I don't regret much, but here's the 1 thing I would change if I could do it all over again:
I wish that I invested more in my personal development/growth.
Act I:
I remember earlier in my career when I was a not-so-good Recruiter. When my peers would perform better than me, instead of congratulating them, I would make up excuses (that I actually believed) to make myself feel better
- They have easier positions to work on
- Their boss likes them more
- They're lucky
Instead of thinking:
- What are they doing different?
- What are they focusing on that I'm not
What I later learned was that they were constantly investing in their skills, and I wasn't.
Letting myself have an average career for a long time is my biggest regret because it slowed down my:
- Growth
- Bank account
- And ultimately, my self-worth
Act II: I remember when it all changed.
It was when I got married.
I knew that I could no longer let myself be average. My wife, and future family deserved better than that.
And my good friend/colleague/mentor at that time told me something that I needed to hear:
Maureen Klepfer said:
"If you really want to do good by your family, then you need to go be in a room where others are already achieving what you want to be. This will show you not only what is possible, but more importantly, [how] it's possible."
She encouraged me to do 2 things:
1. Join a Recruiter training program led by Lou Adler <- legend
2. Attend a conference called, Hive Global that was founded by Ryan Allis
Both were scary investments but:
- Lou taught me how to be a better Recruiter
- The conference taught me how to be a better human.
I remember calling Maureen after the conference crying because I could feel an inner-shift happening. One that I had desperately needed.
I realized how my excuses were so crippling and I could also feel myself shedding my ego. This hurt.
Being in that room w/ other high-performers taught me one valuable lesson:
I realized that the biggest gap between them and me:
- High-performers invest in education
- Average people spend money on entertainment
Simply put, high-performers have higher standards for themselves. They always find ways to get around other successful people, because success is contagious (so is average).
From that point, I invested in as many mentors/conferences as I could.
Act III:
Those 2 investments created HUGE ripple effects:
- My family's needs and wants are met
- Built a meaningful career that I'm really proud of
- Maureen and I helped TrueBridge grow to $72M
And the biggest ripple effect: I've been able to coach 800+ incredible humans to build thriving careers, too.
_____
I always wonder where I'd be if not for those 2 events. 😬
Katie always says: "What if Hell is where you spend an eternity looking at the the person you could have become?"
p.s. here's a low-res 📸 of me, Maureen & team (2014)
Civil Designer
2yPerspective