Taking it to the next level

Last weekly blog + I graduated (w/ pictures) 🎓

I walked up these stairs before every class at the School of Kinesiology Building

Hey everyone, I graduated from the University of Michigan 〽️🎓

I wanted to publish this last Sunday & keep my weekly streak alive but decided to sit with my thoughts for a few more days because graduating from undergrad is a culmination of 20+ years of life.

And as if this post couldn’t get more reflective, it is also my last weekly blog. I’ve decided to focus more energy on creating Regular Hoops content because I’m experiencing some new momentum and want to fully capitalize on it.

**I plan to continue writing & sharing updates here over the summer, but it won’t be at a weekly rate**

In this post, I share (1) my experience writing a weekly blog, (2) why I’ll miss being a student, and (3) some closing thoughts. Topics include…

🌟 Finding novelty through commitment

🤬 Obama’s anger translator

❤️‍🩹 Ripping off the bandage

Stick around for some pictures and a new segment called “my vibe rn 😎”—where I link a song I’ve been listing to on repeat while writing this post.

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Writing a weekly blog

Part I: Why I started writing

I started publishing basketball content in June 2022 but didn’t officially launch Regular Hoops until October 2022 with this Instagram post.

After the announcement, I remember sitting at the dinner table and simply telling my family…

“This is hard.”

But inside, my version of Obama’s Anger Translator was saying…

“HOLY SH*****T. This just got REAL. WTF am I even DOING!?!”

My mind was racing about the company’s next steps, so I decided to write a short blog explaining the idea, origin, & meaning behind Regular Hoops.

Regular Hoops

That 300-word post took over one month to write. I was overthinking and struggled to express my thoughts in writing. But it was so rewarding once I laid everything out and hit publish.

I wanted to continue writing but had no idea what to write about.

However—a couple weeks later—I saw this retweet from Latif Peracha (General Partner, M13) and realized that my writing could act as personal investor updates.

“Crystalizing and explaining exactly what’s going on” stuck out to me, as everything was going by so fast, and I felt like I was rambling when talking about Regular Hoops.

That feeling was noticeable when I competed in my first pitch competition a few days earlier. I failed to clearly explain the Regular Hoops growth strategy and sold myself short.

Pitching Regular Hoops to Investors

I treated this post as a redo of the pitch competition. And was surprised how organized my thoughts came together from writing.

So after publishing those one-off blogs, I committed to writing every Sunday during my last semester of college.

Part II: What kept me going

At the same time I committed to writing weekly, I also committed to posting a new video on social media everyday (today was Day 124 ✅).

Over the past few months, I couldn’t grasp what kept me committed beyond being passionate about the work.

But the week of my graduation, Isabel from Mind Mine released a post called “find novelty through commitment.”

find novelty through commitment

“when you commit to something, you feel safe. And when you feel safe, you explore. And when you explore, you discover new things (novelty!). That novelty then leads to self-expansion. You meet yourself in new situations that are cultivated through your commitment.” - Isabel from Mind Mine

Everything Isabel described resonated with me.

I highly recommend reading the full post for more free gems 💎

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Why I’ll miss being a student

Part I: An extra layer of support

Like most of my fellow undergrads, I’ve been in an academic setting for 20+ years. If you asked me what I’ve gained from school, I can’t recite an exact topic.

Instead, school provided access to interesting resources and people. I just had to put in the work and embrace those opportunities.

As a graduate, this access won’t quite be the same. Yes, I’ll have a built-in connection with Michigan Alums (which is very valuable!) And I’ll continue relationships that started while I was a student.

But now, that extra layer of support goes away. I have to trust that I made the most of my experience. And that I can thrive in unfamiliar circumstances.

It’s like ripping off a bandage and hoping you’ve done everything possible to heal. And if you get injured again, instead of relying on a doctor, you’ve got to use your knowledge, network, and resources to heal yourself.

Part II: Free university support

Michigan has been a massive help as I launched Regular Hoops—especially on the creative and legal side.

Creative Side

• Free access to Adobe Creative Cloud (how I edit videos)

• Free camera & equipment rentals (how I film mic’d up content)

Legal Side

• Free legal services (Michigan Law’s Zell Entrepreneurship Clinic)

Also… none of this is actually free. We pay tuition 😅

But I might have been discouraged to continue Regular Hoops if I launched it after graduating and had to pay for all those resources.

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Taking it to the next level (closing thoughts)

As much as I’ll miss being a student, I’m ready to take everything to the next level.

I’m excited to leave the college bubble and figure out the next chapter of my life.

But to be honest, I have no idea what that looks like… Or as my version of Obama’s Anger Translator would say,

“HOLY SH*****T. This just got REAL. WTF am I even DOING!?!”

In a few months, I’ll be (1) moving to NYC and (2) starting a full-time job. Maybe the weekly blogs will return then, but for now, I just want to say thank you.

Whether you’ve known me personally for years or through this blog for a couple weeks, I appreciate you. Your support does not go unnoticed.

PS—You might also enjoy reading my first weekly blog, where I talked about setting my 2023 goals.

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my vibe rn 😎

Playboi Carti - Bando (sped up + reverb) prod ta2cute, yugen

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Pictures 📸

one more LeBron meme 😂