As the year turns, I find myself doing more advice calls with younger folks.

As the year turns, I find myself doing more advice calls with younger folks.

This is the advice I give most often:

𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗧𝘂𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀.

Anytime I wanted to level up my career, I’d take inventory of my skills and ask one question: 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘮 𝘐 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨?

Then I’d go get it.

Tuesday nights, 8–9pm.

YouTube. Tutorials. Training. 𝗡𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.

In my first job, our company needed better presentations.

So I decided I’d become the best PowerPoint builder in the room.

Every 𝗧𝘂𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁, I learned the 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗰𝘀. Then the 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 stuff. Then how to tell a story visually.

I’ve repeated this cycle my entire career.

Find a need. 𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.

One hour turns into three.

Tuesday becomes Wednesday.

And I promise you this:

No great story starts with, “𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗰 𝗧𝘂𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁?”

But the skills you build during them will shape your entire career.