1. How to choose a fulfilling career

Further exploring

5 steps to career freedom and fulfillment. How a Mosaic Career will help you create both wealth and happiness. This article was contributed by entrepreneur and human capital expert Elatia Abate.

Most of us spend more than half of our waking hours working or doing work-related activities. That’s a lot of time! As Tony often says, your time is your most valuable resource – and if you’re unhappy at work, where you spend at least 50% of your time, then it will be very difficult to find fulfillment in your life. Unfortunately, most of us don’t know how to create careers that bring us wealth or happiness – let alone both.

This is because the way we have been taught to think about careers through the lens of “The Ladder Model,” where you start on one rung, on one track, and keep climbing until retirement. This model has long passed its expiration date.

There is a much more effective way to construct a career as disruptions of all kinds increase the level of uncertainty most of us face. This new model is the Mosaic Career. With the Mosaic model, we shift our working worlds from a singularly focused track, based on a central skill set, to a composition of talents, creativity, skills, and values that center around a common theme or series of themes.

If you’re reluctant to give up the Ladder model, let me show you why you should:

Most of us spend more than half of our waking hours working or doing work-related activities. That’s a lot of time! As Tony often says, your time is your most valuable resource – and if you’re unhappy at work, where you spend at least 50% of your time, then it will be very difficult to find fulfillment in your life. Unfortunately, most of us don’t know how to create careers that bring us wealth or happiness – let alone both.

This is because the way we have been taught to think about careers through the lens of “The Ladder Model,” where you start on one rung, on one track, and keep climbing until retirement. This model has long passed its expiration date.

There is a much more effective way to construct a career as disruptions of all kinds increase the level of uncertainty most of us face. This new model is the Mosaic Career. With the Mosaic model, we shift our working worlds from a singularly focused track, based on a central skill set, to a composition of talents, creativity, skills, and values that center around a common theme or series of themes.

If you’re reluctant to give up the Ladder model, let me show you why you should:

The ladder is gone. There are no more one-track careers. Long gone are the days when we could expect to enter one company, and climb a singular ladder to retirement with a Rolex 35 years later. The average number of expected jobs in a lifetime has jumped from one to twelve to well over twenty, according to some research. A “job” is no longer a job. The trend toward freelance work has been increasing immensely in the last decade and a half. In Europe, since 2010, more than half of the new jobs created have been freelance or contract work. It is expected that in the U.S., by 2020, freelance and contract workers will make up 40% of the economy. We are not happy at work. In the United States in 2018, 66% of people were disengaged or highly disengaged at work. That number aggregates up to 85% globally. These numbers have been reasonably consistent since the early 2000s. The ladder model is leading most peopleo one destination: unfulfilled.

So, how do we build the Mosaic Career? There are five simple steps, rooted in the framework of Mindset, Education, and Collaboration.

1. Reflect on your values and interests: Start by thinking about what is important to you in a career. Consider your values, interests, and passions. What do you enjoy doing? What causes do you care about? What kind of work environment do you thrive in?

2. Assess your skills and strengths: Identify your natural abilities and skills. What are you good at? What do you enjoy doing? Think about the skills you have acquired through your education, work experience, and personal projects, and how they can be transferable to different fields.

3. Research different career options: Once you have a good idea of what you are looking for, research different career options that align with your interests and skills. Look into the job duties, earning potential, and job outlook for each option.

4. Network and gain experience: Talk to people in the fields you are interested in. Ask them about their job, their experience and what they consider important to succeed in that field. Gain experience by volunteering, interning or doing a part-time job in the field you want to pursue.

5. Make a plan: Once you have gathered all the information, make a plan for how you will achieve your career goals. Set specific, measurable and achievable goals and work towards them.

In addition to these steps, it's important to shift your mindset from that of a "Sniper" to that of a "Scientist" when building your Mosaic Career. Instead of focusing on finding the one right thing, set out on a path, learn and move on. Also, instead of choosing one job or kind of job, think in terms of "OR" and "AND" when developing several different activities simultaneously to fulfill a greater purpose.

Lastly, it's important to remember that a Mosaic Career is not a one-time event, it's a continuous process of building and adapting as you learn and grow. So, be open to new opportunities, be willing to adapt and never stop learning. By following these steps and adopting a Mosaic Career mindset, you can increase your chances of creating wealth and happiness in your professional life.

