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Added for You - The Light at the End of the Tunnel
A mind-set is a way we organize our thinking, whether consciously or unconsciously. Most of the time, we act based on unconscious mind-sets that simply repeat what we've done most recently. In a new situation where our conscious mind is engaged, we may also repeat past behavior because when faced with a new choice, we often search through our alternatives in a predictable pattern that includes some perspectives while ignoring many others.Organizations develop their mind-sets through rules, processes, and rituals, as well as through the mind-sets of those who work in them. The fewer people who enter an organization, the more likely the organizational mind-set is to become fixed.The Individual Stall Mind-SetAre you awake, aware of, and working on what you want to accomplish … or are you usually daydreaming? It's easy to spend most of your day with your conscious mind turned off while you endure your commute, struggle to stay awake during meetings, listen to long-winded people on the telephone, exercise, perform routine chores, and watch television. The focus for your whole mind starts in the conscious part of your brain. Keep that conscious focus turned off, and the whole brain runs on automatic instructions.Overcoming that lethargy is pretty easy. Take these steps:1. Create written goals for what's important.<
Take some time to imagine what those next five years might be like if you were to transition to a new career. How could your existing experience become an asset to you? Could you make it OK to live on less money in the beginning? Could you see those lean years as part of a wonderful adventure instead of an unbearable setback? What interesting new friends might you make along the way? What new experiences might you enjoy? What good could you do for yourself and others? Can you see yourself bounding out of bed each morning instead of hitting the snooze button?
I’m only 10.5 months along this path, so I can’t tell you what it’s like at 5 years out yet, but I can share what it’s like to get this far. Honestly, it’s wonderful. You’d think that the first year of transition would be the hardest, but it only looks hard from a very superficial standpoint. Sure I had to make some sacrifices. I’ve given up a lot of income I could easily have made if I kept working on my games business full-time, my aging car just passed 150,000 miles, and I’ve devoted months to writing and speaking for free. While this seemed like it would be tough to handle from the outside looking in, surprisingly it hasn’t been tough at all. It actually seems to be a lot tougher on the people watching me do it than it is for me. I’ve been enjoying the path tremendously, and progress has been more rapid than expected.
When I first got started, I felt like I needed to work hard to get through the difficult trans
Successful beta testing starts even before your system is born! Does that idea sound strange? It's not really that odd when you think that beta testing is meant to involve a methodical prove-in of a carefully designed system, such as an electronic device, Web site, or automated tool. It's not meant to be a hit-or-miss, cross-your-fingers-and-hope-everything's-OK Band-Aid that you can apply at the last minute.We've all seen examples of software programs -- even from well-known, respectable software companies -- that arrive on our desktops barely breathing. They seem to be full of bugs, and thereby cause us more grief than they help us carry out work. Or we try to use a Web site that looks great, but we can't get from the shopping cart to the order page. Or we buy a new widget, yet even using the instruction booklet, we can't jump from the main menu to the critical functions the way we're supposed to.Are you anxious to catapult your business into the ranks of companies that frustrate their customers this way?Of course not! Therefore, I'm confident that you will do things differently.That's why testing involves such a systematic, tedious, yet indispensable sequence of activities. Without a method to the madness, you're not doing anything more than randomly banging on the system to see if by chance you can find a way to
What about your career as a whole? If you’d never worked in your current industry, would you consciously choose to work in it now?
Many people just fall into their current line of work without ever consciously choosing it. For example, I fell into computer programming early in life. I took a BASIC programming class when I was 10 years old, and I loved it. From there it was a gradual progression to a double-major in computer science and math. My father was an aerospace engineer, and my mother was a college math professor, so there was certainly no family resistance to this path. I don’t ever recall seriously considering any other majors. Perhaps I was just destined to be a computer programmer.
It wasn’t destiny though. It was merely momentum. There was very little conscious choice along this path. For the most part it was the path of least resistance.
