How to Change Careers long before Quitting Your Job: The 18 Most Inspiring LYL Transitions of 2013

27 Dec How to Change Careers long before Quitting Your Job: The 18 Most Inspiring LYL Transitions of 2013

 

“If you follow your heart and act real bold, next time it’ll be your story that’s told.”

– My favorite line from the LYL theme song “Be The Change” by MC Yogi

“We Can All Have a Bigger Impact than We Realize”

That has been my biggest lesson since Live Your Legend came to be. No matter your age, your stage, your perceived disadvantages or shortcomings, there is always a way for you to make a unique impact on the world and those around you. And it’s often much more powerful than most give themselves credit for.

That’s why we’re here. That’s why Live Your Legend exists – to help you discover what sets you on fire and find a way to apply it the world in a way that leverages who you are, makes others better and makes you come alive.

And I’m not talking about becoming the next Gandhi or Steve Jobs. I have no doubt that some of you will fill those shoes, but all that matters is how you decide to take a stand and start doing something that matters – to you and to the world. Find a reason why your excuses for inaction are no longer valid – and trade them for action.

But what if I can’t just quit and start over?

First off, you’re not alone! I realize that pretty much everyone has financial, personal and family obligations. I was in the same boat. The key is to find what excites you and begin to build a career around it long before you ever have to actually quit. That way there is far less risk. Because if you quit cold turkey, odds are most people will panic at the thought of not having a clue what’s next, and within a few months, they’ll end up in a job that’s as miserable as the last one. That’s the ultimate tragedy.

Our goal is for you to make a transition that gives you the best chance at making your impact on the world. For many, that is a gradual process. We’ve even seen a lot of Live Off Your Passion members who find ways to apply their newly-discovered strengths to their current job, which leads to a whole new level of fulfillment and excitement, so they never need to quit. It’s pretty fun to see what’s possible once you start making these discoveries!

But the point is to start small. To start so small that it’s all but guaranteed you’ll take the first step.

That is what we constantly focus on at LYL, and it is the foundation of our whole Live Off Your Passion and Passionate Work Framework.

You’ll be blown away by how fast tiny steps can turn into a marathon (or 50-miler).

So today I want to provide some proof and motivation – some true stories of possibility from our very own community of Living Legends.

At the end of every year, I have a ritual of reflecting on what went right (and wrong) in the past year. I’ll be sharing the full list in the coming months.

Today we’ll start with my biggest measure of progress and success: how many of you have taken the step to living your own legend. Every other metric around here is secondary.

All of the people listed here are from our Live Your Legend, Live Off Your Passion and/or Connect With Anyone communities. They make me damn proud and excited, not only for what’s happened, but for what’s possible when we all start living on this level. I wish I could have listed them all, but it’s a start.

Here’s to starting small and living big. Enjoy…

The 18 Most Inspiring & World-Changing Live Your Legend Career Changes of 2013

Rob Connolly left his decade-long career as a banker at Wells Fargo to pursue his passion for health by starting a fresh juice truck that he drives around Santa Monica. So far The Juice Box has crushed it and might even stop by our LYL LOCAL event in Los Angeles on January 7th!

Jenn Pattee funded a $40,000 project to turn an SF parking lot into a communal and free fitness playground for adults. She also helped train me for a 50-mile run a few weeks ago.

Ben Robinson and two friends went on an around-the-world surf odyssey to help children overcome depression and suicide. Then they produced an award-winning documentary, 3 Mates 7 Seas, to further the cause.

Brittany Deal dropped out of corporate life and began publishing micro-how to books to help women thrive. Her first book, Savvy Girl: A Guide to Wine, went live a few months ago.

Victor Saad completed 12 apprenticeships in 12 industries in 12 months and launched it into Experience Institute to provide a practical alternative to the typical advanced education. His first class of students started a few months ago!

Jillian Bremer partnered with her father to launch a business, Sweet & Spark Vintage Jewelry, to help make old jewelry cool again (and help the environment).

Jon Taggart launched Modern Giver, an app to help charities raise money by putting a credit card terminal in every supporter’s hand.

Stacy Taubman went from being a school teacher to launching Girls Dreaming Big, a business helping young high school and college women dream bigger than society usually permits.

Katie Rock went from lawyer to launching Activyst, an athletic bag business to support girls’ sports in developing countries. She set out to raise $25,000 and ended with $67,926.

Amy Clover went from near-suicide to launching Strong Inside Out and going on a national fitness campaign helping kids fight depression and suicide. In the past year she hosted 30 bootcamps in 30 cities around North America.

Erin Giles published a book, End Sex Trafficking, and started End Sex Trafficking Day to fight modern day slavery and human trafficking. She’s donating all book sales to the Not For Sale Campaign.

And the list goes on…

Michael is now working full time as a speaking coach for TEDx around the world.

Jason started a non-profit fund to save his brother and best friend from a coma.

