Tag Archives: passion

Cosquillitas (de lunes a viernes)

autoconciencia, empoderamiento, empoderamiento profesional, encontrando significado, libre y relevante, nirvana profesional, tomadecisiones

rex-business-people-laughing-in-officeEscuchando el run run de un típico día laboral, parecería que esta de moda odiar el trabajo.  La gran mayoría sabe que les produce dolor y aburrición, y en general que no les gusta de su trabajo.  En la lista de muchos se encuentra la madrugada para llegar a tiempo (¡uy que pereza!); el trancon (¡que frustración!); las exigencias de la jefe (¡estoy que la mato!); las quejas de los clientes (¿que tal el descaro?); la presión de otros departamentos (¿y ellos que se creen?); aquel colega que no hace nada (¡que injusto!); y el computador lento (¡enloquecedor!). Y así, poco a poco, muchos han creado una lista mental de situaciones que cuando las ven venir, deciden tolerarlas (por que no les queda de otra) o evitarlas corriendo en la dirección contraria – (¡hasta que me pillen!). Para muchos, es la suma de esos momentos de dolor y aburrición que forman sus días, semanas, meses, años – y finalmente sus carreras.

Aunque reconozco que situaciones que nos retan o que no son de nuestro absoluto agrado forman parte del paquete de trabajar, también se que es posible sentir emoción, pasión y fascinación de lunes a viernes – aunque estés sentada en un cubículo.  Mas de lo que el run run en la cafetería y el corredor dan a creer.

El primer paso es averiguar que te emociona o fascina de tu trabajo. 

Si tu respuesta es ‘nada’, o ‘muy poco’, aprovecho para acordarte que tu trabajo no te escogió a ti – tú lo escogiste.  Y antes de que el coro me responda que eso no es cierto, ya que tenemos cuentas para pagar y por tanto es necesario trabajar, nos guste o no – añado que hay un sin numero de formas para cumplir con nuestras responsabilidades.  Es decir, tu actual trabajo no es tu única opción.  Aunque el desempleo existe, hay un abanico de opciones para ganarse la vida.  Encontrarlas es cuestión de buscar en diferentes departamentos dentro de la empresa en que trabajas, o anotarte para diferentes proyectos que los actuales, o buscar en diferentes empresas, en diferentes industrias o en diferentes geografías – entre otros.

Pensando en que tienes más opciones que la actual, es importante que des prioridad a averiguar que realmente te da cosquillas en tu vida laboral.  Y procedas a buscar aquello que te las produce.  Posiblemente te sorprendas al encontrar que actualmente tu trabajo es más emocionante de lo que creías. Si no es el caso, re lee el párrafo anterior. 

Buena semana.

Detrás de la cortina

empoderamiento, empoderamiento profesional, libre y relevante, nirvana profesional, rse, tomadecisiones,

Por que(Este post es parte de la celebración de la vida de mi madre Sara. La mujer que muchos recuerdan por la canción (I did it) My Way.  Entender – repensar – crear.  Ese es parte del legado que nos dejó.)

En el trabajo, eso de seguir ordenes a ciegas, al estilo soldado raso, esta tan passé.  Y ni hablar de aquellos jefes que ladran órdenes esperando que su equipo las siga inmediatamente.  Esos pertenecen en el siglo pasado.

Sin duda seguir ordenes, como un robot, sin cuestionar, tiene su lugar.  Solo imagina un departamento de emergencia en un hospital.  Buscar entender cada orden costaría vidas. 

En realidad son pocos los ambientes laborales que comandan tal intensidad. En la mayoría, entender la razón de ser de las metas, tareas y demás que nos asignan nuestros jefes es lo que nos hace mejores empleados.  Simplemente porque llenar nuestras acciones con un propósito mayor es lo que nos mantiene interesados, motivados y como consecuencia comprometidos con nuestro trabajo.

