| If you found yourself unemployed today, would | | | | in speaking, build an abundance of great content, |
| you want the job you have now? Would you be | | | | release a number of products, establish credibility, |
| eager to apply for it?What about your career as | | | | and produce a strong income if I work hard at it. |
| a whole? If you'd never worked in your current | | | | I've been at it for 10.5 months now, and if I just |
| industry, would you consciously choose to work in | | | | keep making progress at roughly the same rate, I |
| it now?Many people just fall into their current line | | | | should have all those basic dots connected within |
| of work without ever consciously choosing it. For | | | | the next few years. And if an unexpected stroke |
| example, I fell into computer programming early in | | | | of genius or luck hits me between now and then, |
| life. I took a BASIC programming class when I | | | | it will happen faster.If you find yourself in a job or |
| was 10 years old, and I loved it. From there it | | | | career you wouldn't consciously choose today, the |
| was a gradual progression to a double-major in | | | | first step is to admit that to yourself. The next |
| computer science and math. My father was an | | | | step is to choose something else you'd like to |
| aerospace engineer, and my mother was a | | | | move towards. And your new choice doesn't |
| college math professor, so there was certainly no | | | | even have to be the absolute best - it just has to |
| family resistance to this path. I don't ever recall | | | | be something you reasonably believe to be a |
| seriously considering any other majors. Perhaps I | | | | better fit for you, a career you would choose |
| was just destined to be a computer | | | | consciously.Then just accept that if you want to |
| programmer.It wasn't destiny though. It was | | | | switch careers, maybe it's going to take some |
| merely momentum. There was very little | | | | time. Maybe it will take five years, perhaps even |
| conscious choice along this path. For the most | | | | longer. But then again it may not take as long as |
| part it was the path of least resistance.But the | | | | you think. You may be surprised to discover that |
| path of least resistance is usually not the path of | | | | skills from your current career can help accelerate |
| best results, despite the musings of spiritual gurus | | | | your new career. For example, not many |
| who try desperately to paint it as such. Just | | | | professional speakers understand Internet |
| because unconscious physical objects follow the | | | | marketing, blogging, or search engine optimization |
| path of least resistance doesn't make it the | | | | nearly as well as I do - in fact, it's fair to say that |
| correct choice for conscious human beings.Your | | | | most are utterly clueless when it comes to the |
| consciousness gives you the option of choosing a | | | | web. So I can leverage my web skills to rapidly |
| path where you will meet resistance and then | | | | and cheaply do things that are very |
| overcoming that resistance. You can take the | | | | time-consuming, costly, and confusing for other |
| path of least resistance and avoid obstacles, or | | | | speakers, like building a high-traffic web site or |
| you can choose to work against resistance and | | | | selling downloadable products. You won't find any |
| grow stronger.In terms of career choices, you | | | | flash intros here....I think you may find that even if |
| aren't limited to doing what you've been doing all | | | | you switch from law to acting, there will still be a |
| along just because it's convenient for you. You | | | | significant overlap which puts you ahead of the |
| also have the option of doing something entirely | | | | game in your new career. For example, you might |
| different. Even if you don't possess the skills to | | | | be a better negotiator, and you might even make |
| qualify to do something else, you do have the | | | | some money on the side helping fellow newbie |
| option of acquiring those skills.People are often | | | | actors with their contracts. At the very least, |
| held back by focusing too heavily on the effort it | | | | being more mature and experienced can give you |
| would take to develop new skills. People say, "It | | | | an edge.Take some time to imagine what those |
| would take me five years just to reach the same | | | | next five years might be like if you were to |
| level in a new career that I'm at now!" And you | | | | transition to a new career. How could your |
| know what... that may well be true. But the time | | | | existing experience become an asset to you? |
| it takes you is of no consequence. Those five | | | | Could you make it OK to live on less money in |
| years are going to pass anyway. You can spend | | | | the beginning? Could you see those lean years as |
| them in your current career, or you can invest | | | | part of a wonderful adventure instead of an |
| them in transitioning to a new career. It's merely | | | | unbearable setback? What interesting new friends |
| a matter of substituting one version of those five | | | | might you make along the way? What new |
| years for another. Which version would put you in | | | | experiences might you enjoy? What good could |
| a better situation five years hence?When I | | | | you do for yourself and others? Can you see |
| wanted to move away from computer game | | | | yourself bounding out of bed each morning |
| development and towards working in the field of | | | | instead of hitting the snooze button?I'm only 10.5 |
| personal development, I had to deal with these | | | | months along this path, so I can't tell you what it's |
| same mental barriers. I thought to myself, "But | | | | like at 5 years out yet, but I can share what it's |
| I'm already very good at what I do. My position is | | | | like to get this far. Honestly, it's wonderful. You'd |
| safe and secure. How can I just abandon all I've | | | | think that the first year of transition would be the |
| worked for and start over with something new? I | | | | hardest, but it only looks hard from a very |
| can't just get up on a stage and start making a | | | | superficial standpoint. Sure I had to make some |
