How will you measure your life?

I read How Will You Measure Your Life, and it changed my life. Well, let me say it reaffirmed my life decisions, so far.

What resonated most with me in this book is that Clayton M. Christensen had what he describes as 3 careers in his lifetime and is open to pursuing another. I was intrigued. As someone who had pursued a linear traditional career path but always felt like the bureaucracy continued to get in the way of me reaching my full potential, I knew something had to change.

My takeaway from reading this book is that one should focus on acquiring skills to curate a career portfolio instead of pursuing a career path. A career portfolio means that you have certain skills or talents that form the sum of your competence. A curated career portfolio can benefit you in circumstances where economies are uncertain and job landscapes are changing.

My first office share in Sydney shared a story with me about how the 2008 global financial crisis altered his career trajectory. Much of what he told me about having to reconsider the traditional career ladder due to external factors seems to align with what we are experiencing in the present moment. The increasing use of artificial intelligence and economic challenges are inadvertently changing the job landscape and creating job instability. However, these two factors are also catalysts that are birthing new opportunities.

This explains why some individuals from older generations will say “toughen up buttercup” and to be fair, they are not wrong. I personally wish that the older generations were a bit more vulnerable and transparent about how external circumstances altered their career trajectories. This may be the comfort that younger generations currently need as they try their best to navigate this landscape.

Although I do wonder if ego is the enemy of the younger generations. They have internalized the promises of a future which seems to be illusive. Not realizing that we can shift our mindset at any time. Do not let how you may have initially decided to spend your time here stand in the way of you realising your potential.

Consider your full potential as the destination on a backed-up motor way. What do you do if the traffic is not moving? You must decide whether you will try and find another way to get to your destination or whether you will continue to sit in the traffic. Maybe you take the next exit on the motorway and find yourself in a vicinity you have not been in before. Maybe you end up liking that area and you stay there. Maybe you do not like that area but you learn how to drive on an inclined road along the way. This is why there is no losing. You either win or you learn.

Lessons are often disguised as impossible circumstances. The sooner you find the lesson in the circumstances, the quicker you will get to where you are going.

“But we cannot simply sit and stare at our wounds forever”.

I love this quote. In the journey of overcoming the inevitable career wounds that we will all encounter at some point, the path to our version of success is not linear. It is a culmination of perseverance, resilience, and continuous growth.

Redefine what success looks like to you and determine how will you measure your life.

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Episode 8 of The Lantern Podcast, “Everything is Figureoutable” will be available for listening soon. My next guest is Lisa Mendoza who is a 3 x founder and currently the founder of Gap Mash, a University Social Planner app. We discuss the challenges of entrepreneurship, particularly for those who do not have generational knowledge.

With light,

The Lantern

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