Tag Archives: nirvana profesional

Un Nuevo Tipo de Héroe Para Un Nuevo Tipo de Mundo

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Monica Barreneche(Este post es parte de un pacto que hice con mis lectores – haz click aquí para leer toda la historia.)

En el mundo laboral de hoy, crear y comunicar una marca propia trasciende los cubículos del departamento de mercadeo de las multinacionales. Seas empleada, empresaria o cualquier otro tipo de profesional, tú también comunicas una marca. 

Te presento a Monica.

Guiada por la hiper auto conciencia y un afán interno, cualidades personales difíciles de encontrar, ha creado una marca muy propia – a la velocidad de la luz. Hoy por hoy, esta consultora artística es reconocida en la industria de “luxury” por su propio género de producciones fotográficas. 

Luego de una formación académica en cine y fotografía, seguida de una carrera exitosa como fotógrafa profesional,  Monica ha descubierto que su pasión es ”el diseño en todo el sentido de la palabra y es hacia donde me dirijo ahora….Se podría decir que el hilo conductor de mis diferentes pasiones a través del tiempo es una estética con contenido.”

Nota a ti misma: Las diferentes paradas en tu carrera son parte de tu evolución profesional – no resistas el cambio. En vez encuéntrale el hilo común a esas paradas – y déjate llevar.

En su trabajo, Monica trasciende lo simple, hasta llegar a producciones fotográficas con un profundo sentido de estética.  Trabajando con montajes, cada una de sus fotos es su propio mundo – lleno de vida y movimiento. Una real Bacanalia estética que acaricia los 5 sentidos.

En sus propias palabras: “Lo que hace de Monica Barreneche una opción a la hora de escoger con quien trabajar es que el resultado final es la suma de un producto muy completo…lo que realmente me apasiona de mi trabajo es mas que la fotografía. Es todo el proceso creativo que hay detrás de cada imagen; la estética con contenido.  Por lo tanto aporto a mis diferentes clientes una consultoría artística para su marca a través de la estética adecuada, según sus necesidades.”

Nota a ti misma: El éxito raramente se alcanza caminando una línea recta.  ¡Sacudete!

Un continuo cuestionamiento e inconformidad con el status quo la han llevado a descubrir que la llena profesionalmente.

“Se podría decir que todo arranca en mi adolescencia, a los 15 años exactamente. En vacaciones trabajaba con una amiga de mi Mamá que es directora de arte y por esa época hacía cine y comerciales. Yo era su ‘asistente’ no oficial. Estando con ella me enamore del medio (cine), y me convencí que me convertiría en una de las personas que me estaban encantando.

Cuatro años después entre a estudiar medios audiovisuales. En esta carrera tienes la opción de irte por diferentes ramas especializadas.  Entre esas estaban Cine o Fotografía, aunque mi intención principal al entrar a la universidad era estudiar cine.

Después de dos años de carrera me di cuenta que para poder desarrollar cualquier proyecto necesitaba mucha gente con egos muy grandes, poca disponibilidad y nada de compromiso.  Y pronto tendría que escoger en que me especializaría.  Casualmente me encontré con una exposición callejera del Museo Nacional de Fotografía sobre el fotógrafo Colombiano radicado en Nueva York; Ruven Afanador. No lo pensé dos veces, fotografía iba a ser lo mío.”

Por eso que ella describe como “un afán interno”, logró el éxito muy temprano en su carrera.  Y también encontró grandes lecciones. 

Como me contó:

“Comencé a trabajar en mi último año de universidad con las publicaciones dirigidas a gente joven las cuales le apuestan a los nuevos talentos.  De un modo inesperado mi carrera arranco a una velocidad para la cual no estaba preparada. En medio de mi ignorancia realmente creía que lo sabia todo y con esa actitud me enfrente a un mercado que me quedo grande.”

“Después de mi primer gran fracaso tome la decisión de emplearme en una agencia de publicidad y aprender el otro lado del negocio  Siendo productora de fotografía de Leo Burnett aprendí sobre cotizaciones, tarifas, procesos creativos, pero sobre todo tuve el placer de conocer directamente el trabajo de grandes fotógrafos quienes a través de campañas de grandes presupuestos  me enseñaron técnicas y trucos que más adelante me servirían para crear un sello personal.”

Nota a ti misma:  Aprende a manejar tus expectativas.  En tu desarrollo profesional es vital encontrar la razón de ser de cada una de tus experiencias.

