PROGRESSION: Career Advice From Wildly Successful People, Triathlon, and How to Utilize Your Gifts
February 2022
Wow. So much going on in the world. I don’t have much to add but I pray for peace and pray that people in positions of power will act wisely. 🙏🙏
I’ll likely make some tweaks to the newsletter going forward but we’ll keep the same format this month. See you in March!
Books, articles, etc.
Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World’s Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself by Rich Roll (Book)
The biggest lesson from this book is that it’s never too late to tell yourself a different story.
Rich Roll’s story is incredible. Once an accomplished collegiate swimmer, Roll struggles with drugs and alcohol. These addictions led him astray for the next decade, alienating friends, colleagues and family, landing him in jails, institutions and ultimately rehab at age 31.
Although sober, Roll soon found himself 50 pounds overweight; the furthest thing from fit. On the eve of his 40th birthday, he couldn’t make it up a flight of stairs without gasping for breath. He was certain a heart attack was imminent if he didn’t change his ways.
Well, Roll did change his ways and became one of the greatest endurance athletes. (This YouTube interview goes deeper.)
Maybe his story struck a nerve because I’m approaching middle age and am just one month away from competing in a half Ironman triathlon. Regardless, the message is relevant to all. It’s never too late to tell yourself a different story. It’s never too late to change.
Career Advice from Wildly Successful People by Amantha Imber (Article)
I stumbled on this article and thought each piece of advice was relevant:
Not all feedback is created equal
Schedule a life check-up
Do your current job well — even the boring bits
Reminder: the problem with advice is it’s almost always autobiographical. Meaning, the person giving you the advice is telling you what worked for them. It may work for you, it may not. You make the call and own the outcome.
Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen by Donald Miller (Book)
This is the second Donald Miller book I’ve read. He’s a genius storyteller and marketer. In the world I work in, it’s hard to have a clear message and I want to get better. Miller lays out a step-by-step formula for communicating with customers on what you do.
My biggest takeaway was that your customer should be the hero of their story, not you. You’re the guide. And if you try to make yourself the hero your message won’t resonate and you’ll lose.
Observations
The Single Most Important Career Decision I’ve Made
At a recent lunch with friends, the question came up: what’s the most important decision you’ve made in your career? In this post I share how I almost let a few hundred dollars get in the way of a career-altering opportunity.
The Goal in Life Is to Fully Utilize Your Own Gifts
This quote from Gay Hendricks has been on my mind the last few days. Shout out to my friend Michael Farrell for passing along.
When you reach the end of your life and are wondering whether it’s all been worthwhile, you’ll be measuring whether you did everything you possibly could with the gifts you’ve been given. When I was growing up, my next-door neighbor Mr. Lewin shared a powerful bit of wisdom with me. I’ve kept it in mind for more than fifty years. On Judgment Day, Mr. Lewin said, God will not ask, “Why were you not Moses?” He will ask, “Why were you not Sam Lewin?” The goal in life is not to attain some imaginary ideal; it is to find and fully use our own gifts.
Gratitudes
I’ve found power in regularly expressing gratitude so I’ll continue the habit. I’m grateful for the peace I enjoy. My kids go to school. They come home. They participate in sports and dance. I watch them grow. I don’t worry about their safety. They don’t worry about their safety. With Ukraine and other parts of the world in turmoil I’ve become more grateful for the relative peace that’s existed for much of my life. What are you grateful for?
If you've read anything worth sharing I'd love to hear about it. And do let me know if there's anything I can do to help you.
Nathan
If this was forwarded to you and you'd like to sign up, click here