2. Why you shouldn’t quit your day job

Keep your side venture on the side – until it’s time to scale up.

Further exploring Tony Robbins

The idea of quitting your day job to pursue your passion may seem romantic and exciting, but the truth is, it's not always the best move. A 2013 study found that entrepreneurs who kept their day job while starting a company were 33% less likely to fail than those who went all in. This is because, having a steady source of income and benefits can provide a safety net and reduce the pressure to make a quick return on your investment.

Additionally, keeping your day job allows you to continue to develop and refine your skills, and gain valuable experience that can be applied to your side venture. It also allows you to test the waters and validate your business idea before committing all of your time and resources.

Many successful entrepreneurs took this approach, including Phil Knight, founder of Nike, Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx, T.S. Eliot, Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, Markus Persson, creator of Minecraft, and Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert. All of them kept their day job while starting their business, and it allowed them to build a solid foundation and gain the resources they needed to scale up their venture.

In conclusion, keeping your day job while starting your business can be a smart move. It allows you to take a more cautious approach, reduce the risk of failure and gain the resources you need to scale up your venture. So, don't rush to quit your day job, instead, keep it on the side and work on your side venture until it is ready to take off. This way, you can continue to develop your skills, gain valuable experience, and validate your business idea before committing all of your time and resources to it. It also provides a safety net, which can reduce the pressure to make a quick return on your investment and give you the flexibility to pivot or make changes as needed.

It's important to remember that building a successful business takes time and patience, and it's not always a straight path to success. By keeping your day job, you can reduce the risk of failure and increase your chances of success. So, don't be afraid to take a more cautious approach and keep your side venture on the side until it's time to scale up.

3. Do what you love, love what you do

Learning how to do what you love is key to fulfillment in life

Ultimately, learning how to do what you love and love what you do is about understanding your purpose and aligning it with your strengths, passions, and values. It's about taking the time to get to know yourself and what truly makes you happy and fulfilled. It's also about having a plan and taking small steps towards your goal, whether it be through self-discovery, working with a career counselor, building your network, or a combination of these. Remember, change is automatic, but progress is not. With a clear plan and a strategy in place, you can make progress towards a career that brings you both wealth and happiness.

“Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.”

4. Career assessments

There are several online career assessments that you can take to help you explore different career options and identify potential career paths that may be a good fit for you.

1. Interest assessment: https://www.mynextmove.org/explore/ip

2. Personality and career assessment: https://www.careerkey.org/

3. Career assessment test: https://www.thebalancecareers.com/free-career-assessment-tests-for-adults-2063309

5. Do you need a 2-millimeter shift?

Victory is often just one small step away

When you’re really focused on what you want but things aren’t working, you might start hearing a voice inside your head say, “Nothing’s going to work!” But here’s the truth: When it looks like you’re a million miles away from where you want to be, you’re usually only 2 millimeters away from victory!

Victory is often just one small step away. When things aren’t working, it could be because your vision isn’t focused or you have the wrong strategy. All it takes is a little shift in your psychology or strategy in order to maintain momentum and get the result you’re after. To be unstoppable, turn talent into excellence with these 4 strategies: cultivate belief, condition your mind, develop a charismatic and confident leader and build a strong foundation. Cultivate belief by finding your purpose, refine your mindset by controlling your self-talk and emotions, and build a strong foundation by eliminating limiting beliefs and replacing them with empowering ones. With these strategies in place, you'll know that victory is near.

https://youtu.be/ftj_1PLWI_g

6. Work-life balance

Many people strive for work-life balance, but often find it difficult to achieve. According to Tony Robbins, this is because the concept of balance is flawed. Instead, he suggests focusing on work-life integration. This means finding a way to make work an enjoyable and fulfilling part of life, rather than something separate. This can be achieved by accepting that work and life are not separate entities, finding your mission in life and incorporating it into your work, and changing your focus to be on your vision for your life. By doing these things, you will find that work-life integration becomes much more attainable and you will be able to achieve your goals with less stress and more energy.

Work-life integration can also involve setting clear boundaries and making sure to prioritize self-care. This means setting specific times during the day or week when you disconnect from work and focus on yourself and your personal life. It also means making sure to engage in activities that nourish you mentally, physically and emotionally like exercise, meditation, and quality time with loved ones. Additionally, it's important to have a flexible schedule, if possible, to allow for unexpected personal obligations and emergencies. Having a supportive and understanding employer or team can also greatly contribute to a successful work-life integration.