But the path of least resistance is usually not the path of best results, despite the musings of spiritual gurus who try desperately to paint it as such. Just because unconscious physical objects follow the path of least resistance doesn’t make it the correct choice for conscious human beings.
Your consciousness gives you the option of choosing a path where you will meet resistance and then overcoming that resistance. You can take the path of least resistance and avoid obstacles, or you can choose to work against resistance and grow stronger.
In terms of career choices, you aren’t limited to doing what you’ve been doing all along just because it’s convenient for you. You also have the option of doing something entirely different. Even if you don’t possess the skills to qualify to do something else, you do have the option of acquiring those skills.
People are often held back by focusing too heavily on the effort it would take to develop new skills. People say, “It would take me five years just to reach the same level in a new career that I’m at now!” And you know what… that may well be true. But the time it takes you is of no consequence. Those five years are going to pass anyway. You can spend them in your current career, or you can invest them in transitioning to a new career. It’s merely a matter of substituting one version of those five years for another. Which version would put you in a better situation five years hence?
When I wanted to move away from computer game development and towards working in the field of personal development, I had to deal with these same mental barriers. I thought to myself, “But I’m already very good at what I do. My position is safe and secure. How can I just abandon all I’ve worked for and start over with something new? I can’t just get up on a stage and start making a living as a professional speaker. My speaking skills aren’t good enough, and I know next to nothing about the speaking business. If I even attempt such a big change, my income is certain to go down in the beginning. It’s going to take me years to build the skills, credibility, and content just to reach the same level in that profession that I’m at now with my game business. That’s crazy. Why should I even start?”
But the idea that the time is going to pass anyway really got to me. I framed it as a choice between spending the next five years one way and spending them another way. The past was the past, and the momentum that it produced up to this point was irrelevant. What mattered was the choice in front of me. I could form a pretty clear picture of what the next five years running my games business would be like. And I could also get a general idea of what the next five years starting a new personal development business would be like. Even though the day-by-day details would be impossible to predict, the bigger parts were predictable enough. On the games path, I’d continue publishing games. Duh. It wasn’t hard to get a sense of where I’d end up in five more years. And on the personal development path, I’d be writing and speaking and producing info products, but this would require a lot of time up front working for very little income. It also wasn’t hard to get a feel for what the resulting business might look like in five years.
When I asked myself which five-year outcome I preferred, it was the personal development business. That probably doesn’t surprise you, nor did it surprise me. But what did surprise me was that I also could imagine that the way I’d be spending those next five years was more appealing on the personal development path. I not only wanted the outcome more, but upon reflection I concluded that I’d probably enjoy the path more as well. It would be challenging, and I’d have to take an income hit initially, but I was OK with that. I think what I found most attractive was that I was going to grow and learn much more on the personal development path vs. the games path. It seemed more adventurous and exciting to me.
Separate the question of what you want from the question of what you think you can get. Five years is a long time. You can qualify for almost any profession within that time, even if you’re starting from scratch today. At the very least, you can get close. You might not be able to apply for a neurosurgical position, but you can work in the field of medicine within that time.
I accepted that maybe I can’t go from game publisher to professional speaker at the same level of income in only one year, at least not without taking some very big risks, getting unusually lucky, and probably doing a very mediocre job on stage. But within a five-year period, I can develop a high degree of proficiency in speaking, build an abundance of great content, release a number of products, establish credibility, and produce a strong income if I work hard at it. I’ve been at it for 10.5 months now, and if I just keep making progress at roughly the same rate, I should have all those basic dots connected within the next few years. And if an unexpected stroke of genius or luck hits me between now and then, it will happen faster.
If you find yourself in a job or career you wouldn’t consciously choose today, the first step is to admit that to yourself. The next step is to choose something else you’d like to move towards. And your new choice doesn’t even have to be the absolute best — it just has to be something you reasonably believe to be a better fit for you, a career you would choose consciously.
