You can do anything. 
It was New Years Eve, 2014 and I was coming off one hell of a year. I married the man I loved for ten years in March. In October, we honeymooned in Korea and Tokyo, not only cementing our infatuation with travel and for each other, but also opening the doors to my “birth family” for the first time in 29 years. All in all, it had been the heaviest and most significant year of my life. It had not; however, been my most satisfying in terms of my career. I loved my life but in all honesty, I did not love my job. I was looking into 2015 struggling to muster the passion and energy it would take to “make it to the next level” in my sales organization. I’m turning 30 this year and I wanted this year to somehow top the last. At the end of January, and at the time to my dismay, I was “let go” from the company to which I had dedicated my entire adult life. In retrospect, I was done a favor, not an injustice. I probably would have never left the security of the comforts of that prestigious financial firm. I also would never have reached my full potential because I wasn’t doing what I loved – I wasn’t fulfilled by my work. We spend at least two-thirds of our waking lives working. 99,117 hours in a lifetime. If you love yourself, do what you love. 
There were a million reasons why I “couldn’t” start a fresh career now. I had worked SO hard for my financial licenses and they would lapse if I didn’t put them to use. I’m good at this and the money is great. I’m comfortable. When I was “let go”, my world went reeling – did I go for another finance job…for all of those same reasons? Or, much riskier, did I start in a new direction? In an unknown direction? Two months later, I found A Sales Guy, Inc and Keenan and I was determined to work for that organization and with that team of badasses. Clearly, I got the job and one month later, I find myself the head of marketing and having the creative freedom to go nuts promoting a message, a brand, and an education system that I stand behind fully. Plus, we have ridiculous amounts of fun. Today’s message: Life’s too short to not love what you do. If you have your dream job – you go, good for you! Don’t get complacent. Always strive to improve and never quit learning. If you are the dreaded c-word… currently unemployed – you know what? You’re in the perfect position to grab your dream job by the…interview and take it. If you have a job and you hate it, are uninspired, and/or aren’t growing – consider doing something different. Something that you jump out of bed to do and can’t stop brainstorming at night. “You don’t marry someone you can live with – you marry the person you can’t live without.” I hope you live by those words but you spend more time at work. Give the same discernment to your career. If you’re thinking “I have a job and why fix what ain’t broken?”, I urge you to take advantage of that. You’re not in crisis mode. I always think, why don’t I apply this much effort to change and betterment when I’m not learning a hard lesson? You can do that! 
So that’s all good and fine but what can you do today? Plenty. Here’s two homework assignments for this week (and the rest of your life):
- Figure out what would make you happy – get you excited?
- Learn about those things. Duh.
Let’s break it down. Figure Out What Makes You HAPPY Let’s not reinvent the wheel here and draw from our buddy, Little Buddha. Answer these five questions honestly and with the mindset of doing fulfilling work that enriches your life.
“Once you stop learning, you start dying.” – Albert Einstein
There is absolutely nothing that you can’t learn on the internet. In fact, there’s information out there so you can learn how to hypnotise a chicken and how to react to an ugly baby. YouTube is a mecca of how-tos, where you can teach yourself to do anything from yoga to investing. Find out who you’d like as mentors. If they’re smart, they’re blogging, tweeting, vlogging – putting their thoughts out there and if they’re really smart, listening and engaging with their audience. My most recent FAVORITE form of engagement are Live Google Hangout Shows. It’s amazing to me that BIG DEAL people invite the twitterverse to engage in a no holds barred conversation. YOU should be taking advantage of that elite access!
A few of my favorites, to give you a start, have been #SBizHour with Brian Fanzo, #SocialHangout with Eric Mitchell & Jack Kosakowski, #MCEOTalk with Vincenzo Landino, and OF COURSE #TheWORD with Keenan and yours truly! So off you go, you’ve got homework to do and I’d love to hear your findings & progress!