Schooling vs. Education

There is a very important distinction.

Mark Twain famously said, "I never let my schooling interfere with my education." It's one of those quotes that makes you pause, think, and probably smile at its simple brilliance. Like most great insights, it becomes increasingly powerful the longer you live and experience the world beyond the confines of classrooms, textbooks, and standardized tests.

To be clear, I'm not suggesting that formal education is without merit. I'm profoundly grateful for the foundational knowledge I gained from high school and my time at Texas A&M University. However, the most meaningful lessons I've learned - the ones that shaped me into who I am today - didn't come from a professor, lecture hall, or library. They came from life itself.

The Value of Hard Work

Early in my career, I had a rude awakening. I showed up, punched the clock, and coasted comfortably. Until, unsurprisingly, I was fired. While formal education taught me the theories of success, it didn't teach me the raw, gritty value of relentless hard work. Losing that job was painful but necessary. It taught me a critical truth: I may not always be the smartest, fastest, or naturally best at something, but I decided then and there that I'd never be outworked. Hard work, I've since learned, is the single greatest equalizer, and formal schooling doesn't emphasize that as explicitly as it should.

Setting Boundaries

I spent years as a full-time people pleaser, saying yes when I desperately needed to say no. No high school textbook or college course taught me the necessity of setting boundaries. I had to learn it the hard way through resentment and eventual burnout. Real-world experience has taught me that saying no is an essential act of kindness, not only towards myself but also towards others. Boundaries protect relationships, preserve mental health, and foster respect far better than continual people-pleasing ever could.

Embracing Change

Formal education is deeply rooted in history: what has happened, what is predictable, and what is known. But life rarely follows a syllabus. My moves from Dallas to New York City, then to Chicago, and finally to Nashville revealed the profound importance of flexibility. Those moves taught me that adapting to change isn't merely helpful; it's essential for foundational survival. Professionally, when I've faced challenges like layoffs, job losses, or new opportunities, the lesson in adaptability from these experiences has become a professional lifeline. Embracing change, as it turns out, is perhaps the most valuable skill I've acquired and one gained entirely outside of any classroom.

Taking Risks

School taught me to play by the rules, trust institutions, and expect organizations to provide stability and security. Yet, year after year, I watched others take professional risks while I hesitated, safely treading water in a sea of mediocrity. Eventually, inspired by these bold risk-takers, I started brandivate in July 2020, at the height of a global pandemic, no less. It was a leap of faith and one of the most significant decisions I've ever made. Formal schooling rarely champions the courage required to venture into the unknown. That courage is learned firsthand through experience and the inspiring actions of others.

Self-Care as a Life Essential

My diagnosis of Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adulthood (LADA) in December 2023 served as another stark lesson and one that formal education never touched upon. Classrooms don't teach you the importance of prioritizing your physical and mental health as a non-negotiable aspect of your life. Navigating life with LADA meant reevaluating my diet, stress management, and exercise regimen. It taught me to honor my body, respect my limits, and recognize that self-care isn't a selfish indulgence - it's essential for survival.

Travel and Exposure

Higher education as we know it often leaves travel as an optional elective or an extracurricular luxury. However, through my personal travels, including recent adventures across Europe, I've gained a perspective that no textbook could ever dare to capture. Exploring Rome, Greece, Malta, Turkey, and Barcelona, I've come to realize how travel teaches tolerance, curiosity, and humility. These lessons are infinitely more valuable and practical than rote memorization or standardized test scores.

Creating Meaningful Content

School rarely prepares you to authentically connect with people through content creation and the honest sharing of self. Hosting podcasts, writing blogs, and engaging through social media has taught me invaluable lessons about vulnerability, consistency, and authenticity. These experiences constantly remind me that the true power of content lies not in polished perfection but in human connection.

Ultimately, education is an ongoing, lifelong process woven into a tapestry from every interaction, setback, success, and risk taken. Formal schooling gives you tools and frameworks, but it's the unpredictable, often messy experiences of life that forge true wisdom.

Think about it: when reading, we look down. It's necessary for absorbing knowledge. But to truly live - to genuinely experience, grow, and thrive - we must look up, look forward, and embrace the unpredictability of the world around us.

So, as Mark Twain said, never let your schooling interfere with your true education. The world awaits you, eyes forward, experiences open.