Then just accept that if you want to switch careers, maybe it’s going to take some time. Maybe it will take five years, perhaps even longer. But then again it may not take as long as you think. You may be surprised to discover that skills from your current career can help accelerate your new career. For example, not many professional speakers understand Internet marketing, blogging, or search engine optimization nearly as well as I do — in fact, it’s fair to say that most are utterly clueless when it comes to the web. So I can leverage my web skills to rapidly and cheaply do things that are very time-consuming, costly, and confusing for other speakers, like building a high-traffic web site or selling downloadable products. You won’t find any flash intros here….
I think you may find that even if you switch from law to acting, there will still be a significant overlap which puts you ahead of the game in your new career. For example, you might be a better negotiator, and you might even make some money on the side helping fellow newbie actors with their contracts. At the very least, being more mature and experienced can give you an edge.
Take some time to imagine what those next five years might be like if you were to transition to a new career. How could your existing experience become an asset to you? Could you make it OK to live on less money in the beginning? Could you see those lean years as part of a wonderful adventure instead of an unbearable setback? What interesting new friends might you make along the way? What new experiences might you enjoy? What good could you do for yourself and others? Can you see yourself bounding out of bed each morning instead of hitting the snooze button?
I’m only 10.5 months along this path, so I can’t tell you what it’s like at 5 years out yet, but I can share what it’s like to get this far. Honestly, it’s wonderful. You’d think that the first year of transition would be the hardest, but it only looks hard from a very superficial standpoint. Sure I had to make some sacrifices. I’ve given up a lot of income I could easily have made if I kept working on my games business full-time, my aging car just passed 150,000 miles, and I’ve devoted months to writing and speaking for free. While this seemed like it would be tough to handle from the outside looking in, surprisingly it hasn’t been tough at all. It actually seems to be a lot tougher on the people watching me do it than it is for me. I’ve been enjoying the path tremendously, and progress has been more rapid than expected.
When I first got started, I felt like I needed to work hard to get through the difficult transi
Every time I watch television I see ads which depict the most wonderful places to shop. One particular ad depicts a home improvement superstore full of friendly, helpful, knowledgeable staff in every department. The ad goes on to explain how this staff is there to assist you in every facet of home improvement and repair. One day I needed a part for my kitchen faucet and a new cordless drill, so I set out for that store.Upon arrival the only person who acknowledged my presence during my first ten minutes in the store was the “greeter” who was trying to get me to fill out a credit card application. The staff who were standing in the plumbing aisle shuffled me to the next person who “knows more about this department.” After talking to three associates and spending fifteen more minutes searching, I finally bumped into the fabled “plumbing expert’ who would know just what part I needed. Unfortunately he was new and the “other guy” who “knows all this stuff” was not here today. He pointed me to where I could look for the part on my own and “maybe be able to figure out what is needed.”After wandering around the store for thirty minutes, I left empty handed and frustrated. I ended up buying my part and the drill at the small local hardware store.Why is it that companies paint such a wonderful picture in their ads only to disappoin
People are often held back by focusing too heavily on the effort it would take to develop new skills. People say, “It would take me five years just to reach the same level in a new career that I’m at now!” And you know what… that may well be true. But the time it takes you is of no consequence. Those five years are going to pass anyway. You can spend them in your current career, or you can invest them in transitioning to a new career. It’s merely a matter of substituting one version of those five years for another. Which version would put you in a better situation five years hence?
When I wanted to move away from computer game development and towards working in the field of personal development, I had to deal with these same mental barriers. I thought to myself, “But I’m already very good at what I do. My position is safe and secure. How can I just abandon all I’ve worked for and start over with something new? I can’t just get up on a stage and start making a living as a professional speaker. My speaking skills aren’t good enough, and I know next to nothing about the speaking business. If I even attempt such a big change, my income is certain to go down in the beginning. It’s going to take me years to build the skills, credibility, and content just to reach the same level in that profession that I’m at now with my game business. That’s crazy. Why should I even start?”