Further exploring Tony Robbins

7. Workaholics anonymous: 5 ways your work ethic is working against you

Further exploring Tony Robbins

Tony Robbins with a beard pointing his finger Whenever a person is consumed by any one thing, and that “thing” satisfies at least three of their six human needs, it becomes an addiction. Addictions are behaviors that mask pain, stress and feelings of low self-esteem, and they don’t just apply to illegal substances. Addiction can apply to everything – even work.

Those who work too much to deal with other issues in their lives are called workaholics. Workaholics are often seen as busy entrepreneurs or successful leaders, but it’s important to realize the distinction. A workaholic is not someone who is just expressing a certain type of working style – it’s an individual who is damaging his or her health and relationships and needs to get help.

What is a workaholic?

The modern workaholic definition is a person who works compulsively and for abnormally long hours. A workaholic has a life that is out of balance as work takes priority over everything else and many workaholics have poor physical and/or emotional health due to their obsession. They can rarely create or sustain a healthy relationship and many develop problems with anxiety or depression.

There’s a reason that there is an organization, Workaholics Anonymous, that treats workaholism as if it were a substance addiction. The consensus is that workaholism, just like any other addiction, is the direct result of some other issue that has never been confronted – it’s a coping mechanism that can quickly become an addiction to perfection. Workaholics don’t understand that the key to happiness is not about perfection, it’s about progress. They think if they can just be successful enough, make enough money or become a pillar of the community, they’ll finally feel fulfilled.

Unfortunately, no matter how much they achieve, this is never the case.

Are you a workaholic?

Some may find it difficult to tell the difference between working long hours and loving what they do and having workaholic tendencies. Here are some signs that you likely have a problem with workaholism:

• You have an inability to delegate work and tend to micromanage.

• You constantly try to incorporate other parts of your life into work, such as turning a past-time into a career or getting family members involved in the business.

• You find yourself continually thinking about work while on vacation or spending time with your family or friends.

• You begin to feel nervous or anxious if you’re away from the office for more than a day or two.

• You eat most of your meals at your desk so you can continue working.  You’re regularly the first to arrive at the office and the last to leave.

If you’re a workaholic, it doesn’t just affect you; it negatively impacts the lives of your family and friends. Losing yourself in work leaves no room for anyone else in your life. Family time is easily forgotten, and everyone must adjust to your schedule. Relationships start to crumble and even your physical health can begin to suffer. This is when the workaholic has truly gotten out of control and programs like Workaholics Anonymous become necessary.

It’s easy to think of workaholism as a “good” addiction because it appears that you are getting so much more done. But the truth is, you are not any more productive than any other hard worker – in fact, you’re less productive. This is especially true if you continually find yourself multi-tasking to get everything completed. Here are some of the ways workaholics suffer at the office:

Stifled creativity

Robots, by default, are not very creative – and neither are people who work incessantly. The problem is, working like a machine stifles imagination and your creativity. Because workaholics are really just pushing themselves to stay ahead of what they are truly afraid of, they never realize their full potential. Connecting to work on a deep level that aligns with values is the best advice for workaholics who want to be creative – and it will also be much easier on your work-life balance.

Cycling through mistakes and corrections

When staring at the same piece of work for hours on end, it’s easy to start seeing double –and harder to catch mistakes. Sometimes, you just need to take a step back to see what’s really in front of you. But a workaholic won’t do that. Their mind tirelessly plows forward, errors and all. The problem is, eventually those errors need to be corrected, and that’s how time gets wasted. Productivity is not the same as being busy. Many workaholics confuse the two and believe that as long as they are filling long hours with work – even if that work is correcting mistakes they’ve made – they are productive members of their organization.

Negative mood

Never-ending to-do lists are stressful. The endless cycle of working just to work won’t bring joy to your life, and the end result is unhappiness. If you’re a workaholic, you don’t own your time – your time owns you. You lose the opportunity to learn, grow and find out what holds true meaning for you.

When you don’t have anything else to look forward to but work, how can you be happy? The simple truth is, you can’t. Not only are workaholics less happy, but they also make those around them less happy because they are harder to work with and have weaker relationships with colleagues.

