I remember one day at the end of 2012 sitting in my office feeling useless and unhappy with my job. I wasn\u2019t delivering the right value for my team, our clients and my other partners. I knew it was time for a change, but I didn\u2019t know where to start. I was the CEO of my own company. Funny, isn\u2019t it? As crazy as it sounds I decided to quit my stable, well-paid job and move on, a leap into the unknown. It took me almost a year to find my feet and another few to become confident in what I was doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I do not advise nor expect you to jump from a cliff and build a parachute on the way down. Start moving slowly but steadily. Here I briefly describe the process and tools you can use to go from where you are to where you feel at your best. It takes three steps and you, unlike me, don\u2019t need to start by quitting your job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you want to go <\/span>on<\/span> an expedition you <\/span>should<\/span> know: why you your are going there, what is your inventory and where you are heading<\/span>?<\/span> Use these tools to get to know yourself better.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. What skills do you have?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n Start by listing all<\/span> the<\/span> things you <\/span>are<\/span> good at. What people admire you for? Ask your colleagues, friends and clients. Do not limit yourself to <\/span>just your <\/span>professional life. I believe there is no such thing as <\/span>your <\/span>professional and personal life. There is just one life and you<\/span>,<\/span> with your skills<\/span>,<\/span> play the main role.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. What do you like doing?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n Back in 2012 I sat <\/span>down <\/span>with my best friend in a cafe and drew a line on a napkin. On the left I listed all the things I loved doing and learning (eg. strategic sessions, meeting people, marketing, etc.) while on the right <\/span>everything<\/span> I disliked (eg. accounting, reading contracts, etc.). For me it was easier to start with eliminating <\/span>the <\/span>things I hated. <\/span>Now <\/span>I knew to build my new career only on <\/span>all the <\/span>things I enjoyed. 3. What are your strengths are natural patterns?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n You can find your strengths by asking around and doing the above analysis. But there are powerful and affordable tools that can help you underline your behavior<\/span>ial<\/span> patterns and navigate your career choices. The <\/span>first tests<\/span> I would do are <\/span>the <\/span>Gallup Strengths Test and MBTI. Both are available online, cost less than $50 and take around 40 minutes each to accomplish. As a result you <\/span>will <\/span>get a description of your profile in comparison to others.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. What is important to you?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n Why can some people be late to a meeting and feel OK, while others feel frustrated or worried <\/span>about<\/span> every second of <\/span>their <\/span>schedule? It is <\/span>a<\/span> matter of values. Maybe for the first \u201caccountability\u201d is far behind \u201cfreedom\u201d in their value set. If you have never thought <\/span>about this<\/span> make a small test. Find a list of values online or just write down those that come to your mind (eg. family, freedom, money, success, honesty) and rate them by comparing them in pairs. What is more important to me \u201cfamily or freedom\u201d, \u201cfamily or money\u201d, \u201cfamily of honesty\u201d etc.. Give one point to the one in <\/span>the <\/span>pair you favor. Test all <\/span>the <\/span>pa<\/span>i<\/span>rs and build a list of your top 5 values. It will help you to <\/span>build <\/span>your <\/span>reasoning<\/span> for the decisions<\/span> you make in<\/span> your career.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. What do you want to achieve in life?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n This has roots in your values. Don\u2019t fall into a success trap. Ignore what is cool to be and have. Ask your heart and values about it. If family is your top priority<\/span> then<\/span> what you want to achieve can be \u201cspend 5 hours a day with my family and live together in a big house\u201d. You will set your goal<\/span>s<\/span> accordingly eg. <\/span>don\u2018t do <\/span>a job that requires constant travel<\/span>ling<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n 6. Your one liner<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n When you have your inventory and your vision you are ready to describe it in a short sentence. You will use it to tell your story to others and to stay focused. You can have it as a reference point when saying \u201cyes\u201d or \u201cno\u201d to new projects. For example my sentence is: \u201cHelp others succeed in business and life\u201d. Whenever <\/span>I<\/span> receive a new proposal I check if it maximizes my impact in the above.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n You understood where you are heading. Now it is time to maximize your strengths and get ready for the transition. What are the areas of growth that you <\/span>should<\/span> pay attention to regardless of your journey?