But the idea that the time is going to pass anyway really got to me. I framed it as a choice between spending the next five years one way and spending them another way. The past was the past, and the momentum that it produced up to this point was irrelevant. What mattered was the choice in front of me. I could form a pretty clear picture of what the next five years running my games business would be like. And I could also get a general idea of what the next five years starting a new personal development business would be like. Even though the day-by-day details would be impossible to predict, the bigger parts were predictable enough. On the games path, I’d continue publishing games. Duh. It wasn’t hard to get a sense of where I’d end up in five more years. And on the personal development path, I’d be writing and speaking and producing info products, but this would require a lot of time up front working for very little income. It also wasn’t hard to get a feel for what the resulting business might look like in five years.
When I asked myself which five-year outcome I preferred, it was the personal development business. That probably doesn’t surprise you, nor did it surprise me. But what did surprise me was that I also could imagine that the way I’d be spending those next five years was more appealing on the personal development path. I not only wanted the outcome more, but upon reflection I concluded that I’d probably enjoy the path more as well. It would be challenging, and I’d have to take an income hit initially, but I was OK with that. I think what I found most attractive was that I was going to grow and learn much more on the personal development path vs. the games path. It seemed more adventurous and exciting to me.
Separate the question of what you want from the question of what you think you can get. Five years is a long time. You can qualify for almost any profession within that time, even if you’re starting from scratch today. At the very least, you can get close. You might not be able to apply for a neurosurgical position, but you can work in the field of medicine within that time.
I accepted that maybe I can’t go from game publisher to professional speaker at the same level of income in only one year, at least not without taking some very big risks, getting unusually lucky, and probably doing a very mediocre job on stage. But within a five-year period, I can develop a high degree of proficiency in speaking, build an abundance of great content, release a number of products, establish credibility, and produce a strong income if I work hard at it. I’ve been at it for 10.5 months now, and if I just keep making progress at roughly the same rate, I should have all those basic dots connected within the next few years. And if an unexpected stroke of genius or luck hits me between now and then, it will happen faster.
If you find yourself in a job or career you wouldn’t consciously choose today, the first step is to admit that to yourself. The next step is to choose something else you’d like to move towards. And your new choice doesn’t even have to be the absolute best — it just has to be something you reasonably believe to be a better fit for you, a career you would choose consciously.
Then just accept that if you want to switch careers, maybe it’s going to take some time. Maybe it will take five years, perhaps even longer. But then again it may not take as long as you think. You may be surprised to discover that skills from your current career can help accelerate your new career. For example, not many professional speakers understand Internet marketing, blogging, or search engine optimization nearly as well as I do — in fact, it’s fair to say that most are utterly clueless when it comes to the web. So I can leverage my web skills to rapidly and cheaply do things that are very time-consuming, costly, and confusing for other speakers, like building a high-traffic web site or selling downloadable products. You won’t find any flash intros here….
I think you may find that even if you switch from law to acting, there will still be a significant overlap which puts you ahead of the game in your new career. For example, you might be a better negotiator, and you might even make some money on the side helping fellow newbie actors with their contracts. At the very least, being more mature and experienced can give you an edge.
Take some time to imagine what those next five years might be like if you were to transition to a new career. How could your existing experience become an asset to you? Could you make it OK to live on less money in the beginning? Could you see those lean years as part of a wonderful adventure instead of an unbearable setback? What interesting new friends might you make along the way? What new experiences might you enjoy? What good could you do for yourself and others? Can you see yourself bounding out of bed each morning instead of hitting the snooze button?
