I want to suggest that you pose a few questions to yourself and answer them honestly in the spirit of a true game changer. Ultimately, it was those questions that galvanized me into making this change. They prepared me psychologically and mentally to seize the opportunity when it presented itself.
Question 1. What can I be the best at? Honestly, in your current career, can you reach your full potential or you are just there for the money? Granted sometimes we all have to “job” but at some point we have to start living out our true dreams and true selves. I knew I was a good strategist in my day to day dealings so I put down “Strategy”.
Question 2. What kind of environment brings out the best in me? Are you comfortable with rules, regulations and generally structured environments or you like freedom and working towards a defined goal within a specific time period? This question is important because it will tell you whether you are in the right job or not. I answered that I like to work towards definite goals with the expectation of huge payouts.
Question 3. What are my 4 greatest strengths? Remember my article, “Know thyself”? I concluded that I was a visionary, a strategist, a people person who, because of my prior training at school and on the analytical jobs, could also function in a technical environment. A picture was emerging.
Question 4. What 4 words describe me? This one is not so different from the one above but for good measure I included it to make sure we capture your very essence.
Question 5. What am I not? This is a crucial question because as much as it is important to seize the right opportunities when they present themselves, it is also important to avoid the wrong ones that end up leading you in circles. And if you do decide to seize them, you will know your limitations and prepare a backup plan for them. I reasoned that I was not a natural analyst; neither was I a natural dependant on people. I accept help but try my best to wean myself as soon as possible.
Question 6. What is currently distorted about my career? As the picture continues to form this question becomes easier to answer. For me the distortion was that I was in a completely technical role within a people oriented organization and that just amplified my feelings of being alineated. I determined that I had to change this and started looking for other opportunities, even within the organization.
Question 7. What drives me the most? Is it recognition, money, admiration, etc? For me it was admiration from my family first and then the desire to be wealthy. This answer surprised me because I expected it to be money but when I really searched my heart I realized that everything I have done I have done it because I want my family to be proud of me. And yes, I still think I am very mature!
Question 8. What motivates me the most? As opposed to what drive me the most, this question is more a pull factor than a push factor. In other words, even if there were no pressure, what is that one thing that would still have you leap to your feet and do it all over again? I answered “Seeing goals accomplished, admiration (once again), success, acknowledgement.”
Question 9. What do I like doing? This question is the beginning of the conclusion and we are getting into details. Fine, you now know yourself very well psychologically, emotionally and intellectually but at the end of the day, what do you really like to do? What are those things that give you pleasure. My answer? Creative art, travelling, motivating, networking, strategizing, doing deals and making things happen.
Question 10. What is my passion(s)? This is also for good measure but indulge yourself and ask it anyway. You will begin to see a pattern forming. For me it was once again doing business and strategizing.
Question 11. What is my ultimate career goal and purpose? Having taken time to answer all the other questions, I found that it was much easier to know what it was I really wanted to do with my life. I then answered that I wanted to be a successful entrepreneur and investor. I wanted to become a financial parent to other people who would in turn feed their own families.
Question 12. What should I stop doing? So you now know what your career goal is. You know your strengths, you know your weaknesses, you know what you like doing. The question is what are you doing now that is not bringing you closer to your goal? For me I realized I was wasting my time pursuing an Honours in Statistics. Rather, I had to focus on business studies.
Lastly Question 13. How can I channel my findings into my vision and career? This is the moment of truth. What are you going to do about what you now know? Are you going to take a calculated risk in pursuit of being a true game changer or you will remain playing in a game you know you will never be your best. That is the decision we all have to make. And here is what I wrote: “1. Join a new company in their business development department. 2. Begin looking for entrepreneurial projects that I can pursue full time. 3. Pursue an MBA since I need a business qualification to be taken seriously.”
This is my story and is not for you to duplicate. I am doing my bit to change the entrepreneurial game because that is where my calling is. Answering these questions resulted in me making a life changing career transition.
So sit down, think hard, make some decisions and go change the game!
