
25 Sep From Doctor & Lawyer to Musician & Revolutionary: Making Extreme Career Transitions & Why It’s Never Too Late
“It is never too late to be what you might have been.” – George Eliot
Reader Note: Today’s article is a continuation from last week’s massive guide on How Formal Education Killed the Passionate Career (+ A Practical Guide for Students, Parents & Lifelong Learners).
I wrote this for those of you who are currently studying something that doesn’t excite you or are already in a career that you feel you’ve invested too much time and money to make a change.
I have good news. You’re not alone and it’s not too late. It never is.
Here’s proof and a path…
From Successful Lawyer to Civil Rights Revolutionary
On October 2, 1869 a boy was born in the town of Porbandar, which at that time was a part of the British Indian Empire in India.
He was born into a simple life to a caring mother and father.
At 13 years old, he was married to a woman a year older than him, in a typical Indian arranged marriage.
At 15 they had their first child, who died two days after birth. His father had also passed away earlier that year.
He went on to have four more children, meanwhile barely making it through school.
After much encouragement from his mother, and with the desire to honor his father’s legacy, the boy moved to London to study law. He invested heavily, both in time and money, to become a lawyer and make his family proud.
Once he received his law degree, he learned that his mother had died while he was in London and his family had decided to keep the news from him.
Disheartened, he returned to India and spent nearly the next decade struggling to build his law practice.
At 24 years old he took a job in South Africa with the Indian firm, Dada Abdulla & Co. For the next 21 years he went on to become a successful, respected and well-paid lawyer. The kind of profession that could really make your family proud.
But around 1915 something interesting began to happen. This young man started to feel something. He noticed the growing human rights injustice throughout British-controlled South Africa and India. He wanted to do something about it. He felt called to something else. To something bigger. To work he felt mattered.
But he had a career he’d spent decades building. The kind most would kill for.
So what’d he do?
He quit.
He exchanged his three-piece suit for a traditional Indian dhoti and shawl, which he wore from that day forward.
He traded a ‘successful’ life for one of simplicity.
And then Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi went on to become one of the biggest, most influential non-violent revolutionaries in the history of the world.
His work lead India to independence through the use of non-violent civil disobedience, and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the planet.
Gandhi’s birthday, October 2, is now considered the International Day of Non Violence.
Imagine if he decided not to “throw away” his hard earned legal career…
“In doing something, do it with love or never do it at all.” – Mahatma Ghandi
You Are Not Your Profession
Society has a pretty fascinating (read: ridiculous) way of valuing things.
Lawyers, doctors, dentists and accountants are respected, encouraged and given a crystal clear path towards a successful career.
Yet the crazy guy who wants to promote love, compassion and happiness through his passion and talent for classical music gets told to be more realistic and pull his head out of the clouds. He’s likely even made fun of and told he’s crazy enough times that eventually he starts to believe the critics. So he gives up. Or worse yet, never starts in the first place.
Thankfully, Benjamin Zander decided not to listen. And instead, pursued his passion for music and using it as a tool for inspiring others. Among countless accomplishments, he went on to give one of the most viewed (and definitely most entertaining) TED Talks in history. Didn’t think classical music could make you cry? Wait until you watch this talk.
The Ultimate Sunk Cost of Life
But so few people follow a path like Gandhi or Zander.
And it’s no surprise why. As we read last week, the school system is not set up to prepare you to leverage your passions, strengths and creativity to make an impact on the world.
Not even close.
Instead it prepares us for steady jobs that society respects (At least they’re steady until you get fired…). These jobs might even have the potential to make us a boatload of money.
So we invest years if not decades into getting sophisticated educations that cost us upwards of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Only to graduate deeply committed (psychologically and financially) to a path that we might not give a sh*t about.
And by the time we graduate, assuming we did well in school, we might even get paid some ginormous salary that makes it feel even more impossible to “throw it all away” to do something that actually interests us.
This is exactly how business school killed the entrepreneur.
Death by Commitment & Consistency
Robert Cialdini has a term for this psychological behavior. He calls it Commitment & Consistency.