I’m only 10.5 months along this path, so I can’t tell you what it’s like at 5 years out yet, but I can share what it’s like to get this far. Honestly, it’s wonderful. You’d think that the first year of transition would be the hardest, but it only looks hard from a very superficial standpoint. Sure I had to make some sacrifices. I’ve given up a lot of income I could easily have made if I kept working on my games business full-time, my aging car just passed 150,000 miles, and I’ve devoted months to writing and speaking for free. While this seemed like it would be tough to handle from the outside looking in, surprisingly it hasn’t been tough at all. It actually seems to be a lot tougher on the people watching me do it than it is for me. I’ve been enjoying the path tremendously, and progress has been more rapid than expected.
When I first got started, I felt like I needed to work hard to get through the difficult trans
Due to the growing complexity and turbulence of the business environment and the related growth in research knowledge about behavior within organizations, managers of the 21st century have to take four themes as paramount: the necessity of managing the challenges of change; functioning within a global environment; being sensitive to the diversity among people; and behaving with ethical integrity. In addition, with the increasing complexity of operations, organizations are building in greater participation opportunities for non-managers. Groups ranging from quality circles to self-managing and cross-functional teams are involved in continuous improvement projects and running their own operations. Working in teams tends to improve the core job dimensions that affect people's psychological states and motivating potential at work. With high involvement, people are challenged to rethink systems and processes—to eliminate tasks that no longer add value.Because of accelerated shifts in global competition and technology, there is a tendency for organizations to become less mechanistic and more organic (flexible). Bureaucracy, which for decades promoted efficiency and predictability through rules and control, is yielding to practices that create greater employee involvement and adaptation. With organic involvement come flatter structures and a w
When I asked myself which five-year outcome I preferred, it was the personal development business. That probably doesn’t surprise you, nor did it surprise me. But what did surprise me was that I also could imagine that the way I’d be spending those next five years was more appealing on the personal development path. I not only wanted the outcome more, but upon reflection I concluded that I’d probably enjoy the path more as well. It would be challenging, and I’d have to take an income hit initially, but I was OK with that. I think what I found most attractive was that I was going to grow and learn much more on the personal development path vs. the games path. It seemed more adventurous and exciting to me.
Separate the question of what you want from the question of what you think you can get. Five years is a long time. You can qualify for almost any profession within that time, even if you’re starting from scratch today. At the very least, you can get close. You might not be able to apply for a neurosurgical position, but you can work in the field of medicine within that time.
I accepted that maybe I can’t go from game publisher to professional speaker at the same level of income in only one year, at least not without taking some very big risks, getting unusually lucky, and probably doing a very mediocre job on stage. But within a five-year period, I can develop a high degree of proficiency in speaking, build an abundance of great content, release a number of products, establish credibility, and produce a strong income if I work hard at it. I’ve been at it for 10.5 months now, and if I just keep making progress at roughly the same rate, I should have all those basic dots connected within the next few years. And if an unexpected stroke of genius or luck hits me between now and then, it will happen faster.
If you find yourself in a job or career you wouldn’t consciously choose today, the first step is to admit that to yourself. The next step is to choose something else you’d like to move towards. And your new choice doesn’t even have to be the absolute best — it just has to be something you reasonably believe to be a better fit for you, a career you would choose consciously.
Then just accept that if you want to switch careers, maybe it’s going to take some time. Maybe it will take five years, perhaps even longer. But then again it may not take as long as you think. You may be surprised to discover that skills from your current career can help accelerate your new career. For example, not many professional speakers understand Internet marketing, blogging, or search engine optimization nearly as well as I do — in fact, it’s fair to say that most are utterly clueless when it comes to the web. So I can leverage my web skills to rapidly and cheaply do things that are very time-consuming, costly, and confusing for other speakers, like building a high-traffic web site or selling downloadable products. You won’t find any flash intros here….
I think you may find that even if you switch from law to acting, there will still be a significant overlap which puts you ahead of the game in your new career. For example, you might be a better negotiator, and you might even make some money on the side helping fellow newbie actors with their contracts. At the very least, being more mature and experienced can give you an edge.