Luego de un momento de pausa y auto evaluación, Monica decidió que era buen momento para regresar a la academia. 

“En este momento tenia un portafolio en el cual sobresalían los retratos. Me hacia falta aprender moda. Así que aproveche esto como una excusa y viaje a Nueva York a estudiar fotografía de moda en el SVA (School of Visual Arts).  Fue allí donde realmente entendí de que se trataba el tema.

Que no bastaba con aprender técnicas de iluminación y jugar con los últimos equipos…antes de eso esta la moda real…lo más importante en cada foto son las piezas con las que estas trabajando y que debes encontrar la mejor forma de lucirlas…sin importar cuantos adornos tenga la foto al final lo único que importa es que piezas tienes en ella y quienes las están modelando. A partir de esto puedes jugar con todos los elementos que tengas a tu haber.”

A pesar de numerosos éxitos y menciones en su carrera, Monica considera que su éxito más significativo ha sido “la oportunidad de empezar una nueva revista con el periódico El Espectador, la cual seria una edición especial sobre el lujo (arquitectura, arte, viajes, moda, gastronomía, negocios, diseño). Mi trabajo sería hacer la edición de fotografía (algo que siempre quise experimentar) y realizar algunas de las fotografías de cada edición.  Este proyecto ya lleva dos años y aunque  actualmente no estoy involucrada internamente en el, ha sido el alcance más importante de mi carrera. Poder después de muchos intentos/desaciertos aterrizar en una publicación que creció de la mano de un excelente equipo hacia una estética y temática que se amolda perfecto a la carrera que llevo construyendo desde hace 6 años.”

Con su trayectoria, es obvio que las lecciones abundan. Aun así, las que mas valora son: 

  • Es clave reinventarse para mantenerse vigente.
  • La presentación del trabajo y la personal son imprescindibles si quieres que los clientes te tomen en serio y dejen a un lado la etiqueta de que la fotografía es un hoby.
  • Hay que tomarse en serio la profesión más no tanto a uno mismo así los diferentes desplantes laborales no afectan el animo.

En su forma honesta y arriesgada Monica añade:

“Si lo pudiera hacer de nuevo, lo haría de otra manera.”

“Comencé a trabajar muy pronto y me toco aprender a las patadas los ‘gajes del oficio’ con la desventaja que el producto que ofrezco lleva mi nombre y aunque el ochenta por ciento de los trabajos se realizan en equipo al final el nombre que esta en juego es el de uno.  Por esto mismo me lo tomaría con calma y trataría de llenar por medio del estudio y la practica anónima los vacíos que deja la universidad antes de salir al mundo laboral con una marca propia.”

Gracias Monica.

 

Foto cortesía de Monica Barreneche.

A New Kind of Hero for a New Kind of World, Career Hero #14

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

With looks that belong on a fashion runway – certainly not on an OzTag field (the Australian version of touch football) where you can now find Bronwyn several nights a week –  she’s wholesome as apple pie, and driven as an Olympic athlete – literally. 

 Bronwyn leads a life guided by this AND that.

More than her natural talents, it’s her approach to work, sports and life in general that drive her to achieve what she has.

She has been working as the Corporate (legal) Counsel since January 2000 at Country Energy.  To you and me that means that since she was 27 years old, she’s headed the legal department of a male-dominated company that owns the world’s second largest electricity network.

Outside of work her track record also raises eye-brows.  That’s because at her core, Bronwyn is an elite athlete.  Her strongest sport has been track and field, although she has also competed in swimming, Australian Football League (AFL), hockey, OzTag and equestrian.  Her most recent achievement was making the Olympic Shadow Team for Torino 2006 for both Skeleton and Bobsleigh. 

There have been times when in addition to working full time as a lawyer, she has been studying at university level and co-hosting the ABC 666 Grandstand Sport radio show.   Today Bronwyn is a mom, a practicing lawyer, and is completing her last course towards a Masters of Law at University of Melbourne in Australia.

“A lot of people say they can’t do something or don’t have time. That’s a priority issue rather than an inability to be involved.  Usually many people feel they shouldn’t do something because they don’t fit the stereotype of the sort of person that would usually take that job or do that activity or play that sport. Constraints such as those don’t tend to bother me so I will have a go even if I’m the odd man out.”

Note to self:  Your opinion is the only one that matters. Let it be your guide.