Cialdini is the bestselling author of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (2 million copies sold in 26 languages) and is internationally recognized as the leading researcher and practitioner of ethical persuasion and influence in business and in life. He spent decades under cover doing field research to find what makes humans do what they do. (Btw, Robert just opened his annual weekend workshop for registration and I just signed Liz and me up for it – so excited! Details here.)
His studies found six core principles that dramatically influence our decisions and behavior (often times with us having no idea it’s happening). One of them is Commitment & Consistency. As defined by Wikipedia…
Commitment and Consistency – If people commit, orally or in writing, to an idea or goal, they are more likely to honor that commitment because of establishing that idea or goal as being congruent with their self-image. Even if the original incentive or motivation is removed after they have already agreed, they will continue to honor the agreement.
Once you understand this principle, you’ll notice it showing up everywhere. It explains why people do so many things that don’t make sense…
Why they stay in marriages they can’t stand. Why they don’t return products they don’t like. Why they don’t fire employees that aren’t a good fit. And why most people you see reading Porsche Magazine already own a Porsche – in fact they probably just bought it. Helps justify their new image!
And most importantly for us… why people stay in jobs and careers that make them want to pluck their eyes out with chopsticks.
In accounting there is a term called “sunk cost” – which is basically a past cost that you can’t do anything about. Also a cost that should not affect future decision making.
But there are sunk costs in every walk of life…
Just because you invested time in your husband, doesn’t mean you should stay married if you know he’s abusing or cheating on you.
Just because you spent $5,000 hiring the right employee, doesn’t mean you keep them around when it turns out they actually suck.
And just because you told yourself and the world that you wanted to be a lawyer, then went to an expensive school, got some job that allowed you to bill out at $500/hour and talked about how great it all is — none of this makes an ounce of difference if every day after work you feel like you should drive yourself straight to Alcoholics Anonymous.
Having invested time, money and belief in a job does not make it ok to be miserable the rest of your life.
Note: This is just an example – I don’t mean to pick on lawyers specifically. Please read to the bottom for more explanation.
So How Do You Make a Change When You’re Already So Deeply Committed to the Wrong Path?
Here are three things that will turn you around…
#1. Realize There Are Countless Ways to Apply Your Skills
Lawyers are fantastic at a lot of things. So are accountants, doctors, dentists, scientists, engineers, programmers, psychologists, or any other specific profession you’ve been trained for.
Identify the underlying strengths that make you good and desirable in those professions. Then take a step back and notice how many other professions would kill to have the compassion that your medical training has taught you, or the attention to detail of your accounting background or the expertise of the law that came with your JD. If you need more clarity, check out the Strengths Finder 2.0 assessment.
Those skills are crazy powerful in almost any career, profession or entrepreneurial endeavor. You just have to recognize it and do something with it.
#2. Find People to Serve As Proof of What’s Possible
The fastest way to do the things you don’t think can be done is to surround yourself with people already doing them. I call this brainwashing the impossible.
If you think you have a good excuse why you can’t make a change, go out and find someone with a sob story ten times the size of yours, but who decided to take a crack at it anyway. For every excuse you think you have, I guarantee I can find a handful of people who had it much worse, but still made magic.
Search these people out. This is why we do our Reader Spotlights and why I write about people like Gandhi and the everyday Living Legends in our community who are changing the world in their own unique way.
Here’s Some Proof of Why It’s Never too Late to Make a Huge Change…
Salman Khan graduated from MIT and Harvard Business school. He then became a highly paid hedge fund analyst. In 2004 he started to tutor his cousin in math over the Internet. His videos started to get popular on YouTube and he began to think he could add more value to the world via education instead of making rich people richer. So he decided to leave the money and status to build Khan Academy, which is now one of the most popular and effective alternative forms of education on the Internet. It’s also 100% free.