Take some time to imagine what those next five years might be like if you were to transition to a new career. How could your existing experience become an asset to you? Could you make it OK to live on less money in the beginning? Could you see those lean years as part of a wonderful adventure instead of an unbearable setback? What interesting new friends might you make along the way? What new experiences might you enjoy? What good could you do for yourself and others? Can you see yourself bounding out of bed each morning instead of hitting the snooze button?
I’m only 10.5 months along this path, so I can’t tell you what it’s like at 5 years out yet, but I can share what it’s like to get this far. Honestly, it’s wonderful. You’d think that the first year of transition would be the hardest, but it only looks hard from a very superficial standpoint. Sure I had to make some sacrifices. I’ve given up a lot of income I could easily have made if I kept working on my games business full-time, my aging car just passed 150,000 miles, and I’ve devoted months to writing and speaking for free. While this seemed like it would be tough to handle from the outside looking in, surprisingly it hasn’t been tough at all. It actually seems to be a lot tougher on the people watching me do it than it is for me. I’ve been enjoying the path tremendously, and progress has been more rapid than expected.
When I first got started, I felt like I needed to work hard to get through the difficult trans
Being passed over for a promotion can certainly leave you wondering what to do next and where your place in the company really is.If you've been passed over for a promotion, you have several options available to you. Before you do anything rash – like quitting your job or starting to look for a new job – you need to get the facts.Before doing anything you might quickly regret, take some time to see how things work out and try to find out why you weren't chosen for the position.Is there a particular skill or experience that the successful candidate has that you don't have?Is there a legitimate reason that you weren't promoted this specific time?Have you been passed over for promotion more than once which might lead you to believe that the writing is on the wall in terms of your long term ability to progress with this particular company?I certainly wouldn't act before seeing how things play out but I'd certainly try to get as much information as possible regarding why I wasn't chosen for the job.Depending on the answers you get as to why you weren't promoted and depending on whether or not you've been passed over for promotion before, the answers to these questions might very well determine what you do next.Based on what you find out, you can plan your next course of action and you can deci
If you find yourself in a job or career you wouldn’t consciously choose today, the first step is to admit that to yourself. The next step is to choose something else you’d like to move towards. And your new choice doesn’t even have to be the absolute best — it just has to be something you reasonably believe to be a better fit for you, a career you would choose consciously.
Then just accept that if you want to switch careers, maybe it’s going to take some time. Maybe it will take five years, perhaps even longer. But then again it may not take as long as you think. You may be surprised to discover that skills from your current career can help accelerate your new career. For example, not many professional speakers understand Internet marketing, blogging, or search engine optimization nearly as well as I do — in fact, it’s fair to say that most are utterly clueless when it comes to the web. So I can leverage my web skills to rapidly and cheaply do things that are very time-consuming, costly, and confusing for other speakers, like building a high-traffic web site or selling downloadable products. You won’t find any flash intros here….
I think you may find that even if you switch from law to acting, there will still be a significant overlap which puts you ahead of the game in your new career. For example, you might be a better negotiator, and you might even make some money on the side helping fellow newbie actors with their contracts. At the very least, being more mature and experienced can give you an edge.
Take some time to imagine what those next five years might be like if you were to transition to a new career. How could your existing experience become an asset to you? Could you make it OK to live on less money in the beginning? Could you see those lean years as part of a wonderful adventure instead of an unbearable setback? What interesting new friends might you make along the way? What new experiences might you enjoy? What good could you do for yourself and others? Can you see yourself bounding out of bed each morning instead of hitting the snooze button?
I’m only 10.5 months along this path, so I can’t tell you what it’s like at 5 years out yet, but I can share what it’s like to get this far. Honestly, it’s wonderful. You’d think that the first year of transition would be the hardest, but it only looks hard from a very superficial standpoint. Sure I had to make some sacrifices. I’ve given up a lot of income I could easily have made if I kept working on my games business full-time, my aging car just passed 150,000 miles, and I’ve devoted months to writing and speaking for free. While this seemed like it would be tough to handle from the outside looking in, surprisingly it hasn’t been tough at all. It actually seems to be a lot tougher on the people watching me do it than it is for me. I’ve been enjoying the path tremendously, and progress has been more rapid than expected.
