Growth
3
If you were asked to offer your top three pieces of career advice for 17-18 year olds, who are thinking about what they do once they graduate high-school, what would you say?
Now here’s the surprise.
What you say may just be the very encouragement you need in your life right now!
I recently had the chance to share my 20+ year career journey with a group of about 20 students who are part of a local high school Entrepreneurship Class.
Side note: The teacher later mentioned her idea of success for my “talk” was that the kids wouldn’t be on their phones! How the measures of successful engagement have changed since I was in school:)
Anyway, I took them on a brief journey through aspects of my corporate life, startup life, singer-songwriter life, spiritual leader life and also my experiences as a small business owner.
And upon reflection of my own journey, here were the top 3 encouragements I gave to the students along with some key points:
Encouragement #1. Pay attention to who you are becoming, not just what you will be doing
We carry who we are with us wherever we go whether that’s in a corporate environment, startup, content creation space or elsewhere
Don’t be fooled by the next cool shiny trend or organization or business model that people are raving about because you will still encounter imperfect people who do imperfect things
Therefore becoming a better human is always a great directional goal
Encouragement #2. Relax and loosen your grip on decision outcomes
We can get super anxious about whether our decision will be right or wrong so how about trying to ask yourself “what’s best?” instead
100% clarity only comes with hindsight, and we don’t really know where our decisions will lead us
We ought to be prepared and put in the necessary effort while also being able to be open enough to yield to whatever outcomes eventuate
Encouragement #3. Stay open to mystery
When I look back at my journey I see so many joyful parts of life coming as surprises rather than as a result of what I had “strategically” planned
It has include an unforgettable spiritual awakening moment at 16, songwriting and music recording, launching a startup in NZ, plus others
We would benefit from staying open to mystery, wonder, and surprise
After sharing these three points and ending the talk, I remember having a personal moment of inner reflection in the classroom that went along the lines of “Hmmm James…I think I needed to hear that too!”
Isn’t it interesting how the encouragement we offer others is often the encouragement we most need to hear?
But wait there’s more!
The teacher had asked the kids to do a quiet personal reflection on the key things they learnt from our time together.
And here were some of the verbatim anonymous snippets that the students had written down.
“Be mindful of your own health, you can’t please everyone so do not look to please everyone”
“Do not fret over the future too much, life is mysterious so allow it to do its magic”
“It’s okay to change career paths to find yourself”
I was floored.
Not only because it showed that the students were engaged during the talk and not on their phones, but because their own reflections turned into powerful words of encouragement I needed to hear amidst the many challenges I’m currently facing.
And if I put my name in front of their reflections, here’s what I would hear:
“JAMES, be mindful of your own health, you can’t please everyone so do not look to please everyone”
“JAMES, do not fret over the future too much, life is mysterious so allow it to do its magic”
“JAMES, it’s okay to change career paths to find yourself”
So fellow traveler, if you find yourself in a situation where you feel like it’s a battle and wrestle and you’re not getting the specific encouragement you need, then I propose that perhaps an unlikely source of encouragement could be from your own personal history!
Not sure where to start?
Why don’t you set aside a bit of time to try my career reflection exercise below and be encouraged by what you hear.
Over To You
Self Reflection
How do you typically respond to sickness in terms of habits and choices?
In what ways can you distinguish between "unhealthy while sick" and "healthy while sick" in your own life?
3. Are procrastination and isolation present in your life, and if so, how they impact your way of being and success?
Respond
I've love to hear what's on your mind, whether a thought or a question. I read all emails and will respond as appropriate. Message me james@liveholystic.com
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Live whole,
James
p.s. If you want to take serious action beyond reading, set up a time here and we will have a conversation about options to get you moving on a new trajectory starting now.
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