Es simple biología.  La región limbica de nuestro cerebro es la parte que siente emociones – como confianza, pasión, motivación. Como tal impulsa nuestro comportamiento y toma de decisiones. Diferente a la neocorteza, que es la parte racional, y el centro del lenguaje y el pensamiento, la región limbica no responde al lenguaje ni a lo racional.  Es decir, no percibe palabras, números, ni hechos. Solo sentimientos. Por ejemplo al ser estimulada de una forma positiva,  es posible sentir confianza hacia alguien o algo.  También de ahí viene eso que denominamos nuestro sexto sentido o cuando decimos que tenemos una corazonada que algo va a pasar o que nuestra alma no esta tranquila con algo – ese es el sistema límbico funcionando. Siendo así, si buscamos trabajar con convicción (que en mi opinión si no es así, para que molestarnos con ir al trabajo), debemos buscar formas de estimular nuestro sistema límbico de forma positiva.  De una forma que nos haga sentir confianza, pasión y motivación. 

Es muy diferente trabajar hacia una meta, tarea y demás simplemente porque si – o peor aun porque nuestro jefe lo ordenó (o ladró) – que hacer la misma actividad porque creemos en ella.  Ya sea porque sentimos que es parte de algo mas grande o que contribuirá a un beneficio mayor.  Aun mas motivador es cuando ese algo mas grande esta en línea con nuestros propios valores y creencias.

Siendo que esta información acerca de cómo funcionan las diferentes regiones de nuestro cerebro es relativamente nueva, son pocos los jefes que la han incorporado en su trabajo.  La mayoría son muy buenos en decir que hacer y como hacerlo.  En hablar de datos y hechos.  En esencia son buenos en espichar los botones de robots – que no tienen sentimientos.  Pocos explican el por qué de sus metas, proyectos y demás.  Pocos nos invitan a ver detrás de la cortina. 

Como los responsables de nuestro éxito y felicidad laboral, es nuestra responsabilidad – no la de nuestros jefes – llenar nuestro trabajo con sentido y propósito y buscar ser parte de algo mas grande.  Especialmente en ambientes que eso no viene de fuentes externas.

Es obvio que ser un empleado más motivado, con mas energía, beneficiará a la compañía donde trabajas.  Infinitamente mas importante es sentir satisfacción profesional ya que es una de las piezas criticas de tu bienestar integral.  Mientras que el dinero es un resultado importante para la existencia de tu carrera, trabajar por más que un sueldo es lo que te dará esa satisfacción.

La forma mas sencilla de encontrarle el sentido y propósito a tu trabajo es preguntar ¿por qué? – con la misma inocencia de una niña de dos años.  “¿Por qué jefe me esta asignando esa meta? ¿Cual es su visión? ¿Que estamos buscando crear?” 

Y si tu jefe confunde tu pasión y convicción con insolencia y despotismo, te aseguro que hay muchos otros que te valorarán. 

Buena semana.

Medio tiempo.

empoderamiento, empoderamiento profesional,

Soccer feverEs un hecho, soy hiperactiva.  Por lo tanto mirar fútbol en la televisión (que implica ver a otros moverse mientras yo estoy echada sobre una silla) es una amenaza contra mi existencia.

Entonces buscando algo para hacer en un sportsbar, (y aturdida por los gritos de los fanáticos ingleses a mi alrededor), deje mi mente correr.  Mas que todo busque aprender acerca de la esencia de un atleta profesional.  Es decir, ¿que diferencia a cada uno de esos jugadores de los miles de otros futbolistas que hoy no están en Sur África? 

Siendo que se lo ocupada que estas con la fiebre de fútbol – aquí comparto lo que aprendí – que creo te dará unas pistas para tu propia carrera:

