Category Archives: encontrando significado

Al final del dia…

meaning1Conozco personas que coleccionan huevos de Faberge.  Otros carros.  Otros carteras y zapatos.  Y otros estampillas.

 Y tu que coleccionas?

 

Objetos? Experiencias? Contribuciones? Aprendizajes?

 

Piensa detenidamente que es lo que le dara mayor sentido a tu vida – al final del dia.

 

 

Te gusta la foto? Gracias – Nietzsche’swife

A New Kind of Hero for a New Kind of World, Career Hero #13

(This post is part of a pact I made. Click here for the full story.) 

Meet Cindy.  As you read this post, keep in mind that as I wrote it, I flipped back and forth through her six-page resume. 

Starting with her education, Cindy has a Bachelor’s of Engineering from Auckland University.  A program which she completed in three years, instead of four, because she was awarded direct entry into year 2.   That’s because from highschool she  graduated in the top 1% in New Zealand.  She then went on to complete a Masters of Engineering Science in Biomedical Engineering – and graduated top 3 of her year.  And as of 2002 she can be addressed as Dr. Shin-Yi Lin because she has a PhD in Neuroscience.  As of today, Dr. Shin-Yi Lin has published more than 45 papers and has been an invited presenter at conferences and symposiums around the world, including Japan, Australia, Europe and Canada.  Two years ago Dr. Shin-Yi Lin became a lecturer at the faculty of medicine of the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.  She teaches fundamentals of neuroscience and neuromuscular rehabilitation.  In July she was named Senior Lecturer.

Cindy is 34.

Even for a high-achiever like Cindy, it was not immediately obvious to her what she was put on this earth to do. 

As she shared with me, because she received a ‘typical Asian’ education in Taipei, since the time when she started her schooling, she’s been driven by the belief that academia and being a top student are what matter most.  Inspite of her upbringing, after her first job in academia, she felt that she needed to tone down the pressure in her life.  In her own words: “because of how young I was when I first got my research assistant job, all my colleagues (professors and nuerologists) were at least 10 years older than me.  I felt I had to catch up all the time, in terms of professional aspect as well as the overall maturity. This invisible force or peer pressure has really been a major catalyst throughout my life.” 

She decided to change courses and moved into the business world.   Albeit related to engineering, she held several jobs outside of academia.  Including computer programming, doing a BBC production, developing multimedia and selling biotech solutions.
Even then things did not feel quite right.  In her words: “I was struggling to move into the business world and away from the research world…with my given back ground it was difficult…without an MBA or any commercial experience…”

While staying open to the possibility of some day branching back into business,

Cindy decided to go back to academia.

Evidently it was through trial and error that she finally found her career nirvana. As she wrote to me:  “So far I would say, all (these jobs have been) influential (and have) shaped me….Yet now I think the most influential job is…as an academic lecturing…because I clearly influence all of my students and this to me is a huge responsibility.”

Note to self:  What has been your most influential job?  What does that tell you about your passion?

Lets be clear on this.  It’s not Cindy’s degrees or achievements that I found surprising.  Or how smart and knowledgeable she is.  I know that anyone can achieve anything that they set their mind to.

Make a mental note of that.

What drew me into her story was how down to earth and approachable  Cindy is.  I met her during my Sunday morning swim at the university where she teaches.  She was wearing a bathing suit and flip-flops, casually carrying around a bottle of water.  To me she looked like one of the students.  For no real reason we began to talk.  She asked me what I did. I told her about my blog – and recent book project.  I reciprocated with my own curioisity.  And she briefly told me that she was a lecturer of neuroscience.  She left it at that and we began to talk about star signs.  She’s a libra, I’m a scorpio.

She shared her path with me only after I asked.  Being that the topic of neuroscience is one of my own passions, I wanted to know more about what exactly she taught.  I now feel lucky that I dug deeper.  It feels like I lifted the lid to a wonderful world full of light.

It was not because we were rushed that at first she did not ramble off her achievements.  In time I found out it’s because Cindy feels so comfortable in her own skin, that she doesn’t have a need to seek approval for what she’s done – or achieved.  In her eyes, she’s living the life that she is meant to live.  To her it doesn’t feel grandiose – it’s simply her life.  In line with her simplicity, she confessed (almost apologetically) that her child-hood dream was to become a kinder-garden teacher.  As she wrote to me:  “I can never take my eyes off children and I love to play with them.”

Note to self:  Achieve what matters to you.  How are you meant to be living?

For someone who has looked at brain scans longer than most of us have, Cindy is an extremely extroverted person. “…I love people and I am very blessed to work with some amazing people who have great integrity and I have been blessed with excellent mentors all along my career.”

Note to self:  Are you surrounded by amazing colleagues?  People who are worthy of imitation?

It’s refreshing to hear it from a scientifically-minded person like Cindy that the only constant is change in this world.  “Therefore you can prepare but… the truth is for me I don’t even know myself when it happens…I do plan things in short terms but hardly long terms, since I know you really don’t know what will happen tomorrow…How would I know if I change things will be better?”

Even so Cindy has taken chances and has changed lanes.  In her words: “To me experience = you have DONE it before…and it became your experience.  It could be great, it could be wrong, it could be anything but it’s all part of your own experience and the most important thing to me is, you did take the lesson out of the experience and you learn from it. I am a great believer in for things to happen you need ‘the right timing at the right place with the right people’ otherwise the same thing can have a completely different outcome.”

Make a mental note of that.

In search for more answers, I asked Cindy to tell me what has worked for her and what hasn’t throughout her career. 

In her humble way she wrote:  “Woops, this one is hard, but I am giving it my best shot…What worked? My family and friends and colleagues who supported me throughout the years…What hasn’t worked for me is I wait too long…. I wait for things rather than go and get them… this leads me to answer what would I do differently?  I would love to be more proactive and less conservative… I regret that I didn’t believe in myself more before… I wish I could be more FOCUSed and make my dreams come true!”

Reader, make a mental note of that!

 

Brain scan photo credit: click here.

Cindy chose the underwater shot.