“This has sometimes meant that I’ve spread myself quite thinly, and it certainly means I have very little time to sit down and do nothing. It has meant though that I’ve been able to experience many things and meet a huge amount of people and travel to many countries (mostly with my sport).

Prioritising and organising is a very important part of my day. Without organisation I would end up doubling up on a lot of what I do, and retracing my steps, and I would run out of time to do the quality things instead of just the mundane, menial things.”

Note to self:  Take time to prioritize and organize.  What are the most important things in your life?  Are you sacrificing them to do the most urgent – and less important?

“Sport at an elite level teaches you to be aware of what your body is telling you – and to react to that. It may be a deficiency in something, a temporarily increased or decreased metabolism, a pain. I think a good example of this is when I was pregnant my metabolism would increase for a day or two and then go back to normal. I may crave certain foods for a day or two and then a different food after that. The key is to listen to my body and eat extra food for that day or two only, and not get into the habit of eating too much permanently – or not eating foods long term because I craved them for two days.

My inner compass is exactly that – I just have learned to listen to it and pay attention to what it’s telling me about what I need to do. That may be to find a new challenge or just keep doing what I’m doing.

I’ve never believed in 5 year plans or changing what I’m doing because of an objective milestone. My goal is to be content – and that involves having a sense of satisfaction and achievement as well as many other things. That sense tells me when I’m no longer being challenged by something, or when another offer that is ‘too good to refuse’ comes along that I should take it.”

Note to self:  Where is your inner compass taking you?

And what exactly is Bronwyn’s (winning) philosophy? 

“There’s never a ‘perfect’ time for anything, and sometimes waiting to have more experience for something means missing other experiences and missing opportunities. I think it’s important to note that I don’t believe opportunities need to be waited for – I believe that you can make your own opportunities if there are none on offer.

People are often afraid to jump into things when they are unsure or have choices to make that are difficult. Not many decisions are not reversible, or can not have something made of them – even if it isn’t an ideal situation it generally isn’t unsalvageable!”

Make a mental note of that.

“I think it’s important to have a belief in yourself and remember that you’re making the best decision you can based on the information that you have at the time. That way you don’t spend forever second guessing past decisions and wondering whether you took the wrong path. There’s so many things that cannot be changed, but can be learned from so it’s best to move on and use that knowledge rather than dwell on the past.”

Read that one more time.

 

Thank you Dean Taylor for the awesome shot!

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

autoconciencia, empoderamiento, encontrando significado, nirvana profesional, , ,

(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.

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

autoconciencia, empoderamiento, empoderamiento profesional, encontrando significado, nirvana profesional, , ,

(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!

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

autoconciencia, empoderamiento, encontrando significado, nirvana profesional, , ,

(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

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(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. 

A New Kind of Hero for a New Kind of World, Hero #4

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

Meet Nigel, a high achiever no matter where he finds himself.

In his own words: “You see, I was brought up to believe that to be successful – and you had to be successful – you needed a good education, work hard and go for the money.  So, I got a solid education and worked hard for the money…”

In spite of his upbringing, Nigel has not been afraid to create his own definition of success. On several occasions, whenever he has felt that his values have been compromised, he has made changes.  That’s how Nigel has paved a way to his career Nirvana. 

Note to self:  Success is in the eye of the beholder.  Only you know what success means. Give yourself a chance to create your own definition.

Like many, Nigel began his career in the corporate world.  At that point, he went for money and flashy titles (and lots of toys).  During his first job out of college, he excelled as an investment banker in Mexico.  Later he jumped to a more tantalizing opportunity with a US multinational in the FMCG sector.  After almost two years he wanted to improve his business acumen and completed an MBA at Thunderbird.  Out of grad school he landed a dream job with another US multinational and worked his way up the ladder to Marketing Manager.  Achievement, timing and luck were on his side as he was transferred to Sydney, Australia as the Marketing Manager of a brand portfolio worth over a quarter of a billion dollars.  While at the top of his game in the corporate world, working 60 plus hour weeks, he decided it was time to re-evaluate his priorities and to re-define success. 

As he described it to me in an email: “The change catalysts for me were my health, values and reshuffled priorities.  Long work weeks (60hrs +) and short sighted senior executives…ate away at my health and pushed me to compromise key values – like respect and wellbeing.  I could no longer live unhealthily and according to the shallow values of others.”

