I watched a movie recently, Collateral Beauty, with my wife after a day of fun with our kids as Spring Break came to a close. We found it by accident looking for another movie we wanted to see. I didn’t know it existed, which was odd since it has a fantastic cast that includes Will Smith, Edward Norton, and Kate Winslet. The critics effectively destroyed it before it hit theaters which normally means I will probably like it, which I did.
The story is about a Dad attempting to live life after losing his young daughter to cancer. As a parent, it evoked a lot of emotions around love and loss as it reminded me how exposed we leave ourselves if we love something, I mean really love something. The story begins with the Dad giving a motivational speech to the employees of his company where he asks a question, What is your WHY? He then goes on to break WHY down to 3 things, Love, Time, and Death.
As a recruiter and career coach I have the pleasure of connecting with people at different stages of their careers and this past week was no different, with some at the beginning, not knowing how to get started; some having been displaced and feeling angry, confused, and stressed not knowing what to do next; some at the end of their business career wanting to end on a high note with a feeling of validation that they mattered.
The movie got me thinking of how those 3 things are very much a part of a person’s career journey and how each chapter has its own Collateral Beauty.
Love — “We long for love”
I believe that every person should be in a career that they are passionate about. We are here to connect, to feel a part of something bigger. A person’s why can come in a lot of different shapes and sizes.
WHY do you get out of bed in the morning? A famous actor said he needed 3 things to get him out of bed every day.
1. Something to look up to.
2. Something to look forward to.
3. Someone to chase.
Your WHY will come from the things that you love. Interestingly it normally has nothing to do with you but more to do with how it positively affects others.
Time — “We wish we had more time”
I have referenced the Immutable Law of 168, written by my friend Greg Luken, in previous posts. It isn’t about time management, it is about time investment. The 168 hours you get every week is the exact same amount that Bill Gates gets every week. And Warren Buffet. And Jeff Bezos. And…….
All 3 are self-made Billionaires that used their 168 to build companies that employee thousands of people and who use their resources to help others.
The investment of time is the single most important investment decision that you can make. It comes from a non-refundable account.
Death — “We fear Death”
You can read my blog on this here. When a job ends, it can feel like the death of a loved one. A lot of times when people get displaced in their jobs they will go through the 7 stages of grief. If one can ever get to the feeling that everything is on purpose and the next thing will be the best thing, the next step becomes a lot easier.
“Your talent is God’s gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God.”
Leo Buscaglia
SaturdayMorning.Careers is a blog to help navigate