13 and counting…

Today, to celebrate my blog’s first anniversary,  I’m writing my 100th post.  It’s about my 13th job. 

That I’m up to job 13 means that I continue to stay faithful to my self-proclamation – as a strategic job hopper. 

I am now working as the commercial director at an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) of medical supplies.

That said, rest assured that I will continue to blog – and to work on my book projects.  That’s another pact I’ve made with my readers.  I even have some inspiration to drive me through my back-to-back schedule as a writer and employee (and wife).   The other day I came across a CEO of a 50,000-large organization who blogs.  Logic tells me that if he can, well I can too. I say.  And it’s been 2 months since I’ve been keeping my pact – with you.  So far, so good…

In the spirit of keeping it real, here I answer questions I’d be asking about the change I’ve just made in my career.

How does it feel to be back on high heels and a business suit?  

As much as I loved my jeans/t-shirt & bare-footed existence (while I was writing full-time), I’m enjoying the change.  It feels kinda’ good to dress up.

Is my work-life still being guided by my reason for being?

Absolutely.  I would not have it any other way.

In addition to waking up every day as a writer with the vision to inspire and empower people to create, follow and  succeed on their own  path –  my vision as commercial director is:

To defend the safety of patients (yours and mine).

I’ll elaborate.

The OEM I work with is my family’s business.  For close to three decades this small giant has been manufacturing disposable medical supplies – like syringes and catheters.  Our company was born to produce high quality medical supplies – not a small feat in a Latin American country.  In fact we’re the only Latin American OEM supplying the market – the rest are multinationals. 

Why have I made it my vision to defend the safety of patients? 

At the risk of getting in trouble, I will share with you what I learned in my 60-day induction to the healthcare system in Colombia. 

After traveling around, visiting some of the largest hospitals and meeting with providers of health-care products (i.e. drug-store chains), it’s quite evident that most buying decisions are being made by administrators – not scientific commitees or nurses and doctors.  It’s obvious that the main driver is cost reduction, not quality or the improvemet of patient safety.  Priorities are inverted.  Product sterility and patient safety are often last on a long list of commercial priorities. 

As a manufacturing outfit, that for close to three decades has been following Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and is certified by world-class regulatory bodies (ISO-9001-2001) – we know what it takes to manufacture high quality goods.  And this is where we differ from most of our competitors.  In other words, most lower cost products being used at hospitals and being sold at drugstores across the country, have not passed the test of our quality assurance laboratory. 

It’s these findings that set me on the path to defend the safety of patients. 

Simply put, if I, as a manufacturer don’t fight for patient safety, then who will? 

And that, my friend, is another fulfilling reason to wake up for everyday.

So was it nepotism the main reason behind my appointment at my family’s business?

Valid question – I’d be wondering that too if I were you. 

The answer is a resounding no.  

I pose the question on your behalf to share with every aspiring strategic job hopper the number one insight I’ve gained after more than a decade of hoping around jobs: (drum roll please…)

Every single job has a reason for being in your career. 

(Read that one more time – and make a mental note.)

Right now it may not be obvious to you what that is, but nonetheless, there a reason behind every experience.  Taking from my own path, not so long ago I discovered the reason behind my tour de force through the healthcare industry in Australia. 

Starting out, I had no idea that I would one day work in my family’s business.  That possibility was not a reality when I accepted my first, second, third or fourth job in the health-care industry in Australia.  On top of that, a decade ago when I moved to Sydney, Australia, I had no idea that years later I’d be coming back home.

The opportunity opened up a few months ago.  And because of my experience, because I endured stapling papers and stuffing envelopes as a marketing coordinator; waiting ad-infinitum in doctors’ offices as a medical sales representative; using my right brain to understand complex market data as a consultant; and finally (almost) giving blood as a national sales and marketing manager at a start-up malpractrice insurance company – I am now ready to cease this opportunity.  Which at times, I admit, feels like a dream come true.  Yes, I now feel that every single experience is an integral part of my career puzzle. (yes, even the time when my boss wrote me a memo for refusing to order a cab for another manager or the time when…) 

Yes reader, I have arrived. 

Being that I am now working with my family, does that mean that my job hopping days have come to an end?  Must I now remove ‘strategic job hopper’ from my blog’s heading? 

It’s hard to say – mostly because more than ever, I’m aware of my modus-operandi – and hence I’m open to the possibility that I will eventually seek out other opportunities.  Because…why not?

In line with my strategy, I am giving my current job my absolute best. That’s mostly because that’s how I know how to work.  It’s also because it is my family’s business. And lastly, it’s because I recognize that I have no idea what the future will bring.  That means that my professional track record is still on the line.  In fact, delivering results matters more now than it ever has. And more than ever, I feel prepared to deliver.

Will this blog be about strategic job-hopping?

Actually, it never has been.  Since day one, my writing,  has been  guided by my vision to inspire and empower people to create, follow and  succeed on their own path. 

While I strongly advocate strategic job-hopping, that is not the driver behind my writing. Inspiration and empowerment are.

That means that my posts will remain faithful to this vision.  Now they will benefit from my new experiences – as a commercial director in a Latin American country – with the perspective gained after more than two decades working, first in the US and then in Australia.

My advice to you:  stay tuned.  My blog has just grown up – it’s one year old!

Thank you all for your support during one of the most amazing years in my life.

Namaste.

Silvana

A New Kind of Hero for a New Kind of World, Hero #12

(This post is part of a pact I made. Click here for the full story.) 

Meet Rebecca.   Google her name and you will quickly learn that she’s a fellow strategic job hopper.  (long live!)

Her career started with a job in environmental consulting after she graduated from college with a BA in Interior Design and Environmental Studies. Then she worked at a nonprofit raising funds for several projects.  She strategically used that experience to apply – and be offered – the job as Executive Director at MAGNET – another nonprofit that since 2004 has been focused on identifying and retaining young talent in the Madison, Wisconsin area.  Looking for more national exposure, today Rebecca is part of the social media and marketing team over at Alice.com.  As their tag line goes: EVERYONE needs an Alice…NEVER run out of toilet paper (go see for yourself if you don’t believe me).  What da? National exposure  and start-up is the reason behind this job stop.  Rebecca also is the author behind the blog Modite.com.  That’s how we met – through the blogosphere, mainly because it’s so easy to read her blog for hours. 