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. People in your life<\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Business depends on the quality of people. What <\/span>else <\/span>is there except for people and <\/span>the <\/span>ideas they share? Their fears and desires that become products. Their ideas that become matter. You are <\/span>a<\/span> mix of <\/span>the <\/span>five people you spend the most time with. So choose wisely. <\/span>Furthermore,<\/span> if you meet the same people every day \u2014 leave the office and go<\/span> meet someone<\/span> new<\/span>. Talking to and understanding others has been an unrestrained source of inspiration to me.\u00a0 <\/span>The more different from myself, the better. In my opinion true networking is: developing meaningful relationships with strangers by getting to know their true problems and helping them find a solution without expecting anything in return.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Learning everyday<\/b> <\/span> What did you learn today? If nothing \u2014 buy a book, listen to a podcast or enrol <\/span>on<\/span> a course. My best practices are mimicking and stretching. Mimicking means learning <\/span>the <\/span>thinking patterns of outstanding individuals. The best way<\/span>s<\/span>, despite meeting them in person, are listening to podcasts and reading autobiographies. For meeting <\/span>them <\/span>in person you shall<\/span> have to<\/span> select quality events such as two12.io<\/span><\/a> (where I met outstanding people and the above photo was taken). Stretching is learning a new skill from 0 to a level of decent understanding. Read more about that below.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. Doing things<\/b> <\/span> Practice eats theory for breakfast. <\/span>Your o<\/span>wn experience <\/span>always <\/span>wins <\/span>over the<\/span> experience of others. To understand the world and <\/span>learn <\/span>your own preference<\/span>s<\/span> you<\/span> must<\/span> experience. This is what I see as stretching ones understanding of the world. Do not overthink. Imaginary scenarios are no<\/span>t<\/span> reality and it is impossible to predict the outcome without understanding the dynamics of a certain domain in practice. If you want to start a business. Start it today with minimum effort. Just come up with a name and get pre-orders. You will know something tomorrow. Act instead of planning for months and failing big. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. Sparring partners<\/b>\u00a0 <\/span><\/span> Do not walk alone. No matter how objective you are you see the world through your own glasses. Your identity, your emotional frameworks, your assumptions and beliefs can all be ver<\/span>y<\/span> limiting. I believe that partnering <\/span>up <\/span>with experts on self-development is an invaluable decision. I have worked with a shrink on my emotions, with a coach on achieving my goals and mentors on increasing my learning curve. I would never shine a light on <\/span>the <\/span>dark places of my soul where another person c<\/span>ould<\/span> by <\/span>just <\/span>asking a question. Great questions change the quality of life. Questions asked by others can bring to light truths and strengths we couldn\u2019t otherwise access . <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you find your sweet spot you may become excited. It is good, but if not handled well it can become deadly. A friend told me recently how he convinced himself that 3 hours of sleep is enough for him and he ended up with a 7(!) week long fever. He was lucky to survive. Do not become an Icarus while following your dream.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. Build a rhythm <\/b><\/span> It is amazing how much we can achieve in 2-3 years if we take very small steps every single day. We naturally tend to expect big wins in short periods of time, so we push ourselves to the limit. That can bring frustration and burnout. What works for me is doing the same small activity every single day. For example I follow a morning routine: meditate and do a few exercises right after waking up. It gives me a feeling of accomplishment early in the day and calibrates my mind and body for <\/span>the <\/span>things to come. You can get to know my daily schedule more by watching this video:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n 2. Healthy lifestyle <\/b><\/span> If you were to develop just one habit \u2014 it should be physical activity. According to \u201cThe Power of Habit\u201d regular workout often becomes the tipping point of multiple positive changes in life in areas requiring discipline. What I maintain as part of my wellbeing model are: drinking 3 litres of water a day, consuming no sugar, sleeping eight hours and meditating daily<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. Doing the right things<\/b> <\/span> Don\u2019t let your inbox and to-do list lead your life. Delegate all shallow work and focus on more creative tasks which are difficult to be done by others. <\/span>The f<\/span>irst thing I did to become more focused was turning off all <\/span>the <\/span>notifications <\/span>on<\/span> my smartphone. <\/span>The s<\/span>econd was <\/span>to <\/span>schedul<\/span>e an<\/span> actual meeting with myself <\/span>and <\/span>to give it time and priority. Learn to ignore messages that you are not interested in and say \u201cno\u201d often to secure your priorities. And don\u2019t sit in meetings unless <\/span>they are<\/span> well planned. Personally I prefer one on one meetings that are shorter than an hour and have a very clear goal. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\nPILLAR 2 – <\/b><\/span>Build up your muscle<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\nPILLAR 3 – <\/b><\/span>Protect your energy levels<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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