Do you feel like there’s more to life than what you’re currently doing?

Do you feel like you’re wasting away at your current job?

In this article, I’m going to really push you to think outside the box and challenge the status quo.

I’m going to encourage you to take a leap of faith, so get ready to be uncomfortable.

The Lie

0706-Wasted-Life_PinterestGo to school, do well, get good grades, graduate, get a good job, make good money. That’s what we’re sold.

When I was younger, the key to success (as I was told) was to get a bachelor’s degree. Once you had one, you’d join the elite group of college graduates and find a great job.

Eventually, bachelor degrees became a dime-a-dozen, and true “success” required a  master’s degree. But then that wasn’t enough. To be really successful, you needed a Ph.D.

But then, you realized that the job hunting process wasn’t made easier with a PhD, so you worked on a few postdocs to gain more experience so that you could find that awesome job.

Many of us did find those great jobs; myself included.

In fact, I took an alternative route to becoming a University Professor. I started a biology blog, which really helped open the way for me. It was a dream job, and I loved it.

But then something happened. My eyes were opened.

I was working around the clock to keep up with my dream job and everything else that was going on in my life.

Multitasking-ManAs part of my job, I was offered a free Ph.D.; most people would consider this a tremendous opportunity. However, when you combine a PhD with a job as a professor and an online business, the result was that I was running around like a chicken without a head.

This became even more obvious when my son was born. I hardly had any time for my family, the same family I claimed to prioritize.

When would it end? When I got the Ph.D.? When I was so comfortable with the material I was teaching that I never had to review? When my business took off?

I had to be honest with myself. If I continued on the traditional path, I wouldn’t stray from it until my son grew up, and I would regret every moment of it.

Inspiring People

Passionate-BloggersThen I started to look around at some of the people I’ve met over the last 7 years, people like Pat Flynn from Smart Passive Income;  Pat was fired from his job as an architect and went on to start his super successful business.

Then there’s Mitch Wilson, from Sports Chat Place, who ran a google search one day for “how to start a blog” and a few years later, has one of the most successful blogging businesses I’ve encountered. Mitch has built a business doing something that he is passionate about and is having a blast in the process.

Leah Fisch, who loves Organic Chemistry, started her blog at Leah4Sci and earns a  good full-time income helping students all over the world. She recently expanded to helping students pass the MCAT (the medical school entrance exam).

My own blog, Become a Blogger was actually co-founded by Gideon Shalwick and Yaro Starak, two individuals who have built massively successful businesses and who helped set the foundation for much of what I do today.

Cliff Ravenscraft left his job as an insurance agent to pursue his passion for podcasting. When I ask him how he’s doing, he says, “I’m doing well, and it gets better every day.” I believe him.

Lauren Gaggioli started Higher Scores Test Prep to help students pass the ACT and SAT exams.

Angela Davis started Frugal Living NW to help people in the Northwest USA save money and live more frugal lives.

Kate Ahl was fascinated with Pinterest and started an entire service-based business managing the Pinterest accounts of a number of businesses, including mine.

Liz and Doug Latham started Hoosier Homemade, a national baking and lifestyle website to helping the everyday Mom spend less time in the kitchen and more time with her family using simple, easy and creative recipes and projects.

Kim Sorgius started Not Consumed, a blog to help parents with practical parenting, real faith, and homeschooling.

I started to see that people were taking their passions and building businesses around them. I consider all of these individuals successful and can come up with AT LEAST 20 more of my friends who didn’t settle for the status quo, but rather, decided to take their success into their own hands.

What holds us back

Ever since I watched the TED Talk, by Sir Ken Robinson, on how schools kill creativity, I started to realize something – we go to school and get screwed up.

We are taught that there is one right way to do something. If we get something wrong, we are punished. We are graded based on a standard that’s set by someone else.

As a result, we learn to fear taking risks. We are afraid to fail, and that fear of failure holds us back.

Do you resonate with this?

What I want for my son

NoahMy son is two years old, and it’s fascinating to look at him. He’ll take all kinds of risks that I would never take at my age.

He’s constantly climbing objects and exploring new things, and because it’s all relatively new to him, since he’s only been alive for 2+ years, you can see his enthusiasm for exploring something new.

I find myself wondering how long that’s going to last. I find myself afraid to send him to school only to have him learn that he shouldn’t explore life to the fullest, that he should accept the standard.

I find myself afraid that he’ll be a product of an education system that discourages risk while rewarding the status quo.

Instead, I want him to grow up full of creative thoughts, willing to explore new things, and with an avid enthusiasm for life.

I want him to look at failure head on and fight through it, rather than avoid it out of fear.

But for that to happen, it needs to be modeled for him. I must NOT be afraid of failure. I CAN’T be afraid to take risks.

What I want for YOU

When I create the content on my blog, I hope to push you. I hope that you will be challenged to think that you can do something more than what you are doing right now.

It doesn’t matter if you work full-time and hate it or if you are a self-made billionaire. There’s always something we can do to take things to the next level.

However, if we don’t try, we won’t accomplish anything significant.

Are you satisfied with what you’re currently doing? If so, WAKE UP. You can do more. Think Bigger.

If you aren’t satisfied, it’s not too late unless you’re six feet under.

There are many individuals who begin their great accomplish later in life.

Harland Sanders was 65 years old when he started Kentucky Fried Chicken. After his fried chicken recipe was rejected 1009 times, he finally got one yes, which resulted in one of the largest franchises in the world.

You may not have fried chicken, but you have something that you’re passionate about. And if you’re not sure what that is, it’s time to begin exploring your passions.

Take that idea and start small. The key is to simply start.

Your Turn

I want you to commit to starting (or continuing) right now. What big thing are you going to accomplish?

Let me know in the comments below and I will be here to cheer you on.

“Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right” – Henry Ford

Infographic

A Wasted Life Is Not One Worth Living
A Wasted Life Is Not One Worth Living

About the Author Leslie Samuel


Leslie Samuel a business coach for high-performing entrepreneurs. As the host of the Leslie Samuel Show, he teaches how to build an online business. "Changing the world one post at a time” is the mission he strives towards. As a former university professor, he has a passion for education. He's the founder of Interactive Biology, a blog and YouTube channel dedicated to making biology fun for students and teachers. As the head of training for the Social Media Marketing Society, he helps social media marketers get the training they need to stay on the leading edge of social media.

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