Thursday, April 7, 2010, I attended Google’s education, tax, immigration, copyright, intellectual property, and trademark mastermind Travis Mason’s lecture. My original intentions for attending had involved interest in how Google actually worked behind the scenes but instead the young alum dispensed advice to his audience about how to achieve the most out of life.
Originally from the “ghettos” of Washington, D.C., Mason had very humble beginnings, but found his passion for music early on in life and hence was accepted into VPA at SU as a Music Major. He ended up transferring colleges and majoring in Political Science instead and now works as a senior policy analyst at Google. Mason began with the statement that “how you handle your time is directly related to your success,” and proceeded to offer 10 steps to a success. They are as follows:
1. Direction Determines Destination – Always be aware of your intentions. You cannot get to Miami, FL from Syracuse, NY by heading north.
2. Think about your BIOGRAPHY, not your RESUME – Employers are looking for your story, things that resumes can’t and won’t capture.
3. Success is for Losers, but Losing will Make you Successful – Life is not about chasing success. Success comes when you lose yourself in what you love.
4. It’s Not about what you Get, it’s about what you Give– Getting a job is about giving. Mason landed his job at Google by giving his time to a very powerful company executive who wanted to have lunch with him one day in D.C.
5. It’s always Lonely to be Successful and it’s always Lonely to Lead – Being a leader is about making tough decisions. It is a lonely road.
6. Control your Appetite because Integrity Always Eclipses Image – You must keep diversions and distractions under control in order to stay focused.
7. Try not to be Mentored or Hang Around Stupid People because Sooner or Later you will Become One – Your ability to grow is directly tied to who is above you and the influences around you.
8. Stop Skimming, Scanning, and Skipping, and Start Reading – Reading critically is essential. It is a major requirement for very powerful people in very powerful positions.
9. Travel (Not just physically)– Allow difference to sit in your space and challenge what you believe in, it makes your arguments stronger.
10. Pace Yourself and You’ll Pass the Sprinters – This is the same concept as the tortoise and the hare. Slow and steady wins the race. Successful people stay with a problem longer and try harder.
Overall, the lecture was very inspirational and offered real-world achievable advice and changes. As former President of the Student Association and founder of OrangeSeeds, a freshmen program that, after vigorous screening, trains freshmen to enact change, Mason knows what to do to make moves and get things accomplished. He was a very humble man who just remained very focused and driven throughout college. His determination led to the loss of some of his friends, but those who really loved and believed in him stuck by him, and I think that’s a tough lesson for all of us to learn. College isn’t just about partying, playing around, and goofing off.
Imagine this: You give me $150,000 in exchange for a brand new car. But instead of driving that car, you let it sit in your driveway 24/7, never driving it, never washing it, just letting it collect dust (idea presented by Mason). That would be incredibly stupid. But that is what most people are doing with their college degrees. As much as we pay to come to SU, so many people graduate and do nothing with their degrees. That is a TRUE waste of money. So take advantage of the opportunities here, get involved, attend lectures, stay focused, and make the most out of these years so that you can make the most out of the years following SU!
Hope you guys enjoyed this!