When I first got started, I felt like I needed to work hard to get through the difficult trans
I’m a recruiter so it probably won’t come as a surprise that I’d recommend using a recruiter as part of your job search.Rather than justify my existence, I think it would be more valuable to you the reader to understand exactly how a good recruiter can add value to your career search.Truthfully, a good recruiter can help give you an advantage over other people looking for (and interviewing for) the same jobs you are.1. A good recruiter can help you find jobs that you might otherwise not know about. You may have heard about the “hidden job market.” Sometimes it’s so well hidden, you can’t actually find it.A recruiter has two main goals in life: to find jobs to fill and then to find the person to fill it.So first off, the recruiter needs to find open positions that they can help a company fill. Then they look for suitable candidates like you to actually present to the company for consideration for the job.In other words, a recruiter is a person who by definition needs to know where the available jobs are and who is hiring. They do this so that you don’t have to.2. A good recruiter should help you prepare for interviews.I don’t just mean that they email you a link to the company website and read directions to the company out to you over the phone, either…rom law to acting, there will still be a significant overlap which puts you ahead of the game in your new career. For example, you might be a better negotiator, and you might even make some money on the side helping fellow newbie actors with their contracts. At the very least, being more mature and experienced can give you an edge.
Take some time to imagine what those next five years might be like if you were to transition to a new career. How could your existing experience become an asset to you? Could you make it OK to live on less money in the beginning? Could you see those lean years as part of a wonderful adventure instead of an unbearable setback? What interesting new friends might you make along the way? What new experiences might you enjoy? What good could you do for yourself and others? Can you see yourself bounding out of bed each morning instead of hitting the snooze button?
I’m only 10.5 months along this path, so I can’t tell you what it’s like at 5 years out yet, but I can share what it’s like to get this far. Honestly, it’s wonderful. You’d think that the first year of transition would be the hardest, but it only looks hard from a very superficial standpoint. Sure I had to make some sacrifices. I’ve given up a lot of income I could easily have made if I kept working on my games business full-time, my aging car just passed 150,000 miles, and I’ve devoted months to writing and speaking for free. While this seemed like it would be tough to handle from the outside looking in, surprisingly it hasn’t been tough at all. It actually seems to be a lot tougher on the people watching me do it than it is for me. I’ve been enjoying the path tremendously, and progress has been more rapid than expected.
When I first got started, I felt like I needed to work hard to get through the difficult transition period as quickly as possible, so I could reach the point where I could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. But what actually happened was that after a few months, I came to see that the tunnel itself was already very well lit. I didn’t need to rush to emerge in some future place because the present moment was perfect as it was. So I dropped the tunnel metaphor and decided that the present moment was the place to be.
What I mean by this is that instead of seeing the transition period as a grueling trial to be endured, I experience each day as something to be savored. I derive so much intrinsic pleasure from the work itself that future rewards are almost non-entities. I don’t need to see some whoppingly big financial reward after five years to verify that this was the right decision. Even though the total amount of money I’ve made in this new business so far can’t even match a good week of sales from my games business, I feel a lot wealthier now than I did when my income was higher. I think that as I continue working in this state of mind, it’s only a matter of time before the external world catches up.
I think the whole income issue (how will I feed myself and my family?) is one that keeps a lot of people stuck in jobs that are wrong for them, particularly men who take pride in their role as breadwinners. But think about what that money is buying you. If you had the choice to buy or not buy that life again, would you make the same choice?
Is your life paying wonderful dividends right now, or are you waiting for the light at the end of the tunnel when you can really start “living?”
Where are you right now — the light or the tunnel?
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