| living as a professional speaker. My speaking skills | | | | sacrifices. I've given up a lot of income I could |
| aren't good enough, and I know next to nothing | | | | easily have made if I kept working on my games |
| about the speaking business. If I even attempt | | | | business full-time, my aging car just passed |
| such a big change, my income is certain to go | | | | 150,000 miles, and I've devoted months to writing |
| down in the beginning. It's going to take me years | | | | and speaking for free. While this seemed like it |
| to build the skills, credibility, and content just to | | | | would be tough to handle from the outside looking |
| reach the same level in that profession that I'm at | | | | in, surprisingly it hasn't been tough at all. It actually |
| now with my game business. That's crazy. Why | | | | seems to be a lot tougher on the people watching |
| should I even start?"But the idea that the time is | | | | me do it than it is for me. I've been enjoying the |
| going to pass anyway really got to me. I framed | | | | path tremendously, and progress has been more |
| it as a choice between spending the next five | | | | rapid than expected.When I first got started, I |
| years one way and spending them another way. | | | | felt like I needed to work hard to get through the |
| The past was the past, and the momentum that | | | | difficult transition period as quickly as possible, so I |
| it produced up to this point was irrelevant. What | | | | could reach the point where I could finally see the |
| mattered was the choice in front of me. I could | | | | light at the end of the tunnel. But what actually |
| form a pretty clear picture of what the next five | | | | happened was that after a few months, I came |
| years running my games business would be like. | | | | to see that the tunnel itself was already very well |
| And I could also get a general idea of what the | | | | lit. I didn't need to rush to emerge in some future |
| next five years starting a new personal | | | | place because the present moment was perfect |
| development business would be like. Even though | | | | as it was. So I dropped the tunnel metaphor and |
| the day-by-day details would be impossible to | | | | decided that the present moment was the place |
| predict, the bigger parts were predictable enough. | | | | to be.What I mean by this is that instead of |
| On the games path, I'd continue publishing games. | | | | seeing the transition period as a grueling trial to be |
| Duh. It wasn't hard to get a sense of where I'd | | | | endured, I experience each day as something to |
| end up in five more years. And on the personal | | | | be savored. I derive so much intrinsic pleasure |
| development path, I'd be writing and speaking and | | | | from the work itself that future rewards are |
| producing info products, but this would require a | | | | almost non-entities. I don't need to see some |
| lot of time up front working for very little income. | | | | whoppingly big financial reward after five years to |
| It also wasn't hard to get a feel for what the | | | | verify that this was the right decision. Even |
| resulting business might look like in five | | | | though the total amount of money I've made in |
| years.When I asked myself which five-year | | | | this new business so far can't even match a good |
| outcome I preferred, it was the personal | | | | week of sales from my games business, I feel a |
| development business. That probably doesn't | | | | lot wealthier now than I did when my income was |
| surprise you, nor did it surprise me. But what did | | | | higher. I think that as I continue working in this |
| surprise me was that I also could imagine that the | | | | state of mind, it's only a matter of time before |
| way I'd be spending those next five years was | | | | the external world catches up.I think the whole |
| more appealing on the personal development path. | | | | income issue (how will I feed myself and my |
| I not only wanted the outcome more, but upon | | | | family?) is one that keeps a lot of people stuck in |
| reflection I concluded that I'd probably enjoy the | | | | jobs that are wrong for them, particularly men |
| path more as well. It would be challenging, and I'd | | | | who take pride in their role as breadwinners. But |
| have to take an income hit initially, but I was OK | | | | think about what that money is buying you. If |
| with that. I think what I found most attractive | | | | you had the choice to buy or not buy that life |
| was that I was going to grow and learn much | | | | again, would you make the same choice?Is your |
| more on the personal development path vs. the | | | | life paying wonderful dividends right now, or are |
| games path. It seemed more adventurous and | | | | you waiting for the light at the end of the tunnel |
| exciting to me.Separate the question of what you | | | | when you can really start "living?"Where are you |
| want from the question of what you think you | | | | right now - the light or the tunnel?Copyright |
| can get. Five years is a long time. You can qualify | | | | © Steve PavlinaSteve Pavlina |
| for almost any profession within that time, even if | | | | Personal Development for Smart People |
| you're starting from scratch today. At the very | | | | |
| least, you can get close. You might not be able to | | | | (blog) |
| apply for a neurosurgical position, but you can | | | | (articles)Steve is intensely growth-oriented. He |
| work in the field of medicine within that time.I | | | | trained in martial arts, ran the L.A. Marathon, and |
| accepted that maybe I can't go from game | | | | graduated from college in three semesters with |
| publisher to professional speaker at the same | | | | two degrees. He can juggle, count cards at |
| level of income in only one year, at least not | | | | blackjack, and make damn good guacamole. |
| without taking some very big risks, getting | | | | Steve is also a polyphasic sleeper, sleeping just |
| unusually lucky, and probably doing a very | | | | 2-3 hours per day and only 20 minutes at a time. |
| mediocre job on stage. But within a five-year | | | | So chances are good that he's awake right now. |
| period, I can develop a high degree of proficiency | | | | |