So, first is the need to identify truthfully something that we are passionate about, not what other people are passionate about or would like us to be passionate about. You are not trying to impress anyone; you want to engage in something that will arrest your attention when you do it. Now, I have to mention that there are things we need to do in life as human beings in order to live. We need to know how to do our taxes, boring as this maybe. We need to learn how to drive, to study a variety of subjects so that we acquire general knowledge and become more relevant to society and enhance our chances of a better life but that is not what I am talking about. I am talking about over and above the minimum that life demands from us, we need to have a hunger, a passion for something; something to live for; something that causes us to look forward to getting out of bed in the morning and hurry off to do it.
Another way to generate this positive energy is to hang out with people that possess it. Just as negative energy is contagious, positive energy is also contagious. You will then realize that these positive energy carrying people are very inspirational in word or deed or both. We all like to see things being done. We admire achievers. So by hanging around them, we pretty soon want to be like them and find ourselves restless until we start doing something meaningful with our own lives. Once we enter that mode, positive energy has been generated. The key now is to make sure that we propagate, intensify and concentrate it on what we have identified as our passion.
Back to Physics 101. Energy can neither be created nor destroyed; it only changes from one form to another. What this statement says is that energy moves in a circular motion. In our case, the key is to make sure that POSITIVE energy moves in a circular motion, which means it needs conduit(s). This is why you need to choose positive and relevant people to network with when you are driven to accomplish your goal. As you hang out with these vibrant go getters, you will find that their energy will fuel yours and yours will fuel theirs. Whereas before you were just generating positive energy, you have now become an energy carrier and more importantly a conduit of that energy to others. Keep that energy alive in that clique. Do not let the fire burn out. See, since everyone in this particular network is busy with something in their life that they are passionate about, even if one of you is discouraged, the others are there to pass on the positive energy.
Once you are flowing in this positive energy and are hard at work towards your goal, you will realize that as the successes come, they will light a fresh burst of positive energy in you; success begets success. It will become a chain reaction. So, when you are discouraged, your support network is there to keep you energized and when you succeed, a chain reaction is triggered. Is it any wonder therefore, that the positive energy carrying people seem to become more and more energetic, to accomplish more and more, faster and faster? If there are three things that I should emphasize about positive energy, I would say first, generate positive energy, second, become part of a network that fuels your positive energy and third avoid people carrying negative energy, specifically if they are affecting your vision, clarity and energy.
In simple terms; Energy is defined as the ability to do work. And work is said to be done when the point of application of a force moves in the direction of the force. What the definition of work implies is that you can spend the whole day pushing against a concrete wall, and make no mistake, you are burning energy, even sweating but the net result is the wall hasn’t moved an inch! And that is why losing is never pleasant for anyone. You expended energy but did not recoup it through the realization of a goal and the accompanying satisfaction. It feels like you have wasted energy.
I am not going to dwell on the dangers of being a negative person or hanging out with one. Suffice it to say negative energy is destructive, is anti-achievement and always ends up in failure. Usually it can be traced to an experience that was not handled well, and has since become a poisoned oasis for others. We need to watch out that we do not become this person no matter how hurt or disappointed we are. Negative people are unattractive.
On the other hand I can’t think of anyone who does not love a person carrying positive energy.We love people with positive energy because they tell us that we can do it. They motivate us and encourage us to reach higher. When we speak to them, we feel we can do anything. I have friends that I always tell that they are healthy for my ego because every time I speak to them, I always feel like the most success- bound person in the world. When you carry positive energy, you are driven to accomplish. You want to expend that energy and see work done, so you won’t waste your energy on activities that do not bring a tangible return. How many times have you been so busy in a day and at the end of it, sit down and ask yourself what you have actually accomplished and can’t find it? Oh yes, you were sitting in a rocking chair; demonstrating lots of kinetic energy but in reality not going anywhere!
But to carry positive energy, you first need to generate it. And I do not know a better way to generate this energy except by having a hunger for life in general and more importantly for something specific. It has been scientifically proven that people who have lost hope in life or something dearly loved and have given up on life, die sooner than otherwise. This is because the body also begins to shut down, faculties that would normally generate huge amounts of energy shut down and instead of being alive the person begins to exist. The body was not created to be idle but active and when it becomes idle, we won’t get far in life.
