TIP 55
DO WHAT YOU LOVE
To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.
Everything in life is some form of energy. If you want to have an effortlessly successful life, it makes sense to go with the current of energy and with the flow of life, rather than against it. “Going with the flow” means that you align yourself with the natural forces rather than against them. Put your canoe in the river headed downstream from where you want to go, and you’ll reach your destination a whole lot faster than you would if you head upstream. How do you know if you are living in the flow of life? Good things come to you easily, and you enjoy what you do. There may be hard work involved, but it doesn’t have to be a struggle. When Michael Jordan played basketball, he worked hard, but he wasn’t suffering, and he wasn’t miserable. When you are working hard at something you are passionate about, it is a joy, even when you are sweating bullets. Work can be tremendous fun. Some of the most highly paid people in the world make their living playing games. Look at sports stars like Babe Ruth, Tiger Woods, and Venus and Serena Williams. Famous artists, musicians, actors, writers, or investment geniuses like Warren Buffett love what they do and get paid extremely well—and they are truly talented. The most successful people are not only doing what they love to do, but what they are naturally good at. Then they get even better at it by mastering their skill.
One way to discover what you would love to do as a career is to start doing more of what you love to do in life. Work for a company that produces something you can be proud of. Do a job that suits your natural talents. Marry the partner who shares your goals and values. If you love dancing, sign up for a regular class. If you love reading, consider joining a book club or starting one yourself. If you love investing, take a class on it. Whatever it is, start incorporating it into your life. The more you are engaged in the “flow” activity, the one that lights you up (Tip 32), the more you’ll attract the good things in life. This doesn’t mean that you have to stop what you are doing and make a living off dancing. You may find that the activity is fun only if it isn’t a career. Start small with a flow activity and see where the current takes you.
One friend in pharmaceutical sales was interested in the stock market, so he started taking courses in the evening, reading books on the topic, and setting up a paper trading account. After a year, he started trading small amounts of his own money, and now he is working on Wall Street as a trader. Another client started taking dance classes and soon realized dancing was all she wanted to do. She quit her job as an accountant, became a dance teacher, and loves it.
Start taking the path of least resistance. There’s a lot of energy in the world, and you can go with it or against it. It’s your choice. If whatever you are doing really seems difficult and you are dragging your feet, it probably isn’t the right thing for you. When it is right, you will want to do it, no matter how difficult it is. Create the time and space for more of the activities you love by eliminating the activities that are a struggle (Tip 16).
Another client, Anton, is built like a ton of bricks and loves fitness and health. When Anton hired me, he was working extremely hard doing three different jobs and was suffering from insomnia. He was up every morning at around 4:30 a.m. and didn’t get to bed until 1:00 a.m. His primary focus was a multilevel marketing business that sold health and fitness products. He spent most of his time attending its events, hosting meetings, and calling prospective clients to get them involved in this business too. In addition, Anton taught aerobics at a couple of gyms and had a few clients whom he worked with one-on-one as a personal trainer.
In spite of all his hard work, Anton wasn’t making it. He had incurred over $40,000 in credit card debt while trying to build his business. His girlfriend was frustrated that he never had any time to spend with her and that he was always broke. He hadn’t talked to his mother in years, and he borrowed money from his little sister and hadn’t been able to pay her back. Yet, he was convinced that if he just tried harder, he would make a success of it and the big bucks would roll in. I asked Anton just how long he needed to suffer before he realized that this business was killing him. We took a hard look at the numbers, and Anton realized that he was spending more money going to weekend trainings and workshops than he was making. I asked him if he could make money just selling the products and he said he could make some, but that the real money was in getting new people into the business. Right away this should tip you off. If you can’t make enough money selling the product then you probably shouldn’t be in the business.
Yet Anton couldn’t let it go. He had invested so much time and money over the past two and a half years that he was certain success was right around the corner. So, we made a deal. I told him that he needed to bring in money and do it fast, and that he must only engage in activities that would generate income now—not some day in the future. Anton agreed to this plan. I suggested that the stress of not having money and his huge debts were keeping him awake at night, so I suggested he file for bankruptcy, but he didn’t feel right about that and I didn’t press it.
Anton discovered that the only surefire way to make some money right away was to do personal training. He loved doing it and was great at it, but he just didn’t see how it could make enough money for him. He was still fantasizing about get-rich-quick schemes. Making just $35 an hour (his cut after the gym took a percentage) wasn’t going to help, but at least it was some money. I asked him to design a brochure to leave out on the counter for new clients. He did this with a simple computer program and some preprinted paper—it looked terrific. Within the span of three months, Anton went from training 3 clients to 23. He decided to see an attorney about bankruptcy. He came to terms with the fact that many new businesses go bankrupt and that this was not a personal failure. He started spending more time doing the things he loved—playing soccer and taking his girlfriend out. Things were falling into place, and life was getting easier and easier every day.
One week Anton called to report that he’d had a perfect day. Everything went so smoothly. He slept for a solid six hours and woke up refreshed. He caught the train into town without a wait. His clients were all on time, and his sessions were upbeat and powerful. He had time to eat a good lunch. That night he even had people calling him to order some products, and he took his girlfriend to the movies. This is living in the flow of life. A year later, Anton has moved into a lovely apartment in the suburbs and is engaged. He is on good terms with both his mother and sister. He is debt-free, sleeping at night, and has a thriving personal training business. His next project? To start a gym for kids.
Life wasn’t meant to be brain surgery. Just do the things that come naturally and easily and let the good things come to you for a change.