That said, what drew me to her story is that above it all, Rebecca is a Gen Yer who’s quite vocal – and active in social media.   That’s because she’s one of those people who’s driven by the task of changing the world.  In her own words – taken from an interview over at Conversation Agent: “Generation Y wants to change the world. Not the environment. Not healthcare. Not education. Not poverty. Not racism. Not sexism. Not war. Not cancer. Not anything, really. Just the world. We want to change the world.”

Changing the world, that’s where Rebecca finds her career nirvana – that’s her reason for being.

And what is her contribution to this generational cause?

Risk taking. 

Looking to contribute – and in the end to lead an extraordinary life –  Rebecca has re-invented herself several times over. From working in consulting to the nonprofit sector, and now at a business start-up.  Being that I’m a firm believer that every single stop in our work-lives has a purpose – one that at times you may not be aware of, but it’s there for sure – it’s obvious that Rebecca is one to continue watching.  Her current stop in the business sector is just a launch-pad to something greater. 

World, just you watch!

In her words: “There was a moment each time I changed jobs that I was terrified. I kept thinking, ‘Who do you think you are? You are going to FAIL!’ It was awful. But then I remembered that failure is a better option than staying. That you should always be growing and challenging yourself. Otherwise, you settle. Settling is boring…. The main lesson I’ve learned is that life rewards risk-takers.”

Note to self: Next time that you find yourself sitting on the fence, ask yourself: “What does it mean to lead an extraordinary life?” Then start NOW.

Is there a method to Rebecca’s aparent career madness? You bet.

“I trust my intuition.”

Note to self:  Learn to listen and to trust yours.  Once you do, you will find that your intuition acts like a magnet for opportunnities.  Attracting into your life that what is meant to be – for your good and the greater good.  (this is not woo-woo – it’s the reason why you have gut feelings).

A New Kind of Hero for a New Kind of World, Hero #11

(This post is part of a pact I made. Click here for the full story.)

Meet JC. Hearing him tell me about his career path left a sizeable smile on my face. It could be because he has such a contagious – and warm laughter. Or because his story is so inspiring – and quite unique. It could also be because he shared with me his story with a sense of honesty and transparency that I had not come across before.

That said, I’ve spent the past few days trying to work out if JC is an adrenaline junky or one of the bravest persons I’ve ever met. Because there’s such a fine line between the two, I’m finding it hard to tell. I’ll let you make up your own mind.

Being that JC`s dad is a successful business man, throughout this interview I kept wondering why JC did not follow in his dad’s foot-steps. After all, JC has the option to join a business which could meet his financial needs several times over. Yet time after time, JC has chosen to go after his passions.  “I’m a big believer that you gotta follow your passion…In my little world and experiences, I think that’s where people make a big mistake. They go into things for the wrong reasons…to please others…You have to remember that a lot of people get jealous. They don`t want you to succeed…they try to bring you down…So don`t worry about what others say, don`t let others dictate your life.”

Yet speaking with JC it became clear that none of his career decisions have been driven by rebellion or anger towards his father or family. During our interview, at one point I mentioned that when he laughs he sounds just like his dad. Almost instinctively he said that he was honored by my comment. “My dad is a very special man. I admire him…what he’s done.”

He also told me: “I’m simply not an office person…I don`t have it in me.” This he found out after he set up an online business with his brother. As much as he enjoyed the adrenaline rush that comes from working on a start-up, he did not enjoy working in an office.

Note to self: Unthinkable force is generated when you work in line with your life’s purpose.

Driven by his passion, JC has been on a path that has led him, time after time, to break the mold that he inherited from his dad. Since the age of 16, JC has been a certified pilot. Flying is his first love. As I found out, it’s not his only love.

When I asked him what drove him to pursue such a risky – and expensive – activity he said to me: “It’s hard to describe…it’s in my blood…it’s like a drug. It’s inside of me – a deep passion for flying.”

Note to self: Your own reason for being lies inside of you. Finding it is a matter of learning to listen to it.

After getting his flying license, he became a flight instructor – one of the youngest at the academy. At 20 he was hired by a commercial airline, where he worked for eight years, flying domestic 1 to 2 hour ‘short hops’. He was then hired by another major airline. That job lasted four years until he was laid off following the shake up after 9/11.

He highlighted more than once that: “Flying is one of those jobs that if you don’t have a passion for it, you can’t do it.” As he explained, getting a license is a big time commitment. And the work schedule is quite demanding. It requires that you’re away from family for long periods of time – which means that you’ll end up missing a lot of important occasions.

He also told me that he’s thankful that he was in one of the last groups to get laid-off. However, as he explained, that also meant that most of the good jobs in other airlines were already taken. He made it quite clear that he’s not one to dwell on things. “Those around me tell me that I deal with things differently.” His girlfriend has even mentioned that at times it seems that he has a switch which allows him to move on almost instantly.

That being the case, shortly after getting laid off, he started to seriously consider a job in the police force. To learn more about what’s involved, he went on a few ride-alongs, where he spent the day on the field with real life cops. That is when he felt that he had found his second passion. “I remember the second or third call I went on. It was to handle a domestic violence incident…It’s pretty much the only job where you can right a wrong. That’s a really powerful thing. And it happens almost every day. I’m also an adrenaline junky…(as he says this, I can almost feel his pulse quicken) you go from 0 to 100 and back to 0. I love that. That happens in policing all the time. A million things can happen in a millisecond. That’s how I feel alive!”

Let that echo inside your brain one more time…that’s how I feel alive.

Note to self: What makes you feel alive?

As he told me: “it’s not that I’m heartless (or a career slut) – or that my passion for flying seized to be.” This is quite evident by how he described feeling when he got laid off: “When I got laid-off, that was one of the saddest days of my life. I’d spent 10 years working to the point where I could drive this big piece of equipment…by then I was on cloud million…Loosing my job was like facing a death sentence…I knew it would happen…just not when.” He then told me that he had some time to mourn, but being one not to dwell on things, he said to himself: “it happened…pick up the pieces and lets move on.”

