A friend approached me for advice recently and as I was reflecting on his predicament, it occurred to me that his problem (which is hardly a unique one) may never change. My friend, who is on the younger side, has been feeling stressed about the opportunities, challenges, and financial stresses he is facing now that he has finished schooling and is looking to embark on a career. This feeling is one many can relate to, especially these days—a time when the younger generation has had lots of complaints about the difficulty of landing jobs and adding to your resume to the hundreds of others in the pile.
Then there are other, external forces to contend with, like the rising cost of living in urban areas and housing prices-to-income ratio. Today, Los Angeles is #1 in the nation with a 12.5x ratio; San Francisco Bay area and San Diego are also ridiculously high. These economic realities make it pretty hard to enjoy your free time when you have such a life burden hanging over your head. And, the troubling thing that occurred to me is that this may never change! Since we all struggle with our mindset and our ability to maintain a positive attitude and hopeful prospects about the future, here are some tips to help you stay on track and focused on what you can control:
The number one rule to implement for yourself is to be a machine. Simply do whatever it is that you have to do to execute your mission with precision and focus—but, without any drama. It doesn’t have to come with a negative emotional charge attached; you just do what you need to do.
This is great advice for any athlete too—you don’t see Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan hanging their head and crying in a towel after missing a game-winning shot. No, they take the shot and walk off the court knowing they’ll have another chance and that they did their best. Michael Jordan missed 26 game winning shots, but he also made 28!
When I was a triathlete, I had lots of setbacks and frustrations, but I realized that if I let them get the better of me, I would likely get my ass kicked again. I had to get up the next day and stay focused on the mission. Even when you succeed, you don’t really have to attach an excessive amount of emotion and get too high on yourself. Again, my athletic career experience was so valuable specifically because the ups and downs I experienced were intense, dramatic, immediate, and ever-changing (except when I won seven races in a row in 1991-1992, that was consistent!)
Someone progressing through the career ranks is on a clear path of ascension with less uncertainty. They don’t get fired the week after a great victory. Nothing is secure in life as we know from spiritual practice, but there are some things that you can count on more than others—for example, when you sign on for a 30-year mortgage after becoming a partner at the firm.
When it comes to small-time, individual sports, boy you had to step up again and again with minimal guarantees, and that forces you to release attachment to the outcome
In short, operate like a machine, get over yourself, and do what you have to do.
Number two is to pursue your inspired purpose.
My former B.rad podcast guest John Demartini offered this great message when exploring your career options and trying to find your path:
“What do you do spontaneously every day that requires no motivation and brings you joy and also contributes to the betterment of society?”
That is your inspired purpose and your mission is to pursue it no matter what. Get rid of thoughts like. “I need to, I should, I have to” and figure this out to become your authentic self. Now, this doesn’t mean that anything short of your dream job is a bad idea and you are a loser, but you have to envision everything as a stepping stone on the path to answering your calling, rather than getting stuck. This is similar to honoring the concept of “natural destiny” with parenting—don’t try to interfere, orchestrate, or shut them down a child’s natural destiny. Some kids’ natural destiny is competing at the Olympics, and for some, it’s pursuing higher education and going to college. The important thing to remember is to never force things.
For example, when I embarked upon an accounting career after college, I was immediately horrified to realize (on day 1 of the job!) that I had made a huge mistake and was miserable. It seemed like my inspired purpose was to pursue the highest expression of my talents as a triathlete. However, there really wasn’t a career path for an aspiring triathlete because the sport was so small and the economic prospects were dismal in the mid-80s. However, I did not let this deter me. I quit my job and started training every day. It was hardly an easy path; I had to deliver pizzas and scramble and hustle in order to pursue my inspired purpose. Lo and behold, at the end of my first professional season, I achieved what many multisport historians contend is the greatest upset in the history of the sport – defeating the #1 ranked triathlete in the world and the undefeated and #1 ranked duathlete in the world in a showdown race that I spoiled as a nobody. This set me up for a potential career path, helping to further clarify a destiny I only dreamed about at the accounting office.
When I achieved this dramatic success, I must share that my mindset was completely focused on the process. I was not overly-stressing about my tangible results (they weren’t that impressive over the course of that first season), nor how crappy my financial prospects were, nor how much I was leaving behind when departing from a certain career path like working for the world’s largest public accounting firm.
My pursuit of inspired purpose still applies today as I pursue podcasting and writing and sharing my message about living a healthy lifestyle. The economic prospects are not always simple and straightforward. I assure you that podcasting is not a direct path to wealth and riches, nor is writing books—Forbes says 1% of books make a profit and 90% sell fewer than 5,000 copies.
Alas, mostly everyone who has succeeded in the arts arena has been in the mindset of inspired purpose, not desperation to make profit. I recently heard Joe Rogan talking about how he turned on the mic years ago because he wanted to have conversations with his buddies. It was not a business plan with the financial model and quoting multimillion dollar commercial rates out of the gate. This stuff is best when it happens organically! In part 2, I’ll discuss the often-confusing difference between pursuing your inspired purpose and pursuing your passion.