Lissa Rankin was a highly successful doctor who was also sick, burnt out and on the verge of a breakdown, so she sold everything, dramatically simplified, and went on a quest to instill love and compassion back into medicine. She then wrote a book, Mind Over Medicine, proving that the mind and our daily actions can heal the body of disease. It’s become a runaway bestseller and is spurring a whole healthcare revolution. Watch her latest TEDx talk here: Is Modern Medicine Killing You?
Kris Carr was a dancer, actress and photographer in New York for the first decade or two of her career. Then she was diagnosed with a very rare and incurable form of stage IV liver and lung cancer. From that day forward she dedicated herself to health and nutrition, filmed a documentary, Crazy Sexy Cancer, wrote a bestselling book, Crazy Sexy Diet, and has gone on to lead a wellness revolution to get the world to treat their body the way it deserves. It’s no surprise that Lissa and Kris are close friends.
Leo Babauta was a 70-pounds overweight, deeply in debt, father of six kids, working a job he couldn’t stand, while living on Guam, an island in the middle of nowhere. But he wanted a better life for his family so he started to write 20+ articles a week (in his ‘spare’ time) to build ZenHabits.net, which is now one of the biggest single author habit change and simplicity blogs on the Internet. He’s also built countless projects since then, such as his Sea Change Program, and most recently, his Habits of Entrepreneurs video site.
Ray Kroc was 52 years old when he started McDonalds and built it into the most successful fast food operation in the world (Note: While Ray is a great example of staring something later in life, please do us all a favor and DO NOT start the next McDonald’s!).
Jesse Jacobs was a washed-out tech employee who decided he’d rather pursue a passion for tea, connection and slowing down. So he started Samovar Tea Lounge, but only after being rejected by 71 banks before he got the loan he needed to start the business. Samovar now has three massively successful locations in San Francisco and is considered a mecca for the entrepreneurial community. More on Jesse’s crazy story of perseverance here.
Corbett Barr was a ridiculously highly paid, flashy consultant, who traveled first class all over the world. But after the stress and anxiety brought him to his knees, he fired himself to travel Mexico for six months with his wife, and then went on to start Think Traffic, and most recently, Fizzle, which has turned into the premier community for providing honest online business training for people who want to make their own difference.
Jonathan Fields was making multiple six figures as a securities lawyer. But after too many 14-hour days away from his wife and daughter, he decided to ditch it all to become a personal trainer. He later opened what became one of the most successful yoga studios in Manhattan – he signed the lease the day before September 11, 2001, when the World Trade Center towers came crashing down and New York was in turmoil. And he did all that before becoming a best-selling author, sought-after speaker and famous online entrepreneur. His most recent endeavor is The Good Life Project TV Show.
Debra Russell was a struggling hair stylist and teen mom. Then she decided something had to change. Fast forward a few years and she was the General Manager for Tony Robbins and was leading his 4,000+ person events around the world. She’s now an independent coach (my coach in fact!) and recently released a very cool app called Pat Yourself On the Back.
Brett Rivers was burning the candle for years as a corporate tech jockey in Silicon Valley. Trail running had always been his release. The last 100 mile race he entered, he took second place. A few years ago he left the paycheck and suicidal hours to pursue his dream of creating the best ultra running community and store in the country. So far San Francisco Running Company is, well, off and running…
Ray Zahab was 30 years old, smoked a pack a day and had no purpose or much of a career to be proud of. One day his brother encouraged him to enter an ultra marathon. He did…and he won it. He went on to build a life around inspiring others to push limits and create change. In 2006 he set a world record when he ran 7,500 km across the Sahara Desert. The adventure was turned into the documentary, Running the Sahara, narrated by Matt Damon.
Ray continued to set records, and in 2008 founded the youth charity, impossible2Possible to inspire teens to pursue adventure and expand their belief of what’s possible. impossible2Possible is also the official Live Your Legend partner charity. 5% of everything our business makes goes towards Ray’s mission of getting kids to do the impossible.
