some have already passed away and I can’t help but be having a minor midlife crisis and ask the question of…
what’s my life all about?
The answer to that is a spiritual one and one that is answered through a relationship with God. As a Christian, for me that is God and Jesus but I have friends and colleagues that are Jewish, Muslim or even Stoics and follow the “Logos”. I’m reminded of the time that Candace and I were in India and had signed up for a rooftop, sunrise guided meditation and yoga class overlooking the Ganges River. The only thing the instructor said during entire hour-long class was… “think of God”. And so, my advice, find some time to think of God.
I couldn’t be more proud of my boys and am so excited for the next stages of their life journey and their Bigger Things.
To Your Bigger Things,
Brad 💕👊
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Our boys are so lucky. 💙💙
Simply awesome...love diving into your wisdom. Looking forward to the next step in my journey. Blessings
Trev