Note to self: What have you been dwelling on? Let go

His original plan was to work as a cop for four to five years tops – until he got called back by the airline. Five years later when he got called back, he went back to flying for 7 months. Then decided to return to his job in the police-force. And he has been back for over a year. He told me that the catalyst for this decision was the death of his dog Matt. On the day Matt died, he was not in town because he was scheduled to fly. It bothered him that he could not be there for his dog who had been there for him so many times. He also sensed that the industry had changed for the worst. He knew that it was time to let go.

Note to self: Be clear on your values. When things change around you, let your values shine a light on your path.

Aside from passion, JC is driven by a strong pursuit for excellence. More than once he said to me: “I don`t believe in half-assing anything I do. I take things to the limit.” His achievements are proof of this. Aside from making it into the SWAT team, the police force’s most elite team, in 2008 he was named officer of the year.

As determined, strong and intense as JC is he has a very soft center. First, he’s a self-confessed animal lover. Until he met his girlfriend, his two dogs were the love of his life. (I sense that his soon-to-be-born child will also top the list) JC also loves photography. To the point where he now has a business taking fashion and wedding pictures, whenever he’s off-duty.

He said to me that he stumbled upon his photography business by pure chance. “It was a freak accident.” It started when a friend in the police force asked him for help with a modeling portfolio. Being that JC has been taking pictures since he was a kid – mostly of planes – he agreed. And the rest is history.

In spite of JC immersing himself fully to learn about photography, he admits that often times he isn’t 100% certain of how to take certain shots his clients ask for. Yet he still takes those jobs. It’s not that his deceitful. Rather he believes, as he tells new police recruits: “There comes a time when you’re gonna have to grab your balls and just go! You gotta be confident. Even if you don`t (fully) know what’s going on, you gotta pull it through.”

And so he has. Today his client base is growing, even in a slow economy.

Note to self: Go beyond faking it until you make it. Focus on making it.

JC leaves us with his intensity.

“You gotta trust your gut…Always have enough confidence in yourself that you’ll survive and the balls to do it. A lot of people talk a lot…I’ve always tried to be a do-er and not a talker. You gotta try different things, be adventurous…”

 Photos by JC

A New Kind of Hero for a New Kind of World, Career Hero #10

(This post is part of a pact I made. Click here for the full story.)

Meet Henry*.

A man with a mind that’s sharp as a diamond and the endurance of a tri-athlete. If you ever meet him face-to-face, you’ll notice that he speaks at a million words a minute – just imagine the speed of his thoughts. Henry is also quite impatient and demanding – but mostly with himself.

Yet as bright, talented and disciplined as Henry is, it was only until his mid-thirties, after moving up the ladder in the Australian financial sector, then test-driving a string of jobs in the sporting industry, and in between starting & stopping two university degrees (Business and Psychology) that he feels he has finally found his career Nirvana in the healthcare sector.

Today, Henry is a fifth year medical student in Newcastle – a town a few hours outside of Sydney, Australia. In his own words: “I am not a working doctor yet but I am around the hospital a lot, both as a student and in my part-time job in an emergency department, where I have worked for nearly two years. I feel far more at home in the (medical) field than I did in finance…Medicine offers me things that finance and sales can’t – ever.” When I spoke with him a few weeks ago, he told me that he’s considering specializing in anesthesiology or intensive care.

Sure, with such a checkered path, riddled with stop & go’s, it’s tempting to pin him down as a quitter. Also it’s hard to wonder if this time he’ll stick around long-term.

Yet I decided to give him a chance. And found that his actions are more in line with someone who’s determined to find his reason for being at any cost. I also found that he fits more the profile of a superhuman. Intensity is his modus operandi – not quitting.

Note to self: Give yourself time to search where your passion lies. That time is an investment in yourself, not a waste.

Then why did Henry go through so much trial-and-error before finding his career Nirvana?

Simply put, Henry suffers from having too many choices – mostly because he’s great at many things. In his words: “I guess the pattern here was quitting not because I was not doing…well but because I had other things to do! …In some ways, having too many choices is a burden. It can make it hard to choose something!…”

Henry’s search started at 16 when after attending an air-show, he became passionate about flying. Soon after, he enrolled in flying school and through part-time work as a bank-teller, he paid for his flying license. In his words: “At the end of childhood I probably saw myself being a professional pilot, either military or commercial.”

That changed when he wound up in the futures division at one of Australia’s major finance corporations, Macquarie Bank. This was a case of Henry being too smart for his own good. While looking for work after high-school, to continue to pay for his pilot’s license, he applied for a bank-teller job. After testing and interviewing exceptionally well, instead he was offered a much better (and higher paying) role in the futures division. From there he worked his way up to the metals trading floor, trading a principal book. In his words:”It was a sought after job, in a big money making division in the bank, and it was an exciting time.”

During the decade that he worked in the financial industry, Henry was making enough money to live comfortably in Sydney – one of the world’s most expensive cities. He was also able to fund an eight-year stint competing in triathlons, which included completing three Ironman distance races.

Reading how he describes this time in his life makes my legs cramp-up. “On paper, it is an insane thing to do, and looking back I don’t know how I did all the training – up to 25 hours a week on top of about a 45 to 50 hour job. But it was very important to my self-confidence, starting a new sport at age 20 and then finding out I was reasonably good at it and then doing races that most people look at and think just aren’t achievable. Big confidence booster for me.” I believe him. I once met one of his training buddies – an outstanding athlete himself. He told me that Henry is one of those gifted athletes who’s effortlessly great at what he does. At least to an outisder, it looks that way.

Note to self: Have healthy self-esteem, will succeed. Have you performed a health-check on your self-esteem lately?

In spite of his financial success and achievements in the financial sector, something did not feel quite right for Henry. He describes it as being in a ‘career crisis’. In his words: “(At one point)…I got really depressed, which is when I KNEW there was no way I could stay in finance. I knew I was in the wrong place for several reasons. I looked up the ladder and didn’t see a lot to inspire me….The work didn’t inspire me. I got a little way on ability alone, but there comes a point when you really need to work hard and have your heart in what you are doing, to get anywhere – and clearly I didn’t.”