Benjamin Robinson was a farm boy turned school teacher at a disadvantaged regional high school in Australia. Then he decided he wanted to help kids in a bigger way, so he took his passion for surfing and launched an around-the-world surf trip as he and two buddies filmed a documentary to help kids battle suicide and mental illness. Their full length documentary just went live – 3 Mates 7 Seas. Ben’s been a member of our community of Living Legends here for a while. Makes me proud.
Dan Chang spent the first eight or so years of his career as a healthcare consultant. He also loved to sing and play music. For years he performed on nights and weekends at small venues. And just recently he signed his first major record deal with his band Hunter Hunted, and they are now touring with world-class artists such as Fun and Weezer. Dan and I went to high school together – his music is amazing.
Eric Shamas and Jorge Giroud spent the first decade of their careers starting and running a study abroad and tour company in Sevilla, Spain. Jorge was my roommate for a year out there, and I used to be a tour guide for them on the weekends. Eric always had a passion for health, and two years ago he felt called to medicine, so he spun off to start the med school application process from scratch. He’s in his mid 30’s – at least a decade older than most his classmates at medical school in Florida. He wouldn’t have it any other way. And Jorge recently sold their company, Student Voyage, to International Studies Abroad.
And remember, Gandhi was in his forties when he finally left law to lead an international civil rights movement.
Simply put – It. Is. Never. Too. Late.
You can either find excuses for inaction or find reasons for change. The proof of what’s possible is all around us – as long as you’re willing to look.
#3. Find a Big Enough Reason Why
“Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything.” – Napoleon Hill
All the people above had a deep desire and specific reason why change was a must. Without a big enough reason why, making an extreme transformation is all but impossible.
Tony Robbins calls this “leverage”. If I asked you if you could raise a million dollars for a project by next week, most of you would say no way. But what if there was a gun to your husband, wife or child’s head? I bet you’d get a little more creative.
Find reasons why your change is an absolute must. Surrounding yourself with people like the above is a powerful place to start.
It’s not about not being a lawyer (or doctor or whatever) – it’s about doing what embodies who you are.
Please don’t read this the wrong way.
I’m not saying don’t be a lawyer. That’s not what this is about. If that’s what you genuinely feel called to do (and you’ve done the self discovery work to prove it), then by all means apply to law school.
But just because you studied to be an accountant or doctor does not mean you have to become one.
You are not condemned to your past decisions.
How ridiculous is it to think that just because you decided something a decade ago means that you have to be miserable with it for the rest of your life?
The world needs you at your prime.
And it’s not about just throwing your arms up and quitting cold turkey. That rarely makes the most sense. Most the examples above eased into their transition so it didn’t feel like they were ‘risking it all.’ That’s certainly what I did in building Live Your Legend.
Stack the deck your favor.
Realize how useful your skills can be in just about any industry on the planet.
Surround yourself with people who prove what’s possible.
Find your compelling reason why.
Then get your ass in gear and start doing what you’ve wanted to do all along.
The world will thank you for it.
-Scott
For more inspiration check out: How to Change Careers without Quitting Your Job (Yet): The 9 Most Inspiring Transitions of 2012
Need more guidance?
There is a lot involved in a proper transition. The above few thousand words only scratch the surface. But if you’d like more step-by-step hands-on guidance, you might want to take a look at our Live Off Your Passion Guided-Discovery career course. That’s why we created it!
Either way, just please start doing something about the transition you know you want to make.
P.S. Tickets for The World Domination Summit went on sale today. They usually sell out very fast. Chelsea and I will be going again next year, as well as well over a hundred members of our community (We’ll also be hosting another party like we did this year).
This event is by far the best place I’ve found to meet passionate, inspiring, like-minded people. I hope you’ll join us!
—-
Photo Credits: All photos are my own. You can see more by following me on Instagram.
Joel D
Posted at 12:46h, 25 SeptemberAs usual, an amazing article Scott, but i believe that you missed a part about MK Gandhi where in South Africa, he faced the discrimination directed at all colored people. He was thrown off a train after refusing to move from the 1st class. He protested and was allowed on first class the next day. Travelling farther on by stagecoach, he was beaten by a driver for refusing to move to make room for a European passenger. He suffered other hardships on the journey as well, including being barred from several hotels. He were among his main motivations for the freedom struggle movement.