Ed Mochrie made his first documentary.

Karen Knowles left the corporate world and published her first book.

Bryce Eldridge chased his dream and increased his monthly income by $3,000.

Justin Douglas self-published his first children’s book.

Mercedes Calcano created her first art workshop to help people discover their inner self.

Karen Yang left her corporate job to pursue her own consulting practice.

Tom Morkes started his own publishing company, has self-published a series of books and will be speaking on stage in Australia in February.

Sahil Dhingra created and hosted 20 Dream Circles around Canada. These in-person gatherings are to help people stay accountable to pursuing their big ideas. He’s now helping us build out the Live Your Legend LOCAL movement.

Alyssa Rasul is transitioning from a career in finance to becoming a full-time health coach.

Sipho Morrison left his job as a teacher to start building his own school for kids in need.

And here are a few stories straight from the mouths of our Living Legends…

“In ten months, I retired from a career path and 9-5 that was not furthering my dream, downsized my home to accommodate financial demands, and just opened the doors of the first incarnation of my dream business: Tea Here Now, a teeny-tiny tea shop.”

– Andrea Tyler – Oakland, CA

 

“Just over one year ago, I was working in the sports industry and became very disheartened with my work because I didn’t believe it was making a big enough impact on the lives of people and the planet.  I quit my job with six months of cash to live on to launch my own company, No Typical Moments. I now travel the world working with game-changing organizations with positive digital marketing solutions. I’m simply a happier person, and I no longer dread having to go to work.”

– Andrew Gottlieb – Pittsburgh, PA

“This year I have gone from working for others to working for myself. I help businesses and professionals cultivate, captivate and grow their target audiences at Topknot Creative.  I am the voice behind the show and the creator behind the creative. In February 2014, I will launch my first book.”

– Shante Micah Schroeder – Sugar House, Salt Lake City, Utah

 

“This year we both left our corporate jobs where we were earning in excess of $160,000 combined. We now run our own business, RYPL, where we help people everyday bring meaning to their lives through live events, speaking, writing and coaching. In 2014, we are tracking to turn over our first million dollars.

– Leah Hynes & Nazrin Murphie – Sydney, Australia

*Note from Scott: In 2013 Leah and Naz also became members of the LYL team as our rockstar coaches for Live Off Your Passion and Connect With Anyone. Because of them, our members’ results have gone through the roof. I’m truly grateful for these two ladies!

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Every Impact Starts Small…

…but never ends that way.

Many of these people didn’t have a clue what difference they wanted to make even a year ago. A lot of them didn’t even think it was possible. But slowly they started to explore. The experiments started to grow, and before they knew it, they’d had a bigger impact then they’d first imagined.

And the best part? They’ve now realized they’re only just beginning.

I recently watched a music video by Beyoncé that said it perfectly. The title is “I Was Here” and she debuted it at the World Humanitarian Day Summit on August 19, 2012. I have no idea how I hadn’t seen this until now, but it’s officially become my New Year’s theme song. Give it a watch and listen…

Don’t see a video? Click here.

Now is a pretty nice time to take a stand.  

2014 starts in a few days.

We are all going to set New Year’s resolutions and goals (and I’ll be releasing the updated 2014 Goal Setting and Action Workbook free to our whole community in early January to help you plan big).

But sadly, over 75% of the world won’t follow through with them past March (according to FranklinCovey Co.).

Now, I know that’s not any of you, but next year I want to challenge you to set one single goal.

I challenge you to make 2014 your year to finally do something about the job you might not be very proud of.

The year to finally take seriously that little hobby, passion or pet project you’ve so badly wanted to call a business.

I challenge you to make this your year to commit to learning about yourself and finally doing the work you can’t not do.

Do something, anything, no matter how big or small, to start making your impact on the world. Show the world “I was here.”

We’ve created our Live Off Your Passion Guided Discovery course and community to walk you through this process step by step, and I welcome you to try it. But whether you use our tools or go at it all on your own, doesn’t really matter to me. All that matters is that you draw your line in the sand and start doing what matters.

The Biggest Risk is Doing Nothing.

Realize that the little things add up.

The biggest risk is not taking a shot and missing.

Or pursuing a dream and it not working out perfectly – because it never does.

The biggest risk is waking up twenty years from how and thinking back to today and wishing you would have taken that stand.

The biggest risk is choosing to condemn yourself to a path you know isn’t you. Or live the scripted life of quiet desperation and settle for a complacent existence.

The biggest risk is not that you try and fail.

The biggest risk is you never try at all.

Because after all, that’s the only way to make failure a certainty.

Ask Yourself…

If not now, then when?

If not you, then who?

I’d say now’s a pretty good time to get started.

We’re in your corner however you need us.

Here’s to things changing in 2014,

-Scott and the LYL family

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Photo credit: Chelsea and me practicing balance on the beach in San Diego.