My Professional Odyssey: The Road to Fulfillment - Conclusion...

To summarize Part 2: Burn out is real. While I tried to convince myself for years it was nothing more than a normal part of my process, I was actually being destructive and inconsiderate of my own well being. So much so, that after a truly taxing 3 years, I was starting to experience catastrophic thought and thought spirals, and I didn't have the energy to correct my mental state. So I elected to reach out for help. Both personally, and professionally, and through counselling was able to recognize that I hadn't been honoring myself, and my mortal requirements for rest. Realizing this, I took a long and healthy break from life. By resting, meditating, and recharging I was able to re-energize, and re-prioritize what I knew would be my next fulfilling career adventure.

 Remember that maniacal job search I told you about in Part 1? Where I was frantically and unmethodically interviewing with every company in market? If not, go back and take a read HERE.

Well, during that exercise in futility and misalignment of conscience, I received a phone call from an entrepreneur that was very interested in me and my curriculum vitae. He told me that he wanted to build this incredible culture, this incredible business entity that was the antithesis of all the stale and "people last" cultures he had been a part of in his career. He wanted a better way forward, and the focus to be on not only the betterment of people, but the betterment of business through innovation and progressive attitude. A true utopia. Unicorns, Kum Ba Yah, and Cherubs backstroking in fountains of Scotch…

 I completely ignored him and everything he had to say. Played him off, and used the opportunity as a prep meeting for one of those terrible job postings I didn't want in the first place.

 "You fool man!" "Why the hell would you do that Rus," you say?

 Because I was operating from ignorance, ego, and my Lizard Brain. Autopilot was on, and it wasn't navigating from a place of self-respect, self-alignment, and the true pursuit of happiness & fulfillment. I was blinded by fear and anxiety, and operating in survival mode, which was ludicrous, because I actually wasn't in a situation that demanded fight or flight responses. Piece of advice: Don't listen to your Lizard Brain. If you are reading this, and thinking "I don't have a Lizard Brain, what an idiot!",well, that is your Lizard Brain talking.

Check these articles out for a little more context:

• The Lizard Brain: Where does judgement come from? - Instantbrainstorm.com
• How to beat your "Lizard Brain" - FacileThings.com

 Now, by taking my extended vacation from life (see part 2) I finally had enough time to reflect on what I truly wanted. I used an exercise that a recruiter had given me years ago to help define my path: it's called The 5 Pillars of Happiness. These 5 pillars are your personal compass to happiness and fulfillment. They can serve as a litmus test for where you are currently at, i.e., had a bad day? Week? Month? Year? Look at your Pillars of Happiness and see if your career is still providing you with fulfillment. 5 out of 5 is great. 4 out of 5 is good. 3 out of 5 is pause for consideration & realignment. 2 out of 5 is job search time. 1 out of 5 is career transition time. After a lot of deep contemplation I realized that I was a 0 out of 5. That meant it was time to go to work on defining Rus's best interests.

 Allow me to elaborate:

**these are my pillars, based off my experience, and in no way should bear reflection or opinion on your career, your experience, or your Pillars of Happiness.**

1.  Meaning - I didn't feel I had meaning as just an employee anymore. I felt I had a higher purpose, and wanted to carve my own path. Do my own thing. But I didn't quite know what that meant. So I continued with defining the other pillars.
2.  Engagement - Building markets for other enterprises was no longer engaging for me. I wanted to build those markets for myself. The "cog in the wheel" was no longer my position or my standpoint. I felt my true talents were going to waste as "just an employee". I also needed to redefine the next pillar because without a destination, there can be no path.
3.  Accomplishment - After 20 years in my career, I think a lot about legacy now. I ask myself, "What can I truly do, or what am I truly capable of in this life?" I felt I had accomplished all I could as a front line employee. Because of this I needed to redefine my goals and targets for this new stage in my career. I knew my goals needed to be big, in order to keep me motivated, engaged, and hungry for the pursuit.
4.  Relationships - I know from experience that great business culture breeds the best relationships. And I want to be a part of great cultures. I believe that your people are everything. They make all the success possible. Every company I have ever worked for forgot this key learning at some point in their journey:

1. Positive Emotion - Have you ever woken up every day, and have been absolutely, positively thrilled to go to work? I have, and when the work you do is in line with your happiness and fulfillment, it doesn’t become work anymore. I worked for two companies that endeavored to make me feel absolutely engaged. I have also worked for two companies that absolutely failed at this. Culture drives it every time.

