You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Because believing the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart even when it leads you off the well worn path … and that will make all of the difference.
You’ve got to find what you love … Your work is going to fill a large part of your life and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking and don’t settle. And with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it … Keep looking. Don’t settle.
-Steve Jobs, Stanford Commencement Speech 2005
It’s been two weeks since I quit my job at Marketo. It’s been one week since I’ve been officially unemployed.
Today is Day 7 of #RediscoveringMyPassion.
(Yeah, I know naming my exploration is a bit hokey … and even dorkier to hashtag it. I don’t care! I love it. Ha!)
Many people have reached out to met – phone, email, IM, Twitter, Facebook, G+, Skype, Google+ Hangout, LinkedIn, text, in person, and so on – to voice their encouragement. Man does that feel good.
More importantly, so many have said they’re interested in following “my journey.” Crap. I did it. I wrote “journey.” I’m not sure why, but “journey” bothers me. It’s my life, not my “journey.’ Ha! But I digress…
Anyway, one of the things on “do more of this!” list is to write more often. So posts like this one will kill two birds with one stone – more writing AND sharing what’s been going on. Fun, right?
One Week Into #RediscoveringMyPassion
So what’s been going on the past 7 days? By the numbers …
- Recorded 3 episodes of The Work Talk Show.
- Finalized slides for a keynote I’m giving in San Diego in a few weeks.
- 4 Skype chats, 2 Google+ Hangouts, 5 phone calls, 2 lunches, 2 trips to SF (one on BART, one on Caltrain), 1 face to face coffee shop meeting … all related to rediscovering my passion, of course.
- Purchased four books; started reading one.
- The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything – recommendation from Celeste Chaney
- The Power of Flow: Practical Ways to Transform Your Life with Meaningful Coincidence – Celeste rec!
- The Art of Significance: Achieving the Level Beyond Success – Celeste rec!
- What Should I Do with My Life?: The True Story of People Who Answered the Ultimate Question – recommendation from Dorie Clark, who wrote Reinventing You (another book I need to buy!)
- Watched the Steve Jobs 2005 Stanford Commencement speech … 3x .
- Watched (and re-watched) the Jim Carrey speech. – “You can fail at what you don’t want, so you might as well take a chance doing what you love.”
- Had some AMAZING food at Wise Sons (Jewish) Deli.
- Learned about The Passion Co – once I REDISCOVER my passion, I need to join the program!
- Ran 6 of the past 7 days … including 5:30AM this morning, in my new kicks! I mean, why NOT start training for this ridiculously crazy race in a few weeks – NOW!
- Walked 23,323 steps yesterday – most of them walking the streets of SF.
- Spent 30 minutes a day learning something new (can’t say here publicly, but if you follow me on Facebook, you may know – shhh).
- Went to my annual doctors appointment. Normally that would not be shareworthy, but she had a great suggestion for something I may be passionate about … as well as a good connection! Lesson: You never know unless you share/ask!
- Speaking of sharing … I also (Over)shared on Facebook (lots of posts about “passion”) and Instagram (random stuff, per usual).
- Reconnected with a former co-worker at her office in SF.
- Spent more quality time with my wife and my children. YES. YES. YES!
- Have been MUCH happier than I’ve been in a long time.
Yup. That’s in 7 days. I have a lot more on my list. A lot. A lot. A lot. Including, but certainly not limited to, a super-secret-super-awesome project where I’m looking for PASSIONATE people. If you are PASSIONATE about what you do – work, personal, whatever – please add your name here and/or leave a comment below.
I’m happy. I’m excited. I’m living life.
Thanks for following along.
