Love It or Leave It

You’re not supposed to do anything.

You don’t have to have a certain job.

You don’t have to make a certain amount of money.

There are really no rules in life worth following other than you need to be able to pay your own way through it, not be a dick, and attempt to do no harm to others.

After that, the world is your oyster.

I have had so many conversations with people who are miserable - who find no value in what they are doing with their lives - and I always ask, “why don’t you do something else?”

The answers and the people vary.  Sometimes they are kids taking the major their parents want.  Sometimes they are adults grinding out a career in something they loathe because they have invested time and money in degrees designed for that career.  Sometimes it’s just people who have done a thing for so long that they are literally afraid to try anything else, on the off chance that their life gets worse by trying something new.

I do understand.  I absolutely understand how much time many of you have invested in various endeavors. I also understand the fear of the unknown, as well as the fear of letting others down.  But ask yourself: If you are truly unhappy, and life is so extremely finite, don’t you owe it to yourself to try something else?  

When I ask that question, it is almost always answered with “Well, I don’t want to waste my degree” or “I don’t want to start over again” or “What else would I do?”

To answer the last question first, how about literally anything?

To me, the whole premise is such a weird way of looking at life.  I have a mechanical engineering degree that I have never used for mechanical engineering.  It has, however, helped me in an invaluable way in business.  Actually, if I’m being honest, business math and analysis is a joke by comparison.

I spent my early years in uniform, trying to lead infantrymen through woods, over hills, in the rain, in the snow, etc.  I don’t use those skills anymore.  But I do use the planning processes from my time in uniform.  I’m also better and faster at making good decisions, and I find leading teams far easier as a result.

I spent over a decade selling apparel. I learned a ton about production, inventory, advertising, cashflow, venture, and strategy.  But now with Diesel Jack Media, once again, I’ve shifted my life and now I spend most of my time helping other people grow their businesses through video, ads, scripts, articles, and any other marketing tool you can imagine.  Most of the skills that are producing stellar results at Diesel Jack came from my time building Ranger Up.  

Not a single one of the experiences leading up to this moment was a waste.  Every single one was a building block, even as I often had to take decreases in pay or increases in hours worked to make the next leap.

But so what? 

We never move backwards and we should never think of it that way.  We work hard.  We gain skills.  We level up.

So if you’re looking around and there aren’t any more obstacles to overcome wherever you currently are working...or at least no obstacles you’re interested in overcoming, then think really hard about this question:

Is it time to take on the next level?

I can’t answer that question for you, but I can tell you that every time I’ve taken the leap, it’s been the best decision of my life.