Monday, June 12, 2023
I Avoided a $76,000 Pay Cut AND a Vision Update!
May 16, 2023 Newsletter.
What if I didn’t leave my job 2+ years ago?
What if I stuck around for the paycheck, the ‘security’, the possibility of promotion?
Here’s what would NOT be true:
- I wouldn’t be able to inspire dozens of others to leave unfulfilling work
- I wouldn’t have been able to host retreats like the MLE Mastermind
- I wouldn’t be living in the Dominican Republic
- I wouldn’t be able to create streams of income, investments and partnerships that serve me
- I wouldn’t be able to host a top 1% podcast and authentically share stories with the likes of Xzibit, Jesse Itzler, Tom Bilyeu, Ryan Serhant and others
Here’s what WOULD be true:
- I’d be waking up daily and gritting my teeth through the day
- I’d be getting aggressively worded emails from my boss
- I’d be faking being passionate about results that don’t align with who I am or what I care about
- I’d be avoiding Microsoft Teams so I’m not asked to chat about something I have no interest in
- I’d be spending my entire day in email - moving shit around from here to there - and calling it production
- I’d be overseeing initiatives designed to get results only but have no impact
- I’d be pissed that I have to return to my office after spending a couple years at home
- I’d be ‘on board’ with a vaccine mandate the company put out there when I’m simply not
Interestingly, because of the change in the economy and the profit sharing bonus getting cut, I’d also be making $76,000 LESS than I did 2 years ago!
THE POWER OF VISION
In January 2021, my accountability pod and I finalized our 3 year visions. Here are a couple of aspects of it (target completion date - Jan 2024):
I’m so glad to be out of the corporate world and working in areas where I have passion– particularly in building and cultivating community
I’m proud to say that I’ve been able to design a career where the investment I’ve made in growth and personal development have allowed me to have a presence and a voice in media. I host my own podcast that gets tons of downloads and great reviews. I’m a frequent guest on other podcasts and am invited to speak at events.
Definite Chief Aim: Travel for 3 months with family
If you’ve been following my journey, you know these all have manifested – including quitting my job 3 months after I wrote my 3 year vision to do so! And to be balanced, my vision included moving to Boston and appearing in a major motion picture by the end of this year. Neither are likely nor are they any longer part of my vision if I rewrote it today. Such is life!
THE CHALLENGE WITH VISION
All of this is EPIC! I often hear ‘you’re crushing it’. But here’s the reality for a mid-life entrepreneur who has achieved major parts of their vision. You stall! Or at least I have.
I feel like I’m ‘between visions’. Like I have a sense of where I’m going - almost like a word cloud. ‘Podcast’, retreats, ‘write the book’, ‘family focused’ - they’re all in there. But the clear thread and progression I could feel as I put the wheels of motion in progress with my prior vision isn’t so clear at the moment.
Would LOVE to hear from you if this resonates (and would love to hear what you’re doing about it!)
I recently interviewed Brian Luebben for my podcast and he made a GREAT point. There are periods of life where you’re in ACCELERATION and periods where you’re in REFLECTION. In corporate life, it’s all acceleration. We don’t allow ourselves time for reflection.
That’s where I feel like I’ve been. Go, go, go. And it’s served me in some ways. But right now, I need a period of reflection.
May 27, I am doing my next Solo Weekend which always gives me a chance to get clarity and detox from all the brain fog that is life! I plan to emerge from that experience with some things figured out. I’ll be sure to let you all know!
KEY TAKEAWAYS
#1: What Do You Want 2 Years From Now to Look Like?
It’s May 16, 2023. On May 16, 2025 - what needs to be true for you to feel like you’re living your best life? Write it down. It doesn’t have to be complex. On May 19, 2022 - 4 months before we moved to the DR, I wrote the following…
We learned Cap Cana wasn’t for us, but we’re in a 4 bed/4 ½ bath villa in an even better community for us!
#2: When’s The Last Time?
People don’t spend time in solitude. I don’t mean a dark room in silence - unless you want to. I mean just on their own. I had a young entrepreneur named Matt Amabile on the podcast recently and he talked about traveling by himself for 6 months and how much that has contributed to his incredible success. For me, it’s 3 full days alone. I do high end hotels. Others prefer a cabin in nature. Whatever it is, taking time with intention to get away and be totally alone is the cheat code to figuring things out you’ve been struggling with day-to-day.
#3: It’s Gonna Go Fast, But…
I’m 44 years old. Like many of us, I’m conditioned to big chunks of time on task. 17 years of schooling, 20 years in corporate. So the natural inclination is to figure out the next 20 years now. But the pace of change and growth I’ve experienced outside the four gray walls of my corporate office is astounding - and you’ll see it when you leave. That thought alone keep people frozen in place. They start calculating how they can ‘hang on’ for 15 more years, or retire early in 12 years and are prepared to give away 20% or more of their remaining life to this myth of safety! Google Mary Kay. We all know her. She died a billionaire but left a high paying corporate job to start a purposeful endeavor at 45 years old!!!! Thanks to my mother for that fact. Colonel Sanders, Rodney Dangerfield and so many others started ‘late’ - but they started.
Relevant Links to Explore This Topic Further:
- Podcast: Tribe of Millionaires - me interviewed on my own show!
- Book: Built to Serve will help you define your purpose and vision
- Clip: This guy makes a compelling point!
Dominican Living - Pic of the Week 😍😍
I hope you’ve enjoyed this more succinct version of the newsletter. Please email me any feedback at jamie@jamiegruber.com.
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