5 mid week reads
Posted at 12:57h, 25 September[…] From Doctor & Lawyer to Musician & Revolutionary: Making Extreme Career Transitions & Why It’s Never Too Late (here) […]
Kevin Cole
Posted at 14:10h, 25 SeptemberI definitely believe that it’s never too late to start. But I also believe it’s never too early to start.
A lot of young people feel completely discouraged to start businesses or forge their own path. Mainly due to societal pressures like family, traditional education, and judgement of peers. But in reality, there is very little stopping them.
They have optimal free time and virtually zero risk. That’s why you see 12-year old app developers making thousands of dollars and CEO’s getting younger and younger. Killer post man.
Matt Schmidt
Posted at 17:02h, 25 SeptemberGahndi: Each one has to find his peace from within. And peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances.
Zander: In the measurement world, you set a goal and strive for it. In the universe of possibility, you set the context and let life unfold.
Awesome
Chris Paradox Patterson
Posted at 07:50h, 28 SeptemberAwesomely Awesome indeed. Thanks for that Matt 🙂
Winnie
Posted at 19:21h, 25 SeptemberThanks for your sharing Scoot. I fits me as I would like to make a transition from marketing to education. And, it is not gonna to be easy. I like your point that people need to find the bigger reason for the change. I have seen employers looked so suprised when I said I wanted to work in education in the interview, so I need to find the reason and esplain to them vividly. Maybe I won’t succeed in one move, but I need to keep trying.
Chris Paradox Patterson
Posted at 07:56h, 28 SeptemberGood luck Winne. I’d imagine that when you clearly identify that bigger reason, your “big Why” and are inspired by it (what else are “big Why’s” for;) you won’t be able to help explaining it to employers vividly!
Tunji
Posted at 22:24h, 25 SeptemberThanks Scott, great piece, still have the goosebumps to prove it……
Kevin Cheng
Posted at 23:21h, 25 SeptemberHey, Scott – I couldn’t agree with you more regarding your posts on education. From what I’ve seen in life, the students with the best grades are actually in the most danger of being sucked into career paths (and ultimately, careers) that are not really who they are. Now, I’m not equating grades with talent or intelligence in an absolute manner, just that I see more of the top-grades students get into careers they don’t really feel energized about. They often get pulled into well-known, rigidly structured career paths by some combination of peer, parental, or societal pressure at various stages of their young lives:
(1) Top high school students are expected to apply to the ‘top schools’ (i.e. the Ivy League schools). I’ve once been in someone’s home where a top-achieving grade-school student and his schoolmates from next door were fervently discussing how best to get into Harvard or MIT. The whole time I was there, they were obsessively scheming about what courses to take, what extracurricular activities would impress the schools, what SAT scores would or wouldn’t cut it, etc. This was what they talked about the whole time I was there. Also, I could tell that their parents greatly encouraged their focus on working to get into those top schools. And these were just grade-school kids!
(2) Getting into the university(s) of their choice is more important than figuring out what they really want to do and pursuing it. One of my high school friends got an acceptance letter from MIT (during our senior year in high school) and told me then he’ll major in engineering at MIT and was excited about becoming an engineer. A week later he got an acceptance letter from Harvard and then immediately proclaimed he’ll now attend Harvard and major in premed and looked forward to becoming a doctor. In his mind, Harvard was a step above MIT and that was that. What he really wanted to do in life never seemed to have entered the equation. In fact, thinking back, I never had a good sense of what he was particularly interested in or wanted to do with his life. He was forever striving to live up to others’ expectations of what he should become based on his academic excellence.
This is sad to see, because when someone is sucked into the machinery of highly structured career paths (i.e. medicine, law, etc), at each succeeding step of the path it becomes harder for them psychologically to admit they might have made a mistake and would like to change course. Yes, they view the ‘sunk cost’ as too great. But they also can’t stand having their reputation for excellence take a hit. These are people who have been told all along that they’re among the best and brightest. If a top student like that quits med school right in the middle, what will others think?
