Use your talent in your job - or how to escape competition through authenticity.
Dream jobs don’t exist.
Our dreams change as we go through life.
What most of us truly dream about is a lifestyle that allows us to be ourselves, spend enough time with the people we care about, and find purpose in the work we do.
Of course, we also want to earn enough money to sleep peacefully at night.
But before we dive into that, you need to know the first principle that needs to drive your personal and professional decisions:
Do you know that feeling when you’re about to meet one of your best friends and you know they’re just as excited to see you?
The goal is to feel that way about your job and your city as often as possible.
If that’s your reality right now, you’re in the best place you can be in your career.
If it’s not, I’m confident you’ll experience the rewards of this principle in the years to come.
If you haven’t yet found that place or job where you’re truly valued for who you are, that should be your main focus right now because it will bring out the best in you.
If this simply isn’t feasible because of where you work or the type of job you have, make sure you spend as much time as possible with people who value you outside of work.
The risk of staying where you’re merely tolerated is that you may end up feeling disposable, like you could be let go at any moment. Psychological safety is key to building a fulfilling life.
The first person I met in London was a young entrepreneur who, of all things, had a platinum record hanging in his flat in central London. Without knowing where he worked or what he did, I approached him and asked how he got it.
Over dinner together, he told me how his career progressed—starting with a small rock band he formed during university, even though no one believed in him. He shared countless stories from that phase of his life and how he ended up opening for the Red Hot Chili Peppers.