At that point Henry knew that he had to change, if only he could work out what to do next. In search for answers, he worked in a string of jobs that for the most part were related to one his passions – sports. This was also when he started (and stopped) a Psychology degree.

Note to self: Be open to trying different things. After all isn’t it insane to expect different outcomes while doing the same thing over and over and over again?!

His career ‘aha moment’ came quite randomly after he convinced a group of friends to buy a painting for another friend as a surprise for her birthday. As he wrote to me: ”She had no idea until we gave it to her…When she opened it she burst into tears of gratitude. It was a really powerful experience and it made me think a lot. Being able to make a difference in people’s lives is a really special thing, and tremendously gratifying.” In his typical snappy way he continues: “I am not silly enough to think that moments like that will happen every day. In fact, a lot of people you run into in health are not remotely grateful. But when you do something well and help somebody in a lot of pain, or otherwise unwell, it is a great way to be able to spend your days.”

This is all well and good on paper, but in practice how was Henry able to find the courage to take the leap and embark in a five year degree – in a career where it will take him close to 20 years to match his pay check in the financial industry?

In his words: “The thought of going back to university (a.k.a uni in Aussie-speak) for five years was a big draw back, but for some reason, it seemed easier the longer my ‘career crisis’ went on. My dad’s partner is a doctor and she also started in her 30s, so that was inspiring.”

Note to self: What would you rather endure? The steps to get where you want to? Or your current misery?

As determined as he is, he admits that he spent too much time bumming around and waiting for something to happen. In his words: “It doesn’t just happen. I drifted along for a very long time, taking the path of least resistance. “

Note to self: What are you waiting for? A pie to fall from the sky?

*Name changed for privacy reasons.

Photo credit: www.socius.or.kr

A New Kind of Hero for a New Kind of World, Hero # 9

(This post is part of a pact I made. Click here for the full story.) 

To fully experience Denise, open another window to play the breath song while you read this post.

Powered by dedication and discipline, Denise is well-acquainted with competing and winning. Yet, as she has recently discovered, achieving and receiving recognition is not what fulfils her.

In her words: “With all the prizes and so that I’ve won as a (classical) pianist and tennis player I can’t say that I have ever really gained anything. Glory and acknowledgement, yes, but (when) the glory and acknowledgement disappear after a while…all that is left is me, ‘Denise’.”

Denise’s child-hood appears to have been a series of well-orchestrated moves, mainly by her family.  At the age of eight she started playing the classical piano and at eleven she was enrolled at a performing arts school close to Munich, Germany to receive formal training.  During the nine years that followed, she played in several concerts, belonged to an orchestra, played solos, and won several competitions.  She also took up song writing and made records.

Although music took the centre-stage during her child-hood, sports were also a major part of her life.  She played tennis competitively at the interstate level and taught spinning at local gyms.  In her words: “…sport always accompanied me during this time to keep my head clear!”  And in line with her high achieving nature, for many years she remained ranked as the number one player within her team.

Practice and dedication were at the core of her achievements in both music and sports.  She had days and weeks before concerts when she practiced eights hours a day.  Tennis training took up to four hours a day.

As an accomplished musician, a career in music seemed like a natural progression for her after high school.  Without giving it much thought, she enrolled at the University for Music and Performing Arts in Vienna to pursue a combined degree in music and sound engineering. 

Until that point, Denise excelled at reading from someone else’s music sheet. 

She began to compose her own life when, two and a half years into her university degree, Denise felt strongly that a career in music was not for her and neither was playing tennis.

As she wrote to me: “…the expectation from outside influences…(gave me) a wrong picture of myself and who I thought I had to be and who I thought would be acknowledged by family or society. Of course I loved playing tennis and the piano but sometimes I thought I had to achieve something with it or had to be the best. So after a while it became a ‘forcing it’ rather than ‘enjoying it’.”

She reached a point where physically she couldn’t hit a tennis ball. ”I think the inner frustration built up so much that it took away every spark of enjoyment. The same happened with playing the piano or studying sound engineering. I always knew I loved sports or music but I guess I just felt that I wasn’t doing it for the right reason. So this inner conflict became so big, that my body told me very clearly to stop.”

Knowing that she had to stop did not make changing her path an easy decision to make.

“…I thought if I would stop this path I would lose everything that I had built up and that I would have nothing in my hands. At this point in time I sadly believed that (my) status in society is more important than being true to (myself).”

Yet her need to stop following someone else’s script was so powerful that she feels that being in a car accident around this same time was not a coincidence. ”…A big car accident…forced me to look differently at my life and how to live it. I was definitely looking for an exit and on a deeper level the universe provided me with one…”

Note to self:  How far are you willing to go until you stop to listen to yourself? 

Because she had been focused on music and sports most of her life, she had little idea of what else to do.  She decided to travel to Australia to take time-out.  From what she wrote to me, more than a break, she was looking to distance herself as much as possible from the pressure. Not surprisingly, to this day, she has not played the piano or returned to Germany. Only on a few occasions has she hit a tennis ball.

Instead of travelling around, like most back-packers do when they come to the Land of Oz, she enrolled in a personal training course.  And that stroke a chord for Denise.  As she wrote to me: “I discovered an even deeper love for training and being fit,…I also felt strongly that I had a gift for helping and motivating people to achieve their goals…it felt so right to me to train people and motivate them. I was in my element. And this time nothing felt forced. It just gave me great joy to help others achieve their goals! Later on I also learned Remedial Massage to help even more people on a different level…

I can say that doing Personal Training, Instructing and Massage feels like my calling and I love doing it!”

Composing her own life is how Denise found her career Nirvana.

Note to self: To play to the beat of your own drum, listen to your heart.  Who’s sheet are you reading from?

Denise now lives in Sydney, where she’s building  a career in the sporting industry.  She works as a spinning instructor and a personal trainer at the largest chain of gyms in the country. She also has her own business as a massage therapist.  And recently launched a line of sports’ clothing under the label TranscendenceTM .  She feels her clothing business is an extension of everything that she has been doing for the last 4 years.