Sorry for the long comment, but your post resonates strongly with me because I’ve seen this happen. I really believe people need to let go of this peer/parent/societal pressure baggage and be brave enough to chase their own dreams and callings.
Chris Paradox Patterson
Posted at 08:06h, 28 SeptemberGreat post Kevin! The examples you give from your personal experience really drive the point home. Oliver James talks about the negative consequences of that peer/parent/societal pressure in his brilliant book about the “miserable successful” called Affluenza. Have you read it? I think you’d like it.
A note of optimism might be that whilst it’s true what you say about it becoming harder to change course as you step up (down?) the structured career path, I know three ex-doctors who’ve quit doctoring and are now living their legend. And so as the supply of bright young people chasing the right College over the right life increases, the demand for meaning and purpose from people of all ages is increasing too. This site and others like it prove that don’t they?
Guus
Posted at 05:16h, 26 SeptemberGreat article!
Dat moeten we als mensheid toch beter kunnen
Posted at 05:36h, 26 September[…] Ah, en de titel kwam van http://iveyourlegend.net/how-to-make-extreme-career-transitions/. […]
Constaninos
Posted at 07:49h, 26 SeptemberGreat article Scott !!!
Lina
Posted at 01:07h, 27 SeptemberI think this is one of the most amazing pieces you’ve written Scott.
And I took your advice and watched the video with Benjamin Zander and it’s one of the most inspiring videos I’ve seen in a long time.
I’m a singer/performer and I have to admit I’ve struggled with it from time to time – mostly because I haven’t given myself permission to want it (with excuses like “it’s shallow” or “you can’t make money on it”). Seeing someone being living proof that there’s purpose to music (thinking of Zander) really lifts my spirit.
I love the way you always emphasis on being around people who’ve already achieved what you want to become. It’s my mission now to connect with others in the arts and other entrepreneurs.
Finally – thank you for showing us proof that it’s never too late. 🙂
Fab
Posted at 11:47h, 27 SeptemberHi Scott,
wonderful article! Congratulations!!
1)Just one thing to be more precise!
As far as “Salman Khan graduated from MIT and Harvard Business school. He then became a highly paid hedge fund analyst. In 2004 he started to tutor his cousin in math over the Internet. His videos started to get popular on YouTube and he began to think he could add more value to the world via education instead of making rich people richer”
Actually, in the reality, the vast majority of hedge funds transfer wealth from investors to managers!
http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevedenning/2013/05/28/how-hedge-funds-transfer-wealth-from-investors-to-managers/
2) Anyway, here another inspiring story:
The first day of college, a young student was about to enter the courtroom and bumped into an old man. “Professor, I’m so sorry,” he whispered with great embarrassment.
“Don’t worry, and anyway I’m not a professor, but a freshman like you.”
“Forgive me if I seem inquisitive but how old are you?” asked the young man full of wonder.
“Seventyfour” said the man, full of enthusiasm.
“And what are you studying?” the young man asked again.
“Medicine: I have always wanted to do it, and now I can finally follow my dreams!”.
The young man could not recover from his bewilderment.
“No offense, but it will take at least six years to graduate, and that day you will be certainly eighty!”
The man looked at the young man straight in the eye and smiled.
“God willing, I’ll be eighty either I follow my dreams and in the case I just live like any ordinary old man”
Extracted from the book: “Change your life” by Paul McKenna
All the best!
Fab
Christy King
Posted at 19:17h, 27 SeptemberThis is a great post. And I think someone’s trying to tell me something because that’s the second time today I’ve read the Gandhi story – and I never knew he was a lawyer. I’m a lawyer too….