He resigned his corporate job looking for a more balanced existence. That’s Nigel’s career Nirvana.

His next move is a paradox.  In search for what he calls ‘just being’, when most would’ve been content with lying on the beach and reading all day, he and his wife accepted a position as house parents at the Australian Institute of Sports (AIS).  The times when I visited them, they looked that they were far from ‘just being’.  Although it looked like he had shed the coat of stress that corporate life tends to brand people with, he remained very active.  A major part of the job description of an AIS house parent is to look after the emotional well-being of young athletes who are living away from home pursuing a dream to make it to the Olympics or to become professionals. At times that meant catering for the needs of 70 teenagers. Albeit, by most standards these teenagers were easy to manage since their training demands kept them out of trouble (drugs and alcohol), there’s no real way around the demands of a teen-ager, let alone 70 at a time.  Like the need to be driven to sports meets and matches, to have their injuries kept in check, to be entertained and in general a need to be recognized and acknowledged.   Still Nigel describes it as something that he did well – and could’ve done with his eyes closed.  I believe him.  The times that I saw him in action I noticed that all the kids loved and respected him. And Nigel seemed to be loving every minute of it.

After three years of ‘just- being’, Nigel and his wife agreed it was time for a change.  Based on his self-knowledge, he decided to move into entrepreneurship.  Once he explored several options, he decided that buying a franchise was the logical way for him to transition into business ownership.  Following a breach of contract from the franchiser Nigel decided to sell the business. 

Today Nigel lives a balanced existence – using his skills in communications, marketing and business at one of the world’s most renowned scientific research and development agencies, CSIRO – and exists in harmony and balance with his pillar values.

Note to self: What matters most is how you do things – not what things you do.

By most standards, Nigel is an analytical person. After all he was trained by some of the world’s top marketing machines; the FMCG sector and an MBA.  However, he recognizes that analysis and planning are not what played the biggest roles in his search.  He says: “There isn’t a magic formula or one way.   I believe that every experience teaches you something about yourself and what you like, dislike and are willing to accept.  The beauty of this life of ours is that we have a choice.  Choice isn’t the scary part.  What keeps us awake at night…is the consequence of that choice.  Ground yourself with a simple question: what is the worst that can happen and where does this stack up against my priorities and values?  If you see Mr. Death and his sickle on the horizon, maybe you should rethink your plan.”

Note to self:  Avoid paralysis by over analysis.  If you can handle the foreseeable worse case scenario, go for it.

Nigel also feels that what has worked for him is: ”Recognizing….no, understanding that I have a choice and realizing that I could live happily with the consequences of my decisions…”

Note to self: Decisions have consequences.  Today you are the product of past decisions you’ve made.  Start with the end in mind.  Decide what you want to become – and determine what decisions will get you there.

Looking back he feels that: “Listening at times to that inner voice might have saved me from some big mistakes.”

Note to self: Learn to listen to your inner voice. Trust it.

Nigel leaves us with one final message: “Try not to become too idealistic and remember whatever path you choose will take work and effort.”

A New Kind of Hero for a New Kind of World, Hero #3

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

Meet Pablo. A Colombian who grew up in Cali, the world’s passion capital. 

In spite of living in the US since 10th grade, passion continues to run through his veins.  As he wrote to me: “Ever since I remember it has been my wish to be an entrepreneur and to drive forward a business that I am passionate about…”

That’s where Pablo’s career Nirvana lies.

Note to self: Your passion is a big (fat) clue to your career Nirvana. What are you passionate about?

Today, as the Chief Philanthropic Officer (CPO) and brain-child of Helping Mind, Pablo is able to fully express his passion. As a not-just-for-profit, Helping Mind stands for more than profit.  Like any conventional business, it must recover its production costs, yet like a non-profit it’s driven by a cause. 

That cause emerged from Pablo’s dreams while working in corporate America, with Microsoft, developing distribution channels in the Caribbean.

In Pablo’s words: “During my corporate years I worked on my free time on a business idea of a company that would produce great quality products and truly give back to people, (helping) them and their communities both locally and abroad.  Travelling to Colombia and seeing the level of poverty and need always made me think about the need to start a company which like Helping Mind (would) truly…empower people to progress.  I’m convinced that by helping people and empowering them to become better individuals…I will obtain a true sense of spiritual accomplishment and leave a mark or legacy long after I am gone.”