Taking one of her spinning classes is a unique experience. (It is also a form of self-inflicted pain)  With her extensive knowledge about the body’s breathing rhythm and music’s tempo, she does a fantastic job at synchronizing the body’s rhythm with the music.  And because she also knows how far the body can go, she can’t resist the temptation to push everyone to their limit…and beyond.

Note to self:  Reinvent yourself. To create the best version of YOU, focus on your strengths and what you enjoy.

Denise tells me that she did not plan for any of these changes – they just happened.  And that’s certainly not an easy thing to admit for a person who was raised on structure and predictability.

“The thought of quitting everything and doing something new was in my head for a while but I had no idea what to do and how to do it. Until one day I saw an advertisement in a newspaper saying ‘Work experience in Down Under’. It felt straight away like my call and I didn’t even think twice. I knew I had to go and at least give everything that I had been doing a rest. First I saw this one year in Oz more

 as time-out and a break. I could still decide after that year if I would continue a sport or music career or not. So the trip to Australia was the first step. From then everything else started changing…So coming to Australia has been one of the best decisions of my life. Everything started flowing from here…”

It’s clear that once Denise let go, things started to fall into place.

Note to self:  See taking the first step as a leap onto your path of success – not as a jump off a cliff, into an unknown abyss.

So what has Denise’s journey taught her?  (I thought you’d never ask)

“Music and sport has always worked for me! I always put in hard work, a lot of patience and discipline.”

Note to self:  Anything worth achieving takes hard work and effort. That’s why if you’re passionate about what you do, you’re more likely to endure the challenges.

“I always also chose the right teachers and trainers. I was very dedicated and loved it.”

Note to self:  Seek for teachers and mentors who are worthy of imitation.  Their ways, good and bad, will rub-off on you.

“(Another) major lesson I’ve learned is that competitions are pretty useless…There will always be someone out there who is better than me and someone who is worse than me.  So what point does it make to compete? To me competitions are ego-driven and take away all the niceness and fascination of an art like sport or music. It becomes usually all about achieving and winning rather then enjoying…”

Note to self: The race is long – and in the end, it’s only with you.  Besides, what’s a trophy worth without enjoyment? (Look inside the window of a pawn-shop if you need some evidence)

She moves on to say: “If I could do it all over again I would do probably exactly the same just with a different, freer attitude. The only thing that didn’t work for me was the attitude I had, which was based on wrong beliefs about myself and life. It didn’t work for me that I thought I had to achieve something with it and that I had to have a status in society. If I would have enjoyed sport and music more just for what it is I’m sure I would have got even better results with it than what I got, because I wouldn’t have limited myself too much with wrong beliefs.”

“I can…say…that I love training like an athlete. But I wouldn’t choose the competitions again…In terms of music I also would have allowed myself to be much freer. I would have started to do more improvisation on the piano as a child rather than getting too stuck on the notes in classical piano. That would have led to more freedom in playing and performing music.”

Note to self: It’s in our nature to be free. (Have you been to a zoo lately?) Tamper with that system and you’re bound to find trouble.  Be free. Start by letting go of all your self-imposed limitations. Drop them like a red-hot piece of coal.

Denise is determined to continue to enjoy her path.  Even now that she has taken a new sport – kickboxing – which she’s quite good at, she made a pact with herself to not enter any competitions.  “Until today I have loved it…I wouldn’t let my competitive ego take the fun out of it…I just enjoy learning it, doing it and getting fitter and fitter from it!”

Note to self: It’s possible that right now you’re on the right path. The reason you may not feel that way is because something is truncating the flow of things.  Is it your beliefs? Whose expectations are you living up to? Once you remove from your path the ‘interruptions’, you will experience bliss. 

“But I don’t regret anything. Everything happened the way it should!…I had to learn the lessons that I had to learn. Otherwise I wouldn’t have the awareness that I have today…I don’t think I should have started my path as Personal Trainer or Remedial Massage Therapist sooner because I wouldn’t have learned all the lessons on the way and wouldn’t have gained the knowledge about my life that I have today! So I wouldn’t be the person, the trainer or the therapist that I am today. And I wouldn’t want to give that up for anything!”

Note to self: EVERYTHING (and I mean EVERYTHING) happens for a reason. Trust the process. Be relentless about looking for the lessons and applying them.

“…it’s never too late for anything. I’m now on a level in sport and fitness than I’ve never been before and it feels like there is no end in improving myself! That’s a great experience! Also in music I feel that I’m slowly but strongly getting back into it…surely not with classical piano, but with DJ-ing and compositions in electronic music, which I can wonderfully combine with teaching spin classes!”*

Note to self: What have you been putting off because you think you’re too old to start working on?

And lastly Denise writes: “…being true to myself instead of pleasing others I became a happier person!…So all in all being true to my self has worked! Trying to impress, or TRYING to be someone (else), hasn’t.”

Make a mental note of that!

Impermanent is a good thing

“Don’t get too attached…” said a sales manager to me once in reference to a sales rep she thought would not be around for much longer.

Her words continue to echo in my mind since that day eight years ago.  As a strategic job-hopper I tend to not stick around for long at jobs (my all time highest tenure at a job is 18 months, my average is 14 months). Most certainly impermanence is the law of my land.  Even so, contrary to what most think, not getting attached does not make me cold-hearted.  Learning to let go will not make you ice-cold either.  Knowing that things do not last for ever will drive you to make the most of your current situation, to stop taking things for granted.  And that’s a good thing.

