A few years ago, I was sitting in the last row of the plane with my son Henry.
Next to me sat a very large man from Boston.
We started talking … and talking.
We told our life stories to each other.
He was reflective, vulnerable, honest, and engaging.
We talked the entire time.
I ignored Henry, bad mom.
But getting to know a complete stranger changed my life.
How? Because he suggested, I read the book,
“The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck” by Mark Manson,
a book that I would have never read, given its cover.
But inside the book was true gold.
It was the first time I read that happiness comes from solving problems.
The more we pursue happiness, the less satisfied we become.
Reflecting on how this book changed my life,
Now, I’m reflective, vulnerable, and honest.
I revisited this book only because on Wednesday, I presented to two personal finance classes led by Usha Rackliffe at Emory University - Goizueta Business School
The most engaging way to present how my career/my life has evolved was to show how it followed a similar pattern as the stock market with risk / rewards, wins / losses and making hard decisions at each dip/correction.
Basically, there is no formula.
Life and career can follow the Hero's Journey with ups and downs if you want to choose to accept the challenge.
But you can control how you are positioned (always have an emergency fund, cash on the side lines, something you can always fall back on) so you can either have a safety net and/or take advantage of opportunities. Such as:
- start a business,
- buy when the stock market corrects,
- be offensive when everyone else is defensive.
- most importantly, avoid credit card debt.
Because the stock market and life are filled with things you can't control.
What really matters is how to face failures and “dips” and solve them.
"Failures in business lead to a better understanding of what’s necessary to be successful."
― Mark Manson.
“Don't aim at success. The more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one's personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one's surrender to a person other than oneself."
― Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning
I also talked about discovering your Alpha - "your personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself" - which is what Viktor is saying above and this is how I found a meaningful career.
I will explain next week!
I forgot to get a photo of me presenting to the classes, but here is a fine photo of me with Professor Usha Rackliffe!
During one of my major transitions, I didn't have a guide and wish I did. If you are in the middle of a transition, please reach out!
Thank you for reading!
Tiffany Kent
Your Friendly Wealth Engagement Guide,
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