Losing money in productivity

A workaholic is more prone to fall into some of the biggest time-suck traps at work because they can’t say no and often use their time unwisely. Workaholics also tend to miss more days of work than “hard workers.” Even when they are in the office, their efficiency levels are often lower. In fact, it’s reported that employers lose approximately 160 billion per year in productivity from workaholic employees. Workaholics tend to think they are being more productive than their more balanced counterparts, but the opposite is actually true.

Decline in health

The minds of those who need to check out workaholics anonymous may want to go non-stop but the human body cannot. Workaholics are reported to have more cases of burnout, anxiety, high blood pressure and heart problems. Their high-stress, unbalanced lifestyles also make them age faster as they are less likely to follow a sustainable health diet and get enough exercise. When it comes down to it, workaholism can actually be just as or even more damaging to your health as other deadly addictions.

Advice for workaholics

Are you feeling unhappy at work? Struggling to find fulfillment in your career? Do you feel that even though you’re putting in long hours, you’re still not on the right path to success? One of the best pieces of advice for workaholics who recognize they have a problem is to get professional help. Depending on the level of your addiction, this help could come in the form of a life or business coach, a therapist or a career counselor. A professional can help you determine if you’re in the wrong line of work, if you have an addictive personality that needs to be addressed or if you’re filling your time with work tasks to avoid other emotions. They can also help you create healthier habits based on empowering beliefs that incorporate every aspect of your life.

Are you a workaholic? If the answer is yes, now is the time to make a change. As you decide whether or not you are willing to solve your workaholic habits, think about this: why do you do it in the first place? What internal need are you trying to fulfill? That is the bigger picture, and only when you figure that out can you start recovering from your workaholism and achieve an extraordinary life.

8. Are you a matcher or mismatcher

How do you see the world? Discover if you are a matcher or mismatcher – and what that means for you Take a look at the three figures below and tell me how they relate to each other:

If I asked you to describe the relationship between these three figures, you could answer in many ways. You could say they’re all rectangles. You could say they all have four sides. You could say two are vertical and one is horizontal, or that two are standing up and one is lying down, or that no figure has precisely the same relationship to the other two. Or that one is different and the other two are alike.

There are many reasonable answers, but ultimately what is going on here? They’re all descriptions of the same picture, but they take completely different approaches. So it is with matchers and mismatchers.

This metaprogram determines how you sort information to learn, understand, and the like. To determine whether someone is a matcher or mismatcher, ask him about the relationship between any set of objects or situations and note whether he focuses first on the similarities or the differences.

MATCHERS

Some people respond to the world by finding sameness. They look at things and see what they have in common. They’re matchers. So when they look at our figures they might say, “Well, they’re all rectangles.”

Another kind of matcher finds sameness with exceptions. He might look at the figures and say, “They’re all rectangles, but one is lying down and the other two are standing up.”

MISMATCHERS

Other people are mismatchers, or “differences” people. There are two kinds of them. One type looks at the world and sees how things are different. He might look at the figures and say they are all different and have different relationships to one another. They’re not alike at all. The other kind of mismatcher sees differences with exceptions. He’s like a matcher who finds sameness with exceptions in reverse – he sees the differences first, and then he’ll add the things they have in common.

THE DIFFERENCE

Matching or mismatching modes are extremely important because they can play out in so many ways. If you have a job that requires the same repetitive work, year after year, would you want to hire a difference person? Of course not. You want to hire a sameness person – he’d be very, very happy in such a job for as long as you needed him there.

If, however, you have a job that requires a great deal of flexibility or constant change, would you want to hire a sameness person in that position? Obviously not. These distinctions can be very useful in discovering what kind of jobs people would be most happy at for the longest period of time.

People are not Pavlovian dogs. They can modify their strategies to some extent, but only if someone talks to them in their own language, as we discussed in my article on how to be truly convincing. It takes tremendous effort and patience to turn a lifelong mismatcher into a matcher, but you can help him make the most of his approach and be a little less churlish and doctrinaire in the process.

On the other hand, it’s useful for matchers to see more differences, for they have a tendency to generalize. It might be useful for a matcher to notice all the differences between this week and last week, or between the cities they visit (instead of saying Los Angeles is very much like New York). Focus a little on the differences, too – they are part of the spice of life.