Riding the wave of change will make you better able to:

  1. Keep the lessons from each day.  While situations – good and bad – do not last forever, the lessons that they leave in their wake are yours to keep for life – and to pass on as your legacy.  Learn to take stock at the end of each day (I call this a ‘wrap-up & psych-up’ session). Acknowledge to yourself your accomplishments and the lessons you learned.  Like a snow flake, each day is unique. It has something unique to teach us.  It’s the sum of lessons and experiences that make us who we are.  Welcoming those lessons into your life makes you more open to change and more resilient.
  2. Seize the day.  That’s far from being reckless – and destructive. On the contrary. It means being thankful for the day that you have been given to get closer to your goals.  Sure there are days when we feel like letting our hair down. And that’s okay. As long as the spirit of your actions is constructive – like to unwind and de-stress, not to hurt others or yourself – it’s okay to have fun.
  3. Live with a sense of urgency.  This is far from rushing around.  It stands for being focused and deliberate.  It’s also about identifying interruptions and learning to manage them out of your life.  
  4. Act now.  In case you need reminding, nothing lasts forever.  That includes my life and yours.  It’s okay to put off certain things in order to make time for the more important and urgent.  It’s not okay to live in ‘some day’ mode.  If you don’t give importance to what matters most to you, to what fulfils you, no one else will.  Switch from ‘some day’ to ‘if not now then when’ mode. Do it NOW.
  5. Be more tolerant in the face of challenging situations.  It’s one thing to endure the sting of a syringe in your arm when you know that it will not be forever, quite another when you know that the pain will last a lifetime.  Enduring challenges is just like learning to enjoy holding your breath under water.  Try it next time you go for a swim.  See how much further you can go before you come up for air.  Have fun with it.

Really knowing that things are impermanent will lead you to surrender in the face of change.  Once you do, you’ll find that you’ll be more trusting of the process. 

What are you holding onto with your dear life?  Let go…

 

Love the photo as much as I do?  Thanks Denis Darzacq

A New Kind of Hero for a New Kind of World, Hero # 8

(This post is part of a pact I made. Click here for the full story.)

Meet Monika.

Since the moment I sat down to speak with her about her career path, I was overcome by a sense that our mass-produced, fast-moving world does not deserve people like her.

Monika is a classically trained master gold and silver smith. 

To you and me that means that half her life – since the age of fifteen – she has been perfecting the craft of fine jewellery-making mostly by being an apprentice of Germany’s top jewellers. 

Possibly Monika will be inclined to correct me on this because ever since she can remember, fine jewellery-making has been a part of her life, much before she was fifteen years old.  Her father is a master gold and silver smith who works out of a studio in their family home in a town outside of Cologne in Germany.  When Monika was ‘old enough’, between 8 and 10, her dad started to pay her to do the menial jobs that he was not too keen on doing like welding and braiding pieces of gold. As she told me: ”I must have been quite good since I was making good money…” Sitting on her dad’s lap, working at the bench, marked the beginning of Monika’s love affair with very, very small details.

Creating one-of-a-kind pieces that put smiles on people’s faces is where Monika finds her career Nirvana.

In her words:  “When I’m working at my bench I feel content, it gives me inner peace, it feels like home.  I’m calm and I get back energy.”

Note to self: Tune in to your feelings.  Trust them.  Feelings don’t lie.  They don’t know how.  Good things feel right, bad things feel not quite right.

Listening to Monika describe how she works on a piece of fine jewellery, is as soothing as watching a prima ballerina float on stage, as intense as following an elite athlete compete at an Olympic event and as nerve-wrecking as seeing a neurosurgeon perform brain surgery through a microscope.  It’s quite clear that when she’s working at the bench, she’s in the here and now.  For her every movement counts.  In her words: “My gut guides me through the process…every detail matters and there is endless learning.” So much so, that she feels that she could spend her entire life in jewellery school because there is so much to learn.  She should know since her 72 year-old father often tells her that he’s constantly learning new things about the craft.

When I set out to share Monika’s story with you, I was secretly hoping to learn from her ability to feel contentment on a single path. I naively thought that Monika was so obsessed with small details that she found happiness in very minor things. After speaking with her for a few hours, I found a person who’s driven to find meaning in her work.  And even though she feels a strong pull towards the craft, she questions whether this is her own path or if it’s one that she inherited. 

Note to self:  Questions are important. Honest answers are vital.

For the more Machiavellian types, her questioning would seem impractical.  After all, what matters most is arriving at a destination, not the path taken. However, Monika has always been one to follow the beat of her own drum.  Among the conservative community where she grew up she is considered a pioneer  and known as one who walks out of step with the crowd.  As she explained to me, by nature, she has an inner need to create and follow her own path.   It is not enough for her to experience bliss while sitting at the bench, making fine jewellery.  It is not enough to be considered one of the best in her craft.  To be able to continue to dedicate her life to it, she needs to know that her passion for the craft came from within herself.  That it is not something she’s drawn to because it is all she has done or because it’s a family tradition.

In search for answers, at the age of 25, after she graduated as a master jeweller, she moved from Cologne, Germany to Sydney, Australia.  As soon as she told me this, I quickly scanned the globe but struggled to find a connection between those two points.  She said that the language played a big role in her decision (she’s fluent in English).  She also has a ‘thing’ for opals.  More important, she wanted to go as far away from her home-town as she possibly could.  As soon as she told me this last part, she started to laugh – at herself.  Shortly after moving to the other side of the world, she realized that while she left her home-town oceans away, she had not been able to get away from herself! 

Note to self: When you change your outside circumstances, you are not changing yourself – which could possibly be what most needs changing.

After five years of living in Australia, Monika has found more than what she came looking for.  Her initial plan was to work in different things to find out if anything else came close to jewellery-making.  If it did, well she would know that she was meant work in something else.  If it didn’t, she’d know that her life’s path was to take over her parents’ shop back home. 

Among the most memorable experiences, she worked at a cattle ranch.  And after nine weeks of doing different things like painting, renovating and wood-working, even though these were all forms of craftsmanship, she felt it was not the same.  In her own words: “That was an interesting and unique experience, but exhausting!…At times I’d ask: ‘What am I doing here?’”  She also worked at an ice-cream store and at several other businesses in the hospitality industry.  Yet nothing came close to making her feel what she does while working at the bench.  And nothing paid as well as jewellery-making, even if she’d take a job mass-producing jewellery.