  1. Sin su equipo no son nada.  Antes de que me linches por apuntar hacia algo que parece obvio, piensa en lo difícil que debe ser para una súper estrella de fútbol – con un súper ego (y una súper cuenta bancaria) – tener que depender en un equipo para sus logros. Aun así, lo hacen.  Desde Rooney, Kaka y Dunga, hasta Casillas y Messi – jugador de fútbol que se respete sabe jugar con su equipo.  Acuérdate de esto la próxima vez que pienses que en tu trabajo lo puedes lograr todo sola.
  2. Ser súper dotado no es suficiente. Claro que es una ventaja ser innatamente bueno en una actividad, pero para lograr ser de talla de mundial se necesita mas – mucho mas.  En su libro Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell cuantifica la disciplina que se necesita. El cálculo lo llama La Regla de las 10,000 Horas – que como su nombre lo dice, se necesita un promedio de 10,000 horas de práctica para lograr sobresalir.  Acuérdate de esto la próxima vez que pienses que ya tu trabajo termino porque eres innatamente mejor que muchos en una actividad.
  3. Sentir pasión no es un lujo.  Hay quienes piensan que amar lo que hacemos es privilegio de pocos.  Que es más que todo un lujo que se pueden dar aquellos que viven en una burbuja ya que no tienen cuentas por pagar.  Si hasta ahora estas de acuerdo con esta forma de pensar, te invito a que observes bien a esos jugadores de talla mundial.  Muchos vienen de hogares donde es un reto suplir necesidades básicas.  Aun así, si observas bien te darás cuenta que cada uno de esos jugadores ama jugar fútbol. Saben que es lo que los hace realmente felices. Y es ese sentimiento intenso – eso que llamamos pasión – es lo que les permite ser tan disciplinados.  Piénsalo.  Si esos jugadores no sintieran pasión, si esa energía no corriera por su cuerpo,  no habría suficiente Gatorade en el mundo para mantenerlos practicando 10,000 horas – hay veces bajo extremo calor, otras bajo la lluvia, otras bajo frío. Practicando para perfeccionar su talento innato – hasta llegar al punto que un balón parece parte de su cuerpo.  así que no te dejes confundir. La pasión no es solo el combustible de atletas profesionales, es un requisito para todos aquellos que buscan éxito profesional.
  4. Todo camino tiene riesgos.  Al comienzo de la carrera de cada uno de esos atletas profesionales, como es el caso en la carrera de cualquier profesional, es imposible saber que resultados dará ese talento y todas esas horas de práctica. Por lo tanto es un riesgo apoyar a cualquier profesional – por muy talentoso y disciplinado que sea.  Pero en parte es gracias a los riesgos que tomaron esas familias que su hijos estan en el mundial.  Aun así sostengo que se puede arriesgar de forma estratégica.  Por ejemplo, si estas pensando en abandonar tu trabajo actual para perseguir tu pasión, considera hacer ambas cosas.  Es decir, mantener un trabajo para sostener tu estilo de vida actual (pagar cuentas) y sacar tiempo para practicar lo que te apasiona.  No estoy sugiriendo que relegues tu pasión a la categoría de hobby.  (tan solo la palabra me causa alergia) Todo lo contrario. Sugiero, que si tanto amor sientes hacia algo, que busques tiempo para hacerlo – así sea que no te quede tiempo para hacer más.  De esta forma, no estarás arriesgando todo – pero estarás dedicando tiempo a lo que te apasiona.

Ahora si, ¡que la fiebre de fútbol corra por tu cuerpo!

 

Gracias al Boston Globe por la foto.

¿Y tu P-Spot – sabes donde lo tienes?

autoconciencia, empoderamiento, empoderamiento profesional, liderazgo, nirvana profesional, tomadecisiones,

seo-passionMemorízate esto – y acuérdate el resto de tu vida laboral que: 

Ni el sueldo más alto del mundo tiene el poder de despertar tu pasión. 

Y antes de que me tildes de ilusa, te aclaro que al igual que a ti, a mi también me llega el recibo de la luz, el agua y el gas – así que bien sé que de fabulas no se puede vivir.  También sé que sin pasión no llegarás muy lejos en tu carrera. Es simple matemáticas.  Si no sientes pasión por tu trabajo, es muy probable que dures poco en el camino actual.  Que te carcoma la aburrición, el tedio o la mediocridad antes de que las oportunidades significantes tengan tiempo para desarrollarse.

Entonces ¿que es pasión – ese término que es cada vez más usado – y explotado por coaches de carrera? Pasión, es simple y sencillamente la fuerza invisible que moviliza tu carrera.  Aunque ni tu ni nadie la ven, seguro que la sientes.  Sin pasión andarás cabizbaja tal como una flor que ya no esta fresca y se despenca sobre un florero. 

Al igual como el amor no se puede comprar – es decir, nadie te puede pagar para que lo ames – tu pasión no esta para la venta.  Y si que vale la pena encontrar tu punto de pasión – tu P-Spot profesional.  Ya que al alinear en lo que trabajas con tu pasión es como alcanzarás éxtasis profesional.

