Embracing the "Yes, And" Career Path

Have you ever felt pressured to choose just one career path, one passion, one area of expertise, in order to be successful? In an era of intense specialization, we're often told that to be truly successful we must focus on one thing and say 'no' to all others. But what if this isn't the whole truth? What if, for some people, success, joy, and fulfillment could be found not in narrowing our focus, but in broadening it?

Enter Jason Mendelson, a man who has turned the traditional notion of career-building on its head. A software engineer, lawyer, venture capitalist, author, founder, philanthropist, and musician, Mendelson has crafted a career defined not by specialization, but by a rich tapestry of interests and pursuits. 

His unique journey challenges the common narrative and presents an intriguing question: 

Could the secret to a fulfilling career and life lie in a diversified “portfolio of pursuits?” 

Jason’s experience opened my eyes to the possibility. 

Here are 4 key pieces of advice, from our recent conversation on the SPARKED Podcast:

Embrace the Power of "Yes, And" in Career Building

No doubt, for many, a linear or sequential approach to career building makes sense. It lets you keep your energy, cognitive and creative bandwidth focused. It’s more likely you’ll be able to travel further down one path than if you were trying to travel two, three or four all at once. It’s the classic “drilling four wells simultaneously and never hitting oil in any one because all move so much slower” problem. But, what if for certain people, outlier if you will, like Jason Mendelson, there was a certain serendipitous power in pursuing a diverse array of interests simultaneously? Turns, the “yes, and” approach to career building and yield incredible success and fulfillment, when wielded in the right way. Not from a place of fear of missing out, a lack of ability to be intentional, or an inability to resist the constant siren taunt of distraction. The one thing you always want to add to a “yes, and” approach, is a healthy and honest assessment of what’s driving it. This can be the difference between a career defined by passion, engagement and accomplishment or one mired in frustration, lack of progress, and defeat.

Transform Loss into Opportunity

An unexpected injury forced Mendelson to put his initial passion for music on hold. However, rather than seeing this as an end, he used it as a beginning. This shift in perspective is crucial. Loss or failure can often be the launching pad for new opportunities. For Jason, the setback paved the way for him to explore other interests, leading him into the fields of tech, law, entrepreneurship, writing, and philanthropy. And, eventually, back to music.

Intertwine Passions to Create a Unique Career Path

Jason shares how, sometimes, doing the multi-passion dance creates a career-fulfillment whole that feels greater than its parts. An experience or pursuit in one domain can trigger a valuable insight or awakening, build a skill, or reveal or solution in another. It’s like what’s everyday or obvious in one realm is novel and groundbreaking in another. At the same time, moving between passions can create the space in any one pursuit for your brain to unconsciously incubate better ideas and paths forward in another. Jason drew upon his experience training and working as a lawyer to write 'How to Be a Lawyer,' a book that seeks to bridge the gap between law school education and the actual practice. In this way, the study and practice of law provided the lived experience and insight that he then brought to the pursuit of writing books. And, safe bet, he was also drawing upon years of experience writing, composing and recording music when working on the structure, language and phrasing of the book.

Ignite Joy and Success through Variety

By continually exploring new areas, Mendelson has maintained a sense of joy and fulfillment in his career. Variety, in his case, is not a distraction but a source of inspiration, energy, and success. This broad approach has allowed him to find joy in his work, avoid the fear of missing out (FOMO), and cultivate a diverse skill set that has served him well in his various roles. It also let him replace lulls, which always happen in every career or long-term pursuit, with creative engagement in other pursuits, keeping the overall level of energy and excitement high, though on more of a rotating basis.

Is a “portfolio of pursuits” the right approach to career building for everyone? No. But, for some people, driven by genuine interest and passion, and not by avoidance and distraction, saying “yes, and” to multiple interests, transforming loss into opportunity, intertwining passions, and finding joy in variety, can create a rich, fulfilling career and life. 

For a deeper dive into Mendelson’s journey and insights, we invite you to listen to our SPARKED podcast where we explore these topics in greater detail.

#careerdevelopment #lifelonglearning #personalgrowth

— This week’s SPARKED Tools & Resources —

Do you ever feel like all your great ideas keep getting lost in the vacuum?

Maybe for you, that vacuum is all of the never-ending responsibilities that overshadow what you really want, unproductive meetings, or even yourself that holds you back. No matter what the reason is for your inability to take action right now, we’re here to remind you this isn’t your forever.

We've gathered some insightful resources to guide you towards a state of more doing this season. So, get ready to find your spark again, and check out what we have below!  

How to practice effective decision hygiene. If you're tired of your team's great ideas leading nowhere due to constant decision-making and changes, dial into this article to discover the best practices for co-creation that'll result in more productivity and less stalling.

6 types of team meetings you need (and 3 you don't). It's rather common in the workplace to sit through countless meetings that really could have been an email, so get a refresher on which confabs are important and which ones aren't so much in this article, and steer your team on track towards more efficiency.

10 effective brainstorming techniques for teams. Take your group brainstorming sessions to the next level by jumping into this guide and learning the do's and don'ts to group ideation.

How to get over burnout and find inspiration again. When you feel like you've lost motivation to do your work, all you might need is a newfound sense of inspiration to refuel you. So, take the advice of four successful professionals in this post, and find your "why" again.

— Let’s Stay Connected —

To learn your Sparketype, check out the free Sparketype? Assessment.

If you'd like to submit your own questions for consideration for a future episode of SPARKED, you can do it here now.

DO NOT MISS AN EPISODE! - Stay up to date on the powerful conversations and insights on the SPARKED Podcast, along with our curated resources and tips.