Does the Temperature Have To Be a Sine Wave?

Written By: Dr. Rich Houston, Director of the Culverhouse School of Accountancy

I opened the cupboard and removed, from the top of a stack of three, the perfect glass from which to drink Fresh Market’s remarkably great fresh-squeezed orange juice. The clattering and subsequent thumps when I bumped the top of the shelf sounded like “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.” Seriously. And, by the way, each mouthful was amazing.

Another semester over. To those of you returning next semester, I hope you did well. If you did not, think about what your performance this semester told you about what you’re not doing right. Next semester, do what you know you’re supposed to do from the beginning as opposed to requiring confirmation somewhere along the way that you’re not. Score on the first drive so you have control of the game. It’s not that you can’t do it, it’s that you didn’t do it correctly.

For those of you who did well, keep up the good work. Remember what worked and what didn’t – eject the latter and double down on the former. Try to rid yourself of the thought that, while you did well this semester, next semester will be more difficult and you’re not up to the task. You are, and why are you assuming it’ll be more difficult? I fall into this trap every time a new semester begins (I did well in this class last year, but this will be the year when I won’t) and need to rid myself of these thoughts. What a waste of time and energy. Let’s not do it again.

If you’re getting ready to start your internship, that’s great. Have fun with it and learn from it. It’s totally normal to think that you’re neither prepared nor qualified, but you are. Remember that, even though you may not know how to do it, you’re ready to do it. People are there to explain how and you will learn something new every day. Grab the opportunity and run with it. Stand out as the person who’s happiest to be there and the most eager to learn.

If you’re graduating, congratulations. We’ll miss you. Make the most of what comes next. Answer this question and make it your goal: What is your ideal version of what comes next?

Although it may seem scary to leave school and enter the “real world,” you need not dread it. I did, but found that it far exceeded my expectations and, although I have great memories of school, I pretty quickly lost sight of it in my rear-view mirror. Having said that, make an effort to stay in touch with your friends. Have your own reunions and create traditions. If no one else instigates it, do it yourself. Everyone will want to do it, but not everyone is the type to take the initiative.

A few thoughts:

• You can’t fake caring.
• The worst cop-out way to end a conversation is “It is what it is.”
• I disabled the badge notification on my email app, and it’s improved my life.
• Cheap red pepper flakes have an inordinate number of seeds, which do not contain as much heat as the rest of the pepper.
• Warren Zevon appeared on David Letterman’s show shortly after he received a diagnosis of terminal cancer, which he saw as a reminder to “Enjoy every sandwich.” Many of us need to heed this advice. My favorite is tuna…but not a tuna melt.

I loved my students’ final papers, which in part asked them to talk about the most important or impactful thing they learned this semester. Some examples:

One of the most important lessons I learned is that money isn’t everything. For most of my life, I believed that success was measured by how much you earn, and I was constantly told to chase the highest paycheck. At the beginning of this semester, I was struggling with whether to accept a job because people around me kept saying I could make more doing something else. I realized that those voices were the only thing making me doubt myself. I loved everything about the job, so I accepted it. Before, I might have felt self-conscious about my decision, but now I don’t. The realization that happiness matters more than a paycheck has been so impactful.

I’ve learned how important it is to embrace vulnerability. It’s been a bit of a game-changer for me. Before, I always thought that being vulnerable meant being weak, and if I admitted I didn’t know something or if I was struggling, people would think I wasn’t capable. But thanks to some real-life experiences, I’ve started to see it differently. Vulnerability is really just about being real, and that takes guts.

I reframed how I think about all the work I am doing right now. It is not just about passing a test or impressing someone; it is an investment in the person I am going to be years down the road. It made me realize that, even when things feel overwhelming or pointless in the moment, I am building towards something much bigger.

I realized that we’re more alike each other than we tend to believe. Everyone feels like an imposter, and everyone feels like they are not good enough. I learned that no one ever feels “prepared enough” or “ready enough” to start their career. The great thing is, everyone is simply figuring it out just like you are. And even more importantly, we’re all going to screw up many times down the road and will continue to figure it out along the way. There is immense comfort in knowing this as it has made it easier to try to see people for who they really are rather than just assuming I know everything about them from how they present themselves. All in all, I learned to believe that “it’s all going to be OK” and that, if you surround yourself with the right people, you’ll never be alone on the journey.

Have a great break, do something new, make the most of the time, and get some rest.