A New City

I moved to Austin in July of 2018. 

I knew a few people, but not a ton. Probably around 10. 

But I quickly planted deep roots in a brand new city. 

In reality, anyone can do this in their current city without moving. 

Here are a few of my examples so you can get ideas for your city.

Put Myself Out There 

One of my goals early on… was just to connect with MANY different types of people. 

A sense of “community” is a factor MOST correlated to happiness. 

So I didn’t waste any time. 

I scrolled through Meetups, Eventbrite, Facebook groups, etc. If anything sounded interesting to me, I did it.  

I wouldn’t overthink it. I just went for it. 

One led me to meet Tim Ferriss in a parking lot. Another led me to my current job today working with Noah Kagan. 

Funny how the universe works out when you just follow your interests. 

Here are a few of my favorites events so far. (Yes, I know there’s a quarantine right now. More on that below).
 

The Rise Outdoor Fitness
Exercises started promptly at 5:12am (Austin’s area code is 512, clever!).  Then sometimes we’d go to Whole Foods after for coffee and breakfast.

Austin Writers Roulette
A meetup for writers/artists with a different theme each month. Some could choose to recite their work too. I decided to recite on my first day showing up. Was a little nervous at first, but it was so much fun. 

Capital Factory Events
I went to a BUNCH of events at Capital Factory (coworking space/entrepreneurship community). This is where I developed an interest in online marketing. 

• AUSOME (Austin Online Marketing For Entrepreneurs) – Weird acronym, but cool meetup to learn marketing and meet interesting people. 
• Internet Marketing Party I helped with some of their events and would go to their monthly parties at different bars in town. 
• Media ATX – Great introduction to the growing media scene in Austin. I always really liked this map showing real examples of different types of media companies in town. Mainly because I had no idea what a “media company” even meant.

2018 Social Impact Summit
This event was MAGICAL for me. Legacy Collective’s vision is to create a “new kind of giving community that makes a difference.” Basically, they fund cool organizations making a positive impact. 

I was interested as soon as I read the event description. I didn’t really know what or why, but it sparked curiosity…

This spark is what I now refer to as ICE (interest, curiosity, or excitement). And following it has been a game-changer for me. 

I not only wanted to attend, but also help out. So I sent an email to offer just that. 

They didn’t need any more volunteers, but they did hook up a free ticket instead. Never hurts to ask! 

I’m still in touch today with some of the organizations and people I met at the event. Here were a few:

• The Miracle Foundation – Founded by Caroline Boudreaux to empower orphans and vulnerable children to reach their full potential.
  
  Caroline’s story about her trip to India is incredible. If you’re not touched by this 2-minute video, you likely don’t have a soul.

I met Caroline at the event. And ended up volunteering with The Miracle Foundation a handful of times. 

• Code2College – Matt Stephensen founded C2C to help underserved (minority and low-income) students excel in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). Matt is an excellent public speaker with an inspiring story (Wharton MBA, former Goldman Sachs, then founded C2C).
  
  I introduced myself after hearing his talk. Shortly after I started volunteering with them. 
  
  It’s not only a GREAT cause…but also an awesome way to meet cool people and check out different software companies in town. 

At the end of the year, they do fun awards where the kids do all the voting. 

In 2019, I was voted the “Most Supportive Mentor.” This was actually super gratifying to just be nominated. Let alone to win it. 

Freshbooks #imakealiving Events
I’ve now been to three of these events. They are SO well done. This is where I met Tim Ferriss, Hal Elrod, Charlie Hoehn, Elaine Pofeldt, and many more.

Tim left early, but I decided it was a good idea to chase him down in the parking lot to introduce myself. I may or may not have given him a small gift too. (I think he liked it.)

Sumo Charity Bike Ride
I’ve listened to Noah Kagan’s podcast for years. It’s always been one of my favorites. 

At one point I signed up for his email list too. One of the autoresponders (subject “Looking for your help”) was a vague email about maybe working together with a link to fill out a form. 

I had just listened to his podcast and knew he was getting ready for his Sumo Charity Bike Ride. 

So I figured I’d offer up to help… 

Ha I’m just now realizing this was all on Valentine’s day. Some romantic “dude flirting” via email. 

Then he followed up the next week.

And so it began… 

I first just helped with the charity bike ride. 

That eventually led me today — working with him full time.

Not only working directly with him, but running the business unit with an awesome team. 

It all started with one email to help get sponsors for the charity ride. 

I never know where life may lead… but I ALWAYS try to trust my interests, curiosity, and excitement (ICE) to help find the path.

A few more events and ideas for you…

Hiking For Tacos
My friend Jeremy did something creative to make his own event. He saw the most popular meetup called Hiking For Tacos. And he just copied it, but with his own friends. 

We just show up and “hike” (causal walk) along the greenbelt to Taco Deli. It’s the best! I always meet new cool people there.

Benjamin Franklin Circles
In 1727 Ben Franklin formed a “Junto.” Basically a diverse self-improvement club. Benjamin Franklin Circles honors the Junto with a similar theme.  

We’d meet at the public library (one of my FAVORITE places). And each month explore one of Franklin’s 13 virtues. 

Other Random Things
Few other things that have caught my interest include a podcast festival, volunteering at Austin Pets Alive, talking to strangers (led to my first 3 dates in Austin), and other fun adventures!

How to connect during #RemoteLife? 

Yes, quarantine can be a challenge. But with obstacles, comes creativity. 

There now are TONS of ways to connect remotely. In fact, I’m currently typing this in a remote meetup called Sit Down, Shut up, and Write!. 

I also do a monthly book club with friends (named “Junto” after my boy Ben Frank). 

I’ve hosted/coordinated outdoor ping-pong happy hours, outdoor basketball, and pickleball games. 

Zoom is a wonderful tool as well. I’ve done a weekly “connecting at home” series, Zoom happy hours, even Zoom dates!

Airbnb Experiences is another great resource for creative ideas. I’ve done remote wine tasting and mezcal tequila tasting events with coworkers. 

Conclusion: CREATE the Dots…

One of my FAVORITE quotes is this one by Steve Jobs — 

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and has made all the difference in my life.” 

But there’s one critical part I would add to this. 

If you want to have ANY dots to connect at all…you have to get out there and create them. 

Putting yourself out there increases your total number of dots. Which increases your chances of connecting them in a meaningful way. 

So follow your interests, curiosity, and excitement — and go make some dots you’ll soon connect!