Photo courtesy of Win_Photography and Flickr
“I have no idols. I admire work, dedication and competence.”
– Ayrton Senna
This week’s article is part 4 in my series, The 5 Paradoxical Clues To The Work You’re Here To Do. Over the years, I’ve regularly heard people say things like, “I’d do what I love, if only I knew what it was” and “I’d do what I love, if only I knew how to do it.” Before the holidays, I did a Facebook Live broadcast on my business page called “The 5 Paradoxical Clues To The Work You’re Here To Do”. People really loved it, so I thought I’d share the 5 paradoxical clues here in the JST. Here’s clue number 4:
Paradoxical Clue 4: You have the capacity to get unusually good at it
The work you’re here to do is something you have the capacity to become unusually good at. You’re a born learner, and you’ve mastered countless things in your life (even learning to walk and talk are extraordinary feats of mastery).
So why is this paradoxical?
Because you’ll typically only discover this by doing it; by experimenting and taking action. The elements of your work you turn out to be truly amazing at often only emerge when you’re on the journey, taking action and following your passion.
Here’s an example: last summer, I ran an event called the Clarity 1:1 Coaching Intensive Unpacked. I conducted a 3-day intensive with a paying client while being observed remotely by 70 coaches, either in the room next door or live-streaming from around the world. I loved it, and the response from the client and the coaches was wonderful (they loved it too).
But 20 years ago, when I first set out on the journey to become a coach, trainer and speaker, I would have been appalled if you’d suggested I do something like this. I didn’t know how to do a 3-day intensive, and I was afraid of public speaking, to say nothing of doing 1:1 work with a crowd of onlookers.
But my passion for doing this was uncovered, step by step. These days, my ability to coach others in front of a group and unpack what I’m doing for the onlookers is one of my most powerful and valuable skills. I love doing it, and others love experiencing it. But I used to be terrible at it.
So that’s the paradox: if you want to become unusually good at something, you need to start taking action and moving forward before you’re 100% clear on what the something actually is. The work you love doing is likely to emerge as you move forward and take action.
By the way, if you want to transition from what you’re doing now to something more fulfilling and on-purpose for you, you may be a good fit for the next intake of Project Jupiter (starting at the end of this month). Here’s how you’ll know if you’re right for Jupiter (and vice-versa):
– You are currently in full-time employment, but…
– You want to transition from your job to something more fulfilling and “on-purpose”
– You sense that it’ll probably take 1-3 years to complete the transition, but…
– Your goal hasn’t been getting much closer; it seems to stay the same distance away
– You want to make progress, but lack clarity about either the ‘what’ or the ‘how’
– You know that if you were clear on those, with a solid plan, you’d do what it takes to make it happen
– You’ve been thinking about it for long enough, and you’re ready to do something about it NOW
If that’s you, hit reply to this email and tell me where you are and what your current job is. Type “Project Jupiter” in the subject line. This intake of Project Jupiter is the last time I’m going to be doing all the laser-coaching group sessions personally, so if you want to get 1:1 coaching from me, now is your chance, and I look forward to reading a little bit about you. Remember to change the subject line to “Project Jupiter”!
To your increasing clarity!
Big love
Jamie
Jamie Smart
Sunday Times Bestselling Author, Speaker and Executive Coach
PLUS: Whenever you’re ready… here are 3 ways I can help you get the clarity and results that matter to you:
1. Hire me to speak at your event
If you want an entertaining and impactful keynote speech or breakout session for your conference, offsite or town hall meeting, click here https://www.jamiesmart.com/book-jamie-to-speak-about/
2. Join the Profitable Coaches Group
Join the Profitable Coaches Professional Group and connect with the growing community of like-minded transformation professionals who are passionate about exponentially increasing their grounding, impact and their livelihood. You can join for free at https://www.jamiesmart.com/profitable/
3. Join the next intake of Project Jupiter
If you want to transition from full-time employment to something more fulfilling and on-purpose for you, you may be a good fit for the next intake of Project Jupiter (starting January 2018). Here’s how you’ll know if you’re right for Jupiter (and vice-versa):
– You are currently in full-time employment, but…
– You want to transition from your job to something more fulfilling and “on-purpose”
– You sense that it’ll probably take 1-3 years to complete the transition, but…
– Your goal hasn’t been getting much closer; it seems to stay the same distance away
– You want to make progress, but lack clarity about either the ‘what’ or the ‘how’
– You know that if you were clear on those, with a solid plan, you’d do what it takes to make it happen
– You’ve been thinking about it for long enough, and you’re ready to do something about it NOW
If that’s you, email Nikki at info@jamiesmart.com and type “Project Jupiter” in the subject line.
PLUS: check these out :
Get your free Profitable Coaches Scorecard book www.JamieSmart.com/scorecard
Listen to the Results Mindset Podcast www.JamieSmart.com/resultspodcast
Listen to The Profitable Coaches Podcast www.JamieSmart.com/pcp
Read the first 2 chapters of my Sunday Times Bestseller RESULTS: Think Less, Achieve More www.JamieSmart.com/instantresults