This week, I made a guest appearance at my alma mater!

The Ohio State University.

I spoke with business marketing students about my career journey: what I learned, and what I'd tell myself if I could go back.

Sixteen years removed from being a senior trying to "figure it out" (literally in that same lecture hall)

I returned boldly with this message:

“Guys… I'm still figuring it out.”

Life ain't a Disney movie.

It's more M. Night Shyamalan….

Every chapter ends in a twist.  

The "significant" things turn out not to be as significant as they seem.

No one has asked about my GPA since I bragged to my mom in April of 2009.

And the "insignificant" things turn out to matter most.

Like a handshake at work with a new coworker. Or being the first to introduce myself to the manager three desks down. So be kind to everyone: you have no idea how the people who show up in your story end up opening doors.

Since I now have students following this newsletter—Here's my parting advice in written form (with a quote from author Neil Strauss):

Don't stress about your first job.

Take it and own it. You don't know yourself yet. You don't know which projects you'll gravitate toward, what energizes you, what drains you. Build in public. Share your journey. Fail, but journal your failures. Write down what you enjoyed, and just as importantly, what you didn't.

Remember, most of the time, the outcomes are not the outcomes.

What we treat as endpoints in life are usually just forks in the road. In the big picture, you don't know whether a success or failure is helping or hurting you.

So stop asking, "Did I fail? Did it work?"

Ask instead: "Did I do my best, given who I was and what I knew at that moment?"

Make that your new scorecard.

I'm also excited to announce our second book, The Sales Ascent, coming later this month!

This is the book I wish I'd had when I started: every lesson, milestone, and hard-won insight from a decade and a half across multiple sales roles.

Years in the making as I’ve spent the past few months finalizing…

….and illustrating it.

My gift to a profession I’ve come to immensely appreciate. All made possible with the help of my talented editor, Michael Kortlander.

Thanks for your support as we bring this book to publication!

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