The last phase of the Jump Curve is called Don’t Look Back.
It’s that part that comes after you decide to go for your gut, when you dig in and think big and close your eyes and hope your jump works. It's called "Don't Look Back" because today, more than ever, we’re increasingly tempted to look back at what we didn’t do, or around at what we could be doing. The buzzes and pop-ups and notifications and text bubbles show us what Joe had for breakfast, what happened on Susan’s vacation, what Tom’s new bakery looks like. I was at a friend Richard’s house for dinner the other night and he did something interesting.
It was one of those random potluck dinners where Richard knew each of the guests he invited (duh), but none of the guests knew each other. We were all somewhere in the earlier phases of careers across a smattering of interests - business, education, energy, academia, etc etc. As everyone settled in (getting through those ever-awkward “Hi, I’m __ , my day job is__ and I enjoy long walks on the beach, how about you?”), Richard brought in a guest to speak. His name was Jeff, a man in his mid-fifties and successful executive of several Fortune 100 companies. From Richard’s introduction, it seemed like Jeff had “made it” - picked the right roles at the right companies to ride into the right career. A bunch of right decisions. And so it begins!!! I am thrilled to announce the list of twenty incredible candidates from around the world who have been accepted into our first-ever Jump Ambassador (JA) learning program: a four-week, interactive online course bringing together members of our community who want to kick start a jump or push forward on an existing one.
With double the expected applications received, we’ll be running a second session later this spring. Sign up here to be notified when applications for our next session open. Our JA candidates hail from 12 cities and five countries, across four different continents. From towns like Shrewsbury, Massachusetts to cities like Tak, Thailand, day jobs that range from ESL teacher to global inventory analyst, from delivery driver for UPS to computer technician, and housekeeper to learning and development manager. They include millennials and baby boomers, parents and immigrants, all spread across the journey of taking a jump: some in the brainstorm stage, others in the planning, some going for it as we speak. At the successful conclusion of our four-week program, these twenty folks will be official Jump Ambassadors, earn access to a private alumni JA group and most importantly, they will be armed with the education, inspiration, and connections to others that will push their jump forward. I am so proud to introduce our inaugural class of Spring 2018 Jump Ambassador candidates. Click here to meet them. Mike Last week in Nashville, a woman walked up to me after the book event. She was an accountant, and told me about her dream to become a blogger. What surprised me was what she said scared her most: it wasn't trying and failing. It was if she tried blogging, and she found success. What happens next?
Unfortunately, it seems like many people don't get far enough with their jump to reach the "what happens next?" question. And that's because, ironically, the fear of possibly achieving success (and/or happiness?) in doing something we love prevents many of us from taking any step toward trying to achieve it. From putting even just a toe in the water. |
When To JumpWhat If the Job You Have Isn't the Life You Want? Archives
July 2019
Categories |