Cualquier compañía donde valga la pena trabajar, sabe eso. Por eso tienden a valorar a empleados apasionados.  Saben que no todos vienen con eso. Que la pasión es un rasgo que los hace mejores empleados, más efectivos, más creativos, más motivados.  Y eso no lo pueden comprar.  Es decir, los buenos empleadores saben que a un empleado apagado – sin pasión – no lo pueden prender simplemente con subirle el sueldo.

Entonces, si no es por medio de plata, ¿cómo encuentras tu P-Spot?  

Aquí comparto una formula que he visto ayudar a más de un centenar de personas encontrar su P-Spot – y alcanzar éxtasis profesional:

  1. Conoce bien lo que valoras. Es decir, define que es realmente importante para ti en la vida – dentro y fuera del trabajo.  Mírate al espejo – si anda.  Te ayudará a ver de verdad quien eres y que es importante para ti.  No te autocensures. Deja las ideas llover.  Haz la lista tan extensa como consideres necesario.
  2. Conoce bien que te atrae.  Déjate llevar, que lo que te atrae funciona tal como un imán.  Piensa que si aterrizaras por paracaídas en el medio de una ciudad donde lo hay todo, ¿hacia donde caminarías?  O si te dieran una semana para hacer lo que te venga en gana – mientras te pagan una billonada – ¿que escogerías hacer? Incluye en tu lista todo lo que venga a tu mente.
  3. Conoce bien para que eres buena – mejor que muchos a tu alrededor.  Para averiguar esto, te vendrá bien ser creída.  (Dale tranquila que nadie esta mirándote)  Haz una lista de las actividades para las cuales eres sobresaliente.  Claro que puedes tener más de una actividad en tu lista.

Tu P-Spot esta donde intersectan esas tres áreas – tus valores, tus atracciones y tus fortalezas. En ese puntito reside la razón para la cual viniste a la tierra. Pspot1

Al alinear lo que haces en tu trabajo con tu P-Spot, te darás cuenta que la motivación y la energía fluirá en tu día a día – sin esfuerzo.  Y cuando eso pasa, te volverás imparable, capaz de alcanzar lo que te propongas – por más inalcanzable que le parezca a los demás.   

¡Y quien no quiere eso!

Pass the passion please…

autoconciencia, empoderamiento, empoderamiento profesional, nirvana profesional, tomadecisiones,

Pass the passion pleaseMost would agree that pleasure is a sustainable state of being.  That when you work with passion and love what you do, it’s likely that you’ll remain focused and energized for a long time.  For that very reason, it’s important to seek excitement in your career.  That said, it’s also important  to gauge if the pursuit of passion and enjoyment will yield you more pain than pleasure.  More drain than gain.

 Here’s how you can tell if, in your career, you’re chasing after instant gratification or long-term excitement:  

  1. Play it forward:  Look beyond the here and now.  Chances are that if you’re evaluating a decision in this light, it’s because it’s a major one.  Major decisions will impact your life – and career – for years to come.  That being the case, think about what will the major outcomes be in 2 years time.  What about 5?  Ask yourself if you’re falling into the temptation of short-term pleasure, and paying with long-term pain.
  2. Consult your gut:  Be honest – with yourself – because you’re the only person that counts.  When you think about the overall outcome, does it feel right?  Or does it feel wrong?  Here you’re looking for physical feelings – check your gut. As a point of reference, think back about a time when one of your decisions felt right – in your gut. 
  3. There are no right or wrong answers:  You’re probably thinking that this information does not help your decision process.  Actually I beg to differ. Knowing that you’re looking for an excellent answer, not a perfect one is bound to empower you. Looking for right or wrong answers is the surest way to suffer from analysis paralysis. So go ahead, make a decision.  Know that there’s loads of grey.  Be open to the lessons – and you will come out on top!

Passion, excitement, enjoyment are all achievable career goals.  It’s a matter of having the right strategy and an action plan. What do you think?

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 #11

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

(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, Hero #6

alcanza metas, autoconciencia, empoderamiento, empoderamiento profesional, encontrando significado, estratégico y sostenible, liderazgo, nirvana profesional, tomadecisiones, , , , ,

(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. 

Why my first guest blogger is anonymous

alcanza metas, autoconciencia, empoderamiento, empoderamiento profesional, encontrando significado, estratégico y sostenible, liderazgo, , , , , ,

This is a big leap of faith for me.  