His dream became a reality earlier this year, when Helping Mind’s e-commerce site was launched.

As one of his fans on facebook wrote on his funwall:

“This business idea hits the center of the bulls eye of our collective social consciousness. Corporate America needs more entrepreneurs like Pablo. Good luck and count on me on whatever I can help to make this a success. YES YOU CAN!”

Pablo credits his grandfather as his source of inspiration. 

“…My grandfather…was truly my inspiration, an honest and hard working individual, someone who loved to serve and help his community and friends. (He’s) someone who provided me with the ethical compass that has guided me throughout my life.”

Note to self: Open up to positive role models – welcome their shining light into your life.

As smooth as Pablo’s ride may sound, it had a few detours along the way.  After working with Microsoft he set up a small family business.  And for the last four-and-a-half years, he worked with a financial institution that did not survive the recent economic shake up.

Even so, Pablo is still smiling and optimistic as ever. He says that: “Given that Helping Mind is a new company we still have a lot of terrain to cover.  We are sure we will cover this terrain happily and we will be help lots of people throughout the life of our company.  For the time being there hasn’t really been something that hasn’t worked (for Helping Mind), besides the occasional drawback on something due to an external factor – which we can’t really control.  At this point we are really excited that things are moving forward well and that we have launched a great graphic t-shirt collection in the US that will enable us to help people in need. …I certainly have absolutely no regrets besides sometimes wanting to go to sleep earlier which lately I haven’t been able to as I am juggling many things at the same time.  In a nutshell Helping Mind is now a reality and we are only moving forward.”

Note to self: As long as you’re learning, nothing is the end of the world.

When I asked Pablo about the major lessons he’s learned throughout his career he wrote back: “Listen to your inner self, surround yourself with good positive people, do a bit of research, believe wholeheartedly that you will succeed and drive forward your business execution with focus, determination, professionalism and lots of passion.”

Amen!

A New Kind of Hero for a New Kind of World, Hero #2

autoconciencia, empoderamiento, empoderamiento profesional, encontrando significado, estratégico y sostenible, liderazgo, nirvana profesional, , , ,

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

It’s time for you to meet Jo.  Jo’s lead is quite interesting to follow.  Had you met Jo a few years ago, most probably it would have been at a hospital and she would’ve introduced herself to you as ‘Dr. Martin’.  Had you been one of her patients you would most probably have cancer (but G-d forbid).  That’s because Jo was an Oncology intern.  If you meet Jo now, like I did a few months ago, she’ll greet you with a warm red-lipstick smile that goes from cheek to cheek, and she’d ask you – in her young yet husky voice – to please call her ‘Jo’ or ‘Joey’.  She won’t ask you to undress, instead through a microphone, she’ll ask you to take a seat anywhere you like in the auditorium.  Soon after she’ll launch into a most energetic presentation, packed with practical tips and advice about what it takes to succeed as a professional public speaker.  That’s because now Jo is an inspirational speaker and mentor.  She delivers her insight across the world through public speaking engagements.  And Jo knows success well.  In fact, she made over $1.25 million in sales her first 12 months as a professional speaker.

To the untrained eye, Jo’s career metamorphosis comes across as total madness.  After all, what does Oncology have to do with inspiration and professional public speaking? After being on different career paths, Jo found the common thread that led her to find career Nirvana.

Note to self:  Be honest with yourself.  Only you know what feels right.

By most standards, Jo has it all.  She did well in school, she’s a doctor and a successful entrepreneur.  To top it off, she’s sexy and has a loving relationship with her life partner.  Yet as much as it seems that Jo has it all under control, she oscillated between career paths before finding her career Nirvana. 

Note to self:  Not having answers is not a sign of failure. More often than not it’s searching for answers that brings about success.

At the age of 8, before she even knew what a Paediatrician was, Jo decided to be a doctor – and announced it to her parents (which made them super proud, especially since both are Pharmacists).  Until she reached the sixth grade it was possible to say that Jo was one of those lucky ‘born-to-be-a-doctor’ types.  All that changed after she enrolled in the school’s drama program and discovered a passion for performing.  From that point onwards, her decision to become a doctor began to feel ‘not quite right’ because when she was not acting, she was longing it.

After finishing high school, she took a year off to travel the world with friends.  Perhaps she was hoping (and praying) that she could leave behind her longing to perform and continue life peacefully following her childhood decision to become a doctor. Yet her indecision was so evident, that it was at the very last minute, while speaking with her mom from a phone booth in Greece, that she decided to apply to med school.  As she confessed at our interview, that was only because she missed the admission’s audition to drama school.

