Let’s start by overviewing those 50 years & how they were spent…
Age: Job/Occupation
- 12 Shoe Shine Boy at Barber Shop
- 13 Pool Cleaner at Motel; Newspaper Boy
- 14 Counter Clerk; Dairy Queen; Janitor at Dry Cleaners
- 15 Lawn Mower for Neighbors
- 16 Counter Clerk; Burger King
- 17 Shoe Salesman; Thom McCann Shoes
- 18 Clothes Sales; Howell’s Department Stores; College Student/Undergrad
- 19 Bell Hop; Holiday Inn; College Student; College Student/Undergrad
- 20 Bell Hop; Millennium Harvest House; College Student/Undergrad
- 21-23 Bell Hop; Boulder Broker; College Student/Grad School
- 23 Pharmaceutical Sales; Tutag Pharmaceuticals
- 24 National Franchise Manager; Noah’s Old General Store
- 25-29 Mortgage Loan Officer; Reliance Funding – Western Mortgage of Utah; Got Married
- 30-32 Stock Broker; OTC Net – Richey Frankel Investment Advisors
- 33-34 Mortgage Loan Officer; Western Mortgage
- 34-38 Regional Manager Mortgage Lending; Western Mortgage
- 38-47 President; Highline Equitrust Lending Corporation; Board of Directors – Colorado Mortgage Lender’s Association (CMLA) (’94-’98); President/Chairman – (CMLA) (’97–’98); Founder/President Rocky Mountain Mortgage Lender’s Alliance (’97-98)
- 47-48 Divisional President; First Colorado Mortgage
- 48-62 Founder; Integrative Mastery Programs (IMP) gratefully married to the same woman since 1978 – 2 great sons
Next, what are the larger, more meaningful lessons & conclusions I’ve learned, in all those different roles & companies?
It takes longer than you think it should to “arrive” – (When we start out, we are in a hurry. But life usually requires a more deliberative development than the impatience of youth allows. Allow for it, because greatness awaits those who are patient)
It is shorter than you thought it would be – (Time “morphs” with experience. And one day, much sooner than you expect, you will be “old”. The wise among us treat preciously each experience along the way as a learning moment, whether fun or not)
It is about quality, not quantity – (The drive to survive has us naturally focus on accumulation, out of self-preservation. However, the quality of people, companies and consciousness of interface determines whether it was worth it in the end far more than the sum total of net worth implies when you are starting out. You will meet more happy people who focused on quality than happy people who focused on quantity)
That which you “feed” grows – (Life and business are, ultimately, systems and interfaces that respond to “energy”. Where energy is applied, growth occurs. This works either direction; toward the good or toward the bad, so be diligent in how and what you “feed” your mind, career and relationships)
Your power is unlimited, but only if you let your heart guide your head, not the other way around – (Too many people operate primarily through their head/logic, and forget their heart/soul. If the head leads, it creates imbalance. If the heart leads, it creates fulfillment. But both are equally necessary)
Be balanced in your approach to everything – (Imbalance creates suffering, whether in health, relationships or work/life balance. Balance, on the other hand, creates a steady upward spiral of significance that also contains success, along with personal fulfillment of the journey)
Networks matter, and the better quality of network you create (based on character, not immediate ROI), the better options you have – (You will confirm that “who you know” ultimately opens more opportunity than “what you know”. And the quality of “who you know” determines the quality of those opportunities)
Money is just one important, but secondary measure of worth – (Due to our survival/accumulation/fear tendencies, we tend to over-value money. There are far more important metrics to follow. Find out what those are for you, and let money be one of the secondary measures of progress within that larger set of critical metrics)
Take more risk than you are comfortable with; comfort is the enemy of growth – (My Dad died at 95 wondering who he could have been had he not played it safe his whole life. I have found 95% of my work fulfillment through Entrepreneurial risk taking, (despite it being outside of my nature), than I ever did with the purported value of “security”)
Passion trumps pragmatism – (Passion creates new opportunities and worlds. Pragmatism is merely the transactional supportive process to then realize those opportunities in the most effective way)
Constant learning is a must – (You can be a “Knower”, and you will limit your options by what you have already experienced. Or, you can be a “Learner”, and have no ceiling on what you may experience in the future)
If you don’t “use” people, they won’t “use” you – (Golden Rule: treat others as you would be treated. Now and then, in the short run, someone will abuse that, but so what? Life is, ultimately, a mirror reflecting back what you put out)
What you do doesn’t reflect who you are, who you are while doing it does – (In America, we tend to over-value power, prestige and money, creating an empty experience of material comfort. A person’s title, wealth or notoriety rarely matters as much as how much anybody doing any job impacts the customer with authenticity, care and effectiveness. Who you are is determined within and by what you do in the way you do it, every time)
Follow your personal, unique Gift and Passion as your personal “North Star”, with discipline, resolve, resiliency, and unconditional commitment. Only then, will you realize what the great legacy of your life was, in the end – (You have a Gift, and your commitment to discovering it and using it to guide your career will be the single greatest determinant of your fulfillment in life and business)
Now that I’ve shared a few of my observations and lessons learned, perhaps you should consider this same exercise. List your jobs thus far in life and see what conclusions you have reached about the larger lessons that you have been taught. Then, follow those lessons and share them with others. You will know why once you do it…. 🙂
“Security is mostly a superstition.
It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it.
Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure.
Life is either a daring adventure or nothing…”
– Helen Keller –