Petronella
Posted at 22:09h, 27 SeptemberBeyond belief excited that I signed up for #WDS2014!!!! Thank you for sharing. I felt the feared & did it anyway. Here goes
Sindhu
Posted at 07:02h, 28 SeptemberJust when i think you can’t motivate me anymore, you casually and coolly come along to prove me wrong! How awesome! I graduated as an engineer, worked for a year which literally made me a zombie and just 2 months back i got a push from Love Your Legend to do what i had only been contemplating: quitting my job. So after quitting, i took up a fashion course, because all other reasons apart, that’s one area i will never lose interest in. But yet i had those jitters, i kept questioning myself if i had taken the right decision. Until this post by You, Scott. Thanks! Two things have stuck to my mind-
1. Just because i chose to study something 5 years back, it doesn’t mean i have to be miserable for the rest of my life. And really, how mature was i 5 years back to make a life decision like that?!
2. Quit doing what i hate, and instead focus on doing what i love and surely the world will thank me for it later.
Thanks again for the impactful advice Scott!
SJ Scott
Posted at 07:13h, 28 SeptemberScott,
What a wonderful article and what a great point!: It is never too late to pursue your passions.
I love all the real world examples you gave of the people who, later in life, went out there, started over and rebooted their lives.
Truly inspirational.
-SJ
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Posted at 07:06h, 11 October[…] From Doctor & Lawyer to Musician & Revolutionary: Making Extreme Career Transitions & Wh… […]
Janel
Posted at 17:42h, 14 OctoberHi Scott,
It’s my first time posting here. I’m soooo happy and thankful to have found you and your wonderful website. Thank you so much for sharing with us. It means so much to me and is just what I need at this point in my life. By the way, I’m not like most of you “youngsters” here :-)… I’ll be 55 this week and am just trying to uncover what I really want to do with my life that I’m passionate about. I’ve made a decision not to go back to work situations that I can’t live with and are not me at all.
I’m going to take a week (at least), starting this week, to go through your “27 Questions to Find Your Passion” and really treat it like a homework assignment, or a project, giving each question careful consideration and thought, looking deep within myself and seeing what I can uncover. I’m looking forward to that.
One more thing…I took your advice and did start my own blog, for the first time ever! I’m verrrry new to having a blog, but it was your email that got me to go ahead and do it. Looking forward to what I learn about myself through this and sharing with others.
Thank you so much, Scott. Is it possible to email you at times? I wanted to share this with you, but don’t see an email address and don’t want to make comments too long here!
Laura
Posted at 16:50h, 28 OctoberHi Scott, the ‘…Never too Late..’ part really inspired me. Made me think whether I’m really doing what i want to do in my life. Today most of us are guided by social pressure and do what others do.
Could you please think about trimming posts ? It is burdensome to scroll over the site if you are not interested in the article. Just my advice.
Regards,
Laura
Juha
Posted at 02:31h, 12 NovemberA great post, it’s reallu inspiring! I’m now 27, and I’m pretty much in such situation in my life, that I’m seriously thinking about whether to proceed with my current career or not..my curren’t career just doesn’t feel like the one, that I would like to do for the rest of my life.
I’m interested in many things, but I’m especially passionate about astronomy! I have been an amateur astronomer for more than 15 years.
I have been thinking, that I really should make a total life and career change. But how my new life and career will look like in the future, I dont’t exactly know yet. But I’m getting there, step by step! And this blog is just a great guide also for me to get the right path and direction in my life, thanks for this and all the other posts, the are great!
Sindhu
Posted at 09:52h, 16 December“What and how much had I lost by trying to do only what was expected of me instead of what I myself had wished to do?”
― Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man
The Beginner’s Guide to Doing Work that Makes You Happy | Live Your Legend
Posted at 08:43h, 05 March[…] From Doctor & Lawyer to Musician & Revolutionary: Making Extreme Career Transitions & Wh… […]
It’s Never Too Late To Escape From A Passionless Career | Live On Your Own Terms | Seek Freedom,Have Fun And Live Fulfilled
Posted at 17:14h, 22 March[…] Thanks to Scott Dinsmore Of Live Your Legend for the inspiration for this post. It will be helpful to check his post – From Doctor & Lawyer to Musician & Revolutionary: Making Extreme Career Transitions & Wh… […]