Jo found med school challenging and she enjoyed it.  Except she never was sure what type of doctor she’d become. Finally Oncology found her – after two out of her five rotations during her Intern year were in Oncology.  Even if she did not think much about her indecision at the time, it seems as if her thought process was being interrupted by her longing to be on stage. 

After grueling months working in the Oncology ward, she finally cracked open.  And at the end of her first year, she decided to enroll in drama school.  Her decision came about almost as harshly as new teeth break through a baby’s gums. The catalyst was the passing of a patient she came to know well.  That same night back at the hotel room, she realized that the patient could’ve been her.  As she sat there debriefing after a long and emotional day, she asked herself: ”If I had 6 months to live (like my patient did) would I be doing today what I’m doing?”  Her answer was a resounding no.  That intense moment stripped her of all inhibitions and pretensions.  And once her gates of honesty opened up, answers started to flow downstream from her core.  In Jo’s words she said to herself: “Instead I would go to drama school and I would learn how to act, and I would try my hand as a professional actor.”

That was Jo’s first ‘if not now, then when?’ moment.

When telling me this, Jo made it a point to let me know that her decision to switch paths was not based on a dislike of medicine – or on feeling completely and utterly exhausted after working 12 to 14 hour days. It was because the practice of medicine was not giving her the benefits that she wanted, emotionally.

Note to self: Feelings don’t lie. They don’t know how.  When things feel right, it’s because they are. When they don’t, it’s because something needs to change. Learn to listen to your instincts and to trust them.

When I asked Jo if she has a way to tap into her feelings, she shared with me a method, which seems simple by most standards.  Jo uses a balance sheet model made up of assets and liabilities.  When it becomes clear that the liabilities are outweighing the emotional assets of an opportunity, she knows that it’s time to change. And change she does, and quickly. 

Six months after starting the drama program at one of Australia’s most competitive academies, she began to feel something she did not expect.  Especially not after she had given up a career as a doctor to pursue her dream to be an actor.  Although drama school helped Jo fill an emotional void and scratch a major itch, it did not do a complete job. She realized that performing was missing a key ingredient (drum roll please)…making a real difference in people’s lives.  Although this realization took Jo by surprise, she told me that she did not panic.  Instead, she focused on finding a solution. 

Note to self: It is how you respond to set backs that determines how quickly you recover from them. 

As tempted as she may have been to go back to practicing medicine, she knew that was not a sustainable option. That wouldn’t satiate her emotionally.  Around that same time she started to train in executive coaching.  There is where Jo found a path that allowed her to make a difference in people’s lives and to feed her emotional craving to perform.

Note to self: Cultivate an abundance mentality.  Be open to having ‘this and that’.  Don’t limit your decisions to either/or choices.  Dare to ask yourself: “If I could have it all, what would that be?”

Soon Jo realized that she has a talent for improving people’s morale and empowering them to take responsibility for their lives.  Her business as an executive coach, working with some of Australia’s largest corporations, grew at such a quick pace that she began to feel that drama school was holding her back.  That was when she decided to quit drama school to work full time on her growing coaching business.   Her work caught the attention of one of the world’s top results coaches, Chris Howard. He invited her to join his organization as Head of Research and Training.  Even though that move involved a considerable down grade in income, she decided to accept because she knew that the opportunity would pay back in know-how.  

Note to self: Learning is also a form of earning.  It’s an investment in your career path.

1. Be open to learning.

2. Read inspiring material.

3. Repeat.

She spent the next two years developing business with Chris Howard’s company.  Jo was so good at what she did that eventually she became the face of Chris Howard on platforms across the globe: UK, USA and Australia, replacing him on stage. 

Note to self: When you’re passionate about what you do, success is likely to follow – and quickly.

Two years later, after spending months at a time working away from her family and her boyfriend (now life partner), she decided it was time to come closer to home.  She made up her mind on her 30th birthday while she was celebrating it in London with work friends – instead of at home with her family. 

That was Jo’s second ‘if not now, then when’ moment.  Within a few weeks she quit her job. 

Note to self: Take action.  When it feels that it’s time to go, your feelings are probably telling the truth. Refer to lesson #3.