 So, here I am, sitting on a beach in Nusa Lembongan, Indonesia, thirteen thousand miles from home, re-imagining, and defining my 5 Pillars of Happiness. It was in that moment and realignment of body, mind, and spirit, my conscience spoke to me with the calmest, and most compelling resonance I have ever heard:

  "Start your own business, Rus. Build that amazing culture. If you build it, the results will come," the voice reverberated.

 The prospect was so frightening, yet so compelling, that I could not, and would not ignore it. It made perfect sense. I could continue searching for a role, a job, but based on my needs (pillars), why not just build a company up the way I wanted it to be built? My heart soared, and I had the answer.

My mind raced back to that phone call (I had ignored) from that entrepreneur, that wanted to build that unicorn company with the scotch fountains... I begged him for coffee, and provided a bit of context (when he finally answered) as to why I behaved the way I did previously. Luckily for me, he completely got it. "You weren't ready", he said.

When we finally met, we didn't even discuss the work, the industry relevance, my 30/60/90, or what have you. We talked legacy, the impossible, and shared in a vision of creating a legendary business entity and culture. Something that any person (employee) involved with, would look back on and say "Of all the experiences, roles, and companies I was ever part of, I am so thankful for my time at that one organization."

Amazing culture became our first strategic goal as partners.

He later told me that bringing me on board was one of the easiest business decisions he had ever had to make. Because more than anything else, he knew that my heart and mind were in exactly the right place, and that he believed in everything I had to say. He walked away thinking "that's the guy".

 When your heart is in it, there is passion. When there is passion, there is conviction. With conviction comes the absolute belief in yourself, both from within and without.

Happiness and fulfillment is a journey. I assure you I live another set of problems, and stresses, and challenges in my new role as an entrepreneur. I get angry, and frustrated, and feel I work too much still; however, now that I have changed my outlook, my approach, and my internal compass is set, each day brings gratification and fulfillment, in ever increasing quantities like never before. I'm not working. I'm living.

 And to me, that is what life, and the pursuit of happiness is all about.

In Summary:

 I hate those "5 key things I learned" articles. They usually lack context. Why did you learn them? What was the story behind the education? Our experiences are unique. I know that mine certainly have been. This was part of my saga. The mistakes I made. Most importantly, the painfully earned hindsight and education that may help you to avoid the same pitfalls.So now that you have the context:

5 Key Things that Lead me to Fulfillment and Happiness:

Practice Inwardness and Mindfulness

Understanding yourself, the voices in your head, and operating from a place of conscious thought, can lead to better health, positive energy, better decisions, and a more productive and fulfilling life. You will be operating in alignment with what your true self needs and requires. Your internal compass is set towards happiness and fulfillment. 

Reach out and Ask for Help

Don't try and "tough guy or girl" your way through life. Being vulnerable is OK. Admitting and asking for help is recommended. It takes more strength to admit frailty, because it means you care about yourself, and you have integrity at your core. Whether your support group is personal or professional, they will thank you for reaching out to them. You will thank yourself as well. Trust me. 

Unplug, Rest, and Recharge

We only have so much time, energy, and life to invest. How I wish I could gain the health back that I lost due to my own ignorance. Working hard, working smart, being driven to accomplish task with efficiency and effectiveness is commendable and encouraged from my standpoint. But even the best athletes still hit the bench, still recover, and still recuperate so that they can perform on all cylinders. Your career is an exercise in attrition. Make sure you do the right things now, to ensure your longevity later.

Know Your Pillars of Happiness (at all times)

A simple, repeatable, and non-time-consuming exercise to align your internal compass. If you are career-minded and extremely driven, this will help validate decisions and actions you should be taking, or need to be taking in pursuit of happiness and fulfillment. I assure you that you will find the results both surprising and gratifying.

Continuously Grow and Evolve

Evolution can be painful and humans hate change. It seems to me that it is only out of necessity that we begrudgingly choose to better ourselves. Go back and read this entire story to get an idea of how that goes. Wouldn’t it make more sense to get in front of it? To be progressive? To practice innovation in yourself? To neutralize calamity before it happens? Read a book, take a course, learn a new skill. It's that simple.

Honesty has always been my policy, and as such I will leave you this quote:

“Any conversation which does not include the context of the journey of the heart is by definition untrue to who we are as human beings.” – Marianne Williamson

Thanks for reading.

 About the Author

Rus Reuser is a business strategy consultant, entrepreneur, and sales & marketing executive. His passion and belief in innovation and continuous improvement, is the ethos of his consultative approach to business enablement. Native to Calgary Alberta, he embodies an active lifestyle, and can be found pursuing a multitude of adventure sports and activities in the Rocky Mountains.

 LinkedIN: https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/rus-reuser-1226811b/