Friends of Dave #335: who owns the moon?
Simple words for a graduate: Just Do It.
We recently watched the new Matt Damon/Ben Affleck movie “Air” on Amazon Prime.
If you are unfamiliar, it is based on true accounts of how Nike, mainly known as a track wonk brand in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, was able to court and sign then-rookie, pre-greatness, Michael Jordan to establish a presence in the basketball shoe industry.
My quick take on the flick: for me it felt a bit like what I call an “airplane” movie (you know, those sort of films you have heard of but that you wouldn’t go to the theater to see, you’re on a long flight and it is one of the entertainment options and you are like “okay I guess I’ll watch that one” because what else are you are going to do for the next two hours). It was formulaic, simple, but overall satisfying with some decent performances by stars you know.
It was also a total love letter to Gen X, especially anyone who had those iconic sports star posters you could get at the school book fair on their bedroom walls. It didn’t hurt that it comes with a killer 80s pop soundtrack as well. I guess girls just want to have fun.
At one point in the film they talk about the surprising origins of Nike’s now famous “Just Do It” slogan, which launched around the same time that they were trying to land Jordan. Worth clicking » HERE « to learn more about it.
What does this have to do with this week’s preamble, you may ask?
We have a son graduating from college this weekend. As college experiences go, COVID put a major damper on the four years for him (it hit right at spring break of his freshman year and lingered all the way to beginning of his junior year), but we are all very proud, happy and excited about what his future holds.
BTW: If you are looking to hire an idealistic, passionate, German speaking, Instagram photo taking, international affairs and foreign policy nut to do something for your firm over the summer before he heads to grad school, please ping me or maybe at the very least, link with him on LinkedIn.
As fathers often do, I sat with him recently to chat, reflect on his college experience and talk about his future. We talked a lot about what he learned about himself over the last four years and how he can use that to get to wherever he wants to go.
He shared that one thing that drives him is that he “wants to make everyone proud.” He repeated it a number of times during our talk.
As I listened and was looking to offer some good, meaningful but simple fatherly advice, I kept coming back to one thing:
Just do it.
Just do the things you are supposed to do.
Don’t over think. Don’t worry. Don’t wonder about what others want you to do.
Put the time in. Get your hands dirty. Do the work.
Try new things. Learn new things. Follow your passions.
Make mistakes. Learn from those mistakes and don’t do them again.
Be open minded and listen a lot more than you talk.
Own your path and be accountable for where it is taking you.
Be self reliant. But be sure to ask for help when you need it.
Be resilient. Dust yourself off when you fall down and get right back up.
Want to make us proud? It’s simple.
Just do it.
I thought that maybe that would go over better than telling him to “Be like Mike” and expecting greatness…..Have a good one, Friends.
XOXO
Dave
Think on This…
We all have dreams for our lives, and it’s natural to become attached to them. But it’s important to remember that dreams can get in the way of what we care about. It may be time to kill your dreams, so you can create a more sustainable, meaningful, and inspiring relationship with work.
For Your Day Job…
Former colleague Todd Enders covers the foundation of a great executive presentation, with specific behaviors to improve your success.
Your Weekly Dose of Randomness…
There are two ways to tie the standard shoelace knot, and only one of them will hold reliably. If you are not 100% slip-on, find out the secret here.
An Israeli foodtech company says it has 3D printed the first ever ready-to-cook fish fillet using animal cells cultivated and grown in a laboratory.
Space is set to become the new Wild West.