"The Right Way To Fail"

Last night I happened to pick up my copy of Experience Life magazine and I found a terrific article related to failure.  One of the highlights of the article was a quote from J.K Rowling the Harry Potter author.  Would you believe that J.K was homeless, jobless and poor in Britain? She stated that the fringe benefit of failing is that it allowed her to be set free.

"Failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all of my energy into finishing only the work that mattered to me." 
J.K Rowling

One of my personal favorite blogs is by Gretchen Rubin regarding happiness.  I was pleased to see her quoted in this article as well:

"Studies show that novelty and challenge - even though they can make us uncomfortable, frustrated and uneasy - are keys to happiness.  People who have novel experiences - experiences that inherently open them up to a certain amount of failure - are happier than those who stay in a rut." 

End of Exploration Process

I noticed on my Outlook calendar today, that this is the day in which my exploration process would be over.  In other words, the 50 interviews in 90 days would be complete and I would have a good picture of the next step or cause.  This is definitely true. In fact, I would say it became clearer faster than I would have guessed.

Today, is the day I plan to review some of my interview notes, review my spreadsheet and look toward 2010.  Interestingly enough, in many ways I am well into Part II of the process, which is all about finding the opportunity and moving forward.

I would like to take a moment and reflect on the positives of Part I (exploration) as I aggressively move into Part II.  Below is the list of occupations, which were and are of interest:

* Sports Coaches:  These are amazing individuals who sacrifice much of their personal and family lives to impact young people.  Special thanks to the many sports coaches I interviewed and thank you for your "cause"
* Directors of Non-Profits: Your cause could be education, social justice and even baseball for inner city kids.  Thank you for managing your boards, raising dollars and helping create a better life for others.
* Fund Development: You are sales people with a special cause.
* University Professor: Everyone can remember the teacher that inspired their lives.  The ones I spoke with do this every day and make the world better because of their investment.
* Career Services / Coaching / Career Consulting: I put this one in BOLD type because this is where I am heading. I am not sure where or how or when, but this is my next "cause." Helping folks find their next cause.  I am pursuing this because I feel that this is fundamental.  It is important to me.

Instrumental vs. Fundamental

Dan Pink points out that in our career path we make decisions for fundamental and instrumental reasons.  An instrumental reason is made because you think it is going to lead to something else, regardless of whether you enjoy it or not.

You can also do something that is because of a fundamental reason.  A fundamental reason is done because YOU think it is inherently valuable regardless of what it may or may not lead to.
(Reference: The Adventures of Johnny Bunko by Dan Pink)

I have an example in my own path in each category:

Instrumental reason example: Early on in my financial services career, someone encouraged me to go off an get my MBA in Accounting. The idea is that it would open doors and provide flexibility.  I did not really enjoy accounting. I liked the concepts and felt like I was sharpening my sword, but I am not accountant material.  I had in the back of my mind that it would lead to something else.


Fundamental Reason:  I am faced with this today.  Pursuing this idea of helping folks move from A to B in their career process is something I feel is inherently valuable.  I really do not know what it will lead to.

Special Thanks

I have greatly appreciated how various people have a played a part in "pushing" me to go deeper and find a  cause or career, which is more satisfying.

I would like to thank my youngest daughter for calling me out, while on vacation in Michigan.  She looked up at me with her innocent blue/green eyes and said, "Dad, you are kinda grouchy when you come home at night.  I like you more when you are on vacation."

I also want to thank my sales trainer who said, "You seem to like this ok, but it seems like you are trying to convince yourself that you like what you do."

Thus, this journey began and enough was enough.  This has been quite a ride thus far.

Part II Plan

As I shared before, the II phase of the career exploration process is probably not as rewarding as Part I.  Part I allows you to meet everyone and everyone and just listen and learn.  Part II means "brass tacks" and moving toward items such as:

* Personal business plan for my interest in helping others get unstuck
* Reading like crazy
* Obtaining certifications
* Meeting more people
* Oh, I am still in my current position. Did I mention that? Lots left to do there as well.

I shared with a friend yesterday, that I need a break.  It is time to shut down current work and this process for a bit and recharge.  I am looking forward to December 22nd.

"You are making a big mistake"

My mentor who brought me into the business has told me twice within the last two weeks that I was making a big mistake in moving out of my position. Here are my thoughts as it pertains to these remarks:

* If I was living my life for you, then I suppose it would look like I am making a mistake.  It seems like this is about you, not about me.
* If my goal was to be the best financial services professional in the city, then sure I am making a mistake.
* If I did not have a dream of waking up each morning captivated by a cause and a desire to have a career that was an overflow of who I am, then yes I am making a mistake
* Perhaps, I am making a mistake if my goals were different. 

I say to my mentor, "Thank you" Thank you for your investment.  Thank you for your time.  Remember, that your contribution is not in vain, in fact it meant a lot to me.  This is not about you.  This is about me.

"Net"working

For part II of my process, my goal is to meet with 10 people near, in or around the area of higher education. I noticed that my December calendar was empty and today I decided to get after it and email for some meetings.  I will be traveling to Anderson, Kokomo and downtown to meet with some new people in the business.

Why is this important? Well, for one, these conversations, like the one I had today in Franklin, Indiana invigorated my heart.   I heard stories of how this person helped a troubled student move forward with his career plans and get "unstuck" and how he helped the parents relax.  Also, these individuals I meet have pretty big hearts and it gets me excitied about the future.  So, it is true the networking is working and helping me get closer to my dream and the cause.