For the very first time since this blog was launched I’ve reached out to ask a reader to write a guest post.  This reader is one of those highly talented but unassuming people who likes to fly below the radar.  That’s why he has asked me to keep his post anonymous.  For the purpose of this post, lets call him Joe. (This reader is also in the habit of sending me quite relevant and thought provoking comments via facebook.)
 
I agreed to publish Joe’s post – even if it meant leaving out his real identity – because I believe that doing so is very much in line with my vision for this blog; and my writing career in general.  In order to inspire and empower my readers, I do not believe that I need to brag about anyone’s flashy titles or qualifications. What adds real value to my readers is a person’s insight and experience.  That is what I believe everyone should wear like a badge of honor – not whether they are a CEO, a director or have an MBA. And that’s exactly why Joe’s words deliver.

I hope that like me, you’ll find many lessons in Joe’s search for his career’s ‘g-spot’.  


Finding “that”*

I was at a funeral recently and arrived a few minutes late.  I was taken aback to hear how inspired and passionate the priest was delivering the speech.  This was probably because he was a close friend of the person who died. He said something very important that we often forget because we are too busy living our daily lives: “Leave a mark before you go and do it by living to the fullest”.
 
I’ve been thinking about his words ever since.  
 
Plenty of priests, rabbis, monks, parents and friends repeat this. As do we, but are we really doing it? Only the person inside each of us can really answer this.
 
When Silvana invited me to participate in this blog I was a bit cautious about what to write.  After considering several subjects, I decided to write about how we go about finding the right career and choosing what we do – because I believe that our decision resonates beyond what most us are aware of.
 
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.
 
Then how does one go about finding the path to live to the fullest?  
 
Some are born knowing what they will do, others grow into something, others have a great talent and others happen to find it by some crazy accident.
 
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 for many years. I have shoved my nose into so many industries, places, jobs and what not that I think I have more stories than answers to the question above.
 
And what is “that”?
 
A friend of mine once said that being in love is wanting to be at the same place every day and not getting enough of it. That’s exactly “that” because finding the perfect career or lifestyle is about loving what you do to keep doing it forever.
 
Today I work in the music business.  I’ve been doing so for over 5 years.  To be honest I am not leaving it until someone drags me out after they have killed me. Growing up I never dreamed of doing something like this nor was music an important part of my life, like it is for everyone in my industry. I stumbled upon it after 6 years of being a serial entrepreneur, working in the telecom industry, recycling, aeronautics and the internet. (I got to know the internet industry quite well when the Y2K stock market bubble blew up in my face, hard.)
 
I used to think the music business was easy: you have a talented musician, show him on a stage and thousands will come by some magical reason. I decided to embark on this “easy” task by buying music business books and making phone calls.
 
Then I hit a brick wall so hard it took me a while to get up. This is an industry like any other, governed by laws, treaties, costs, financial projections, negotiations, contracts, inventories, time management and all the little things we deal with in any business. Artists are products.  And I cannot tell you how many thousands or hundreds of thousands there are, plus the millions who want to make it. If you want cutthroat by all means join in.
 
The difference with other industries is that this is a qualitative one. Every product we sell reaches the senses, nothing more. Music hits the emotions like no other vehicle and for some reason it fit me perfectly because all business decisions are based on how the qualitative mixes in with the quantitative, the money. How do you pick a single for a new album? How do you know how to charge for a single concert? How do you sell your artist to an ad agency who wants to place his/her song and image for a brand? We don’t sell carpets that cost $100 to make and sell it for $200 because it fits the market price range. We sell talent and this cannot be measured. This is the beauty of it.  That there are very little formulas in this business; we make them up as we go. For some reason that I still don’t know I am perfect for this (or I like to think so) and want to continue at it for a long time. Since I found it somewhat by accident I am lucky enough to say that “that” found me, but I had been looking for it as well, I just did not know that it was the music industry. I am plain lucky I guess.
 
When it comes to making the right career choice it may sound a bit silly but do it from the gut, which is nothing more than mixing brains and heart. In other words, there is no magic in finding the right career.  It just takes a lot of wanting to explore, falling down and getting back up a million times until you find “that” or it finds you. Being what you do will make you do it well.  Most importantly it will define how far you want to take it.
 
I like Oriental philosophy very much so I’ll leave you with this quote from Confucius: “Find a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.”
 
 
*Read at your own risk