Can a matcher and a mismatcher live happily together? Sure – just as long as they understand each other. That way, when differences occur they’ll just realize the other person isn’t bad or wrong, he/she just perceives things in a different way. You don’t have to be totally alike to establish rapport. You need to remember the differences in the ways you both perceive things and learn how to respect and appreciate each other.

9. How to demonstrate competence

Further exploring Tony Robbins

You work hard. You’re organized, smart and always on time. You complete tasks faster than anyone else. You’re always seeking professional growth and opportunities to learn new skills. You might think others automatically think you’re great at what you do. But you need to do more to demonstrate competence.

The hard truth is that being competent doesn’t guarantee that others see you as competent.

Proving competence is vital to advancing in your career, whether you’re an entrepreneur looking for funding or climbing the corporate ladder. Business is a sport for gladiators – a sport that those who can master how to show competence will win.

Understand how you’re perceived

There are two types of competence: actual and perceived. Actual competence is your skill set – what you’re actually able to accomplish. Perceived competence is how others assess your skill set – what they think you can accomplish. Before you can learn how to show competence, you first must understand how others see you.

Use confirmation bias

Another important concept for proving competence is confirmation bias. This is people’s tendency to interpret information in a way that confirms their own beliefs. That means that when you act confident and competent, people tend to believe that you are. If you act uncertain and insecure, people will begin to see your weaknesses over your strengths.

Don’t be modest

Confirmation bias teaches us to act confident, but that can be easier said than done. One way to demonstrate competence is to start taking credit for your accomplishments. People tend to think that being perceived as a team player will earn them recognition, but making sure others know how you’re contributing is what will really get you ahead.

Change your physiology

Another way to demonstrate competence is to change your physiology. Your body language doesn’t just communicate with the world – it tells your brain what to feel. Smile, even if you don’t feel excited. Take a deep breath, throw your shoulders back and hold your head high. You’ll automatically feel more proud and confident.

Master your emotions

When you master your emotions, you’ll know how to show competence and act like a natural no matter what situation you’re in. Instead of exploding in a frustrating meeting or getting stuck answering tough questions on a conference call, you’ll look like the most competent person in the room.

Use power speech

Body language is one part of communication in the workplace. Speech is also important. Speak quickly and confidently, and make sure you’re loud enough for everyone to hear. Cut out hedge words like “I think” and even “please.” To demonstrate competence, use definitive words like “must” and “will” instead.

Don’t overdo it

We’ve all heard the saying, “Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.” But there are limits. Spending half your salary on a Porsche or wearing Balenciaga every day won’t necessarily demonstrate competence. Always make sure you look put together, and dress in a way that makes you feel confident. Then let your actions speak for themselves.

Focus on first impressions

First impressions are made on the judgments of two traits: warmth and competence. One study showed that people rated low on warmth were seen as more competent. When you want to demonstrate competence, focus less on building rapport and more on reading your audience and determining the best way to communicate.

Have an opinion

Leaders are decisive. They know how to show competence by making decisions and taking action. You can incorporate these skills even if you’re not in a leadership position. When faced with a new task or problem, think it through. Do some research. Come up with your own solutions. Even if others don’t agree, you’ll demonstrate competence.

Ask for advice

Proposing your own solutions is a way to enter the conversation and appear thoughtful, knowledgeable and curious. It doesn’t mean acting like a know-it-all. Asking for advice can actually help you demonstrate competence. That’s because when you show you value someone’s opinion, you make them feel good. They’ll feel good about you in return.

Write things down

Whether you’re learning a new skill, being trained on new software or listening to advice, make sure you remember it. The best thing to do is write it down. If you can’t, make a recording on your phone or repeat key points out loud. Asking clarifying questions is fine, but asking someone to repeat themselves is never a good way to demonstrate competence.

Be honest

Telling the truth is the best way to demonstrate competence. Hiding or distorting events will not work in the long term. The truth always comes out. Taking 100% accountability is the only way to build trust – and trust is essential for leaders. If you made a mistake, come up with solutions. Show that you care and that you can help fix the problem.

Use the halo effect

Honestly is necessary, but proving competence is about framing the truth in the right way. When you use the “halo effect,” you make your presence known while delivering good news and focus on yourself very little when delivering bad news. Be honest, but quickly move on to the positives and always propose solutions. As Tony says, “Identify your problems, but give your power and energy to solutions.”

Conclusion

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How can you apply this in life today

Food for thought

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