It was during her travels up the New South Wales coast that she came upon a town called Byron Bay (a.k.a. Byron). For those of you who have been there, you’ll know what a special place it is.  With its surfer culture and artist community, few places emanate such good vibes.   In Byron Monika met a community of jewellers who like her have an interest in Numerology. Inspired by what she describes as a chance meeting, shortly after she completed a course in Numerology and began to explore ways to integrate its principles with fine jewellery-making. That was when she realized that even though she did not find her craft on her own – it is a God-given gift that she can make her own.

After a few more non-jewellery related jobs, Monika accepted a job at one of Sydney’s finest jewellery shops.  And for the past two years she has been learning about Australian stones (opals and blue sapphires) and creating pieces based on her knowledge of Numerology and other New Age principles.  She must have struck a chord because in 2008 Monika was the recipient of Australia’s most prestigious jewellery design award, the Jewellers Association of Australia Design Award, with her Ying and Yang bracelet.

Note to self:  What is that one thing that you enjoy doing and you tend to be great at?  The combination of enjoyment and skill are the foundation of your strengths.

Little by little, Monika is weaving a two-strand career.  By doing so she has been able to preserve a family tradition – one she’s passionate and quite skilled at – and quench her thirst for meaning.

Note to self: Be open to finding this and that answers.  Go beyond this or that.

Yet something tells me that Monika’s search for answers is far from over. 

Through Numerology, she gave me a peek into her soul.  She explained that the number 8 captures her soul’s purpose.  It stands for several traits, among them independence, fairness and assertiveness. According to Numerology people like her are quite rare, often described as higher beings.  Even so, I found Monika to be quite humble and very grounded.

Based on her birth-date, she explained that she tends to be very head driven. That means that at times her mind does not allow her to listen to her heart. And that has been one of the sources of her inner conflict.  As she told me: ”When I’ve listened to my heart, everything falls into place.” The trouble is her head is usually making too much noise for her to listen to what her heart wants.  During the few moments that she has listened to her heart, she feels jewellery-making is what she’s meant to be doing. As she told me: “I feel drawn to it.  It flows.  It feels easy.”

When I asked Monika what she has learned along her journey, she said:

“Mostly to listen to my gut…my tummy guides me.”

Note to self: Trust your intuition.

 

A New Kind of Hero for a New Kind of World, Hero #6

(This post is part of a pact I made. Click here for the full story.)

Meet Joe*, a young serial entrepreneur.

Guided by his appetite for risk-taking and passion for military strategy since the age of 12, Joe found his career Nirvana in the music industry, after going broke and getting back up several times.

In his own words: “I have always wanted to be an entrepreneur. My biggest dream has always been to have a lifestyle around my work, to be completely free of bosses or people telling me what to do or how to spend my time.”

Staying true to his childhood dreams, Joe has taken several risks with his own capital.  He’s worked in the telecom industry, recycling, aeronautics and the internet.  As he wrote to me: “I got to know the internet industry quite well when the Y2K stock market bubble blew up in my face, hard. 

In spite of his financial risk-taking, from how Joe defines a career, it’s quite clear that he’s driven by much more than money and success.

A career is not about academics or money it is about finding the lifestyle that makes us truly happy, something that if taken away from us, makes us cease to exist.  What we study or even the jobs we hold are not what define us. It’s deeper than that. It is how we chose to live and what we are 24/7 that defines us.”

“…being in love is wanting to be at the same place every day and not getting enough of it. That’s exactly (what) finding the perfect career or lifestyle is about, loving what you do to keep doing it forever.”

Note to self: Define your career. Control your life.  What does success mean to you?

As strategic as he has been, he feels that he stumbled upon his career Nirvana by pure luck. “In my case (my career Nirvana) came serendipitously…For some reason my (music) business came to me as much as I went to it. I do not believe in destiny, I believe we make our own but this makes me doubt. I love my job and it fits me perfectly but never in a million years did I think I’d be doing it. The moment I bought my first book on ‘Music Business’, the moment I opened the first chapter I knew I wasn’t leaving it.”

He then said: “…For me, finding the right path, the right job, the right place to be and live, what I call “that” has come after searching and falling…I have shoved my nose into so many industries, places, jobs…”

Note to self: Be open to exploration.  Stay open to finding your career Nirvana in unexpected places.

Experience has taught Joe that being indecisive can be costly: “I have gone broke because of (the) when/then game and it is probably (one of) the most important things a business manager or leader (needs) to know. You must know when to stop or when to change direction. If you do it too soon, you’ll miss out, if you stay on the same path thinking things will change doing the same things you are doing you will fail. There is a great deal of importance in this. (Unfortunately)…we will only learn (to be decisive by) practicing. It hurts…Decisions in business are the H in H20.”

Note to self:  Practice making decisions.

Joe has also learned that failing is part of the learning process. In spite of going broke, he wrote to me: “(I have) no regrets…Falling down is almost a pre-requisite to being an entrepreneur. Even more so is getting back up. Companies today are hiring executives who have failure in their CV’s because falling down teaches so much more than success. One must enter any endeavour committed to it. If you fail or win, (something) can be (gained) from (the experience). So by all means jump. Worst that can happen is that you will lose all you have and you have to get back up again. It sounds pretty rash but it is the entrepreneurial game…”

Note to self: Failure is the new success.

When I asked Joe if he’s planner, he almost sounded like a general preparing for war: “I always, always, always have a plan. First I write out what I want to do then I put it in numbers. When I do the numbers I am extremely pessimistic. If they turn out ok I just go for it, no matter what…there are 3 secrets to business: Plan, plan, plan. Having a plan and executing it are completely different things. Military strategy says that any plan goes bust when the first shot is fired, the same is true for business.”

Note to self:  Plan, plan, plan.

Joe’s scars of war have left him with several lessons, which he was happy to share with aspiring entrepreneurs:

“Definitely, I would try to gain more experience. It is very important to learn as many ropes as you can from an industry, then go solo. This does not mean that one cannot be successful by jumping in. It’s good to risk but it is also good to have at least one foot on the “sane” side.”

 

Image for post chosen by Joe. In his words: “It’s a circle called Enso (Japanese origin).  It sombolizes many things in Zen Buddhism. Emptiness, wholeness, perfection, imperfection, many things. I love it.”

 

*Name changed for privacy reasons.