For the next nine months Jo went through what she calls a pajama phase. She did nothing. (Or as little as an over achiever like Jo can handle)  Then, after several professionals in the public speaking circuit approached her for advice, she realized she had a lot to offer. That’s how her current company was born.  She now spends most of her time helping entrepreneurs express their passion and find businesses that support their lifestyle.

Note to self: Nothing is the end of the world.  Not even quitting your job or selling your business or even getting fired without having another opportunity lined up.

Jo admitted to me that she never has had a plan or has taken time to weigh up options.  She simply relies on her instincts and a deep knowledge that she will be all right – no matter what.  And that’s how it has worked out for her until now.

It almost seems that Jo’s instincts where being guided by a two-circle venn diagram model.  Something inside of her knew that at the intersection of medicine and performing emerges success coaching and professional public speaking. Because she was willing to listen, her instincts guided her to her career Nirvana.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that this fell from the sky, like a pie, on Jo. Although she has this inner sense that whatever happens she’ll land back on her feet, Jo is an extremely hard worker.  She admits to have worked herself to exhaustion on several occasions.   She says that this tends to happen when she’s enjoying so much what she’s working on, that she stays on a roll for very long periods of time. That leads me to Jo’s greatest strength – her self-awareness and brutal self-honesty.  Both make her very down to earth and approachable.

A New Kind of Hero for a New Kind of World, Hero #1

autoconciencia, empoderamiento, empoderamiento profesional, encontrando significado, liderazgo, nirvana profesional, , ,

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

Meet Victor.  For twenty years Victor was an entrepreneur.  Now, after he switched career lanes, he works with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD as part of the team of computer engineers that is responsible for developing software for flight and non-flight projects. 

Victor did not find his career Nirvana in a blink. For more than 20 years, Victor was a suit-and-tie-wearing business owner. However, underneath it all lay dormant a passionate engineer.  And it may have taken twenty years for that engineer to come out and play, but when it finally did, it made a splash.  It was the awakened engineer that drove Victor to sell his business, move states and go back to school.  It was that same passion that drove him to complete a Masters in Computer Science (MS) at Georgia Tech after being away from academia for twenty-five years.

Note to self: Passion is power.  Tap into yours.

This is what Victor says about passion: “Try to find a way to say every day, ‘Cool, I get to go to work today!’ Pursue what you enjoy.  If you do so with passion, and you do it well enough, you’ll find a way to make a living.  I always wish I had pursued what I liked to do, engineering, from the start … I would be at the top of my game right now!  I love my job.  I’m willing to work very hard at it because it is truly rewarding.  I feel a part of something important.”

By most standards (even high ones) Victor is a smart guy.  Aside from his MS, he also holds a BS from MIT in Computer Science.  Yet for two decades he remained in a path that did not fulfil him.  As he wrote to me: “I didn’t like my job/company for many years.  I never wanted to be a businessman, but somehow found myself stuck with the position, and with the company.”

What was holding him back?

In his own words: “Fear of failure, too much debt, didn’t know what to do with myself.”

Note to self: It’s never too late to change – no matter what your circumstances are.  Never, never, never give up on your passion. Instead keep looking for ways to make the change happen.

Now that he’s transcended to the other side, Victor says:

“Seek advice from someone older, smarter, wiser. Many, like me, create our own barriers.  Get professional help if you feel stuck.  Always stay positive, never give up! (And) Work really, really hard.”

How did he manage to let go of twenty years of professional baggage and debts?

He met a life-partner who was understanding and supportive.  What he wrote to me gave me goose bumps: “I got married.  (My wife) has been incredibly supportive.  I probably wouldn’t have had the courage to make such changes without her by my side.”

Note to self: You’re not alone.  Reach out for the support, guidance and help that you need to make change happen.

He also sold his business, which helped him get out without incurring the large expenses involved in closing a business.  Part of the deal was that he would stay on contract as one of the VPs.  This bought him time to decide his next move.

Note to self:  Keep asking ‘how can I make the change?’ and continue to explore options until you find one that works.

What has Victor learned from his process – that you and I could too?

“If you don’t like what you’re doing, be willing to explore something else.  If you’re in school and don’t like your major, change it, or try courses in other disciplines.  Going back to school was both the hardest, and one of the most rewarding, things I’ve done in my life.  Georgia Tech was a chance to do it better (the second time around).  And I did!  And loved every minute of it!!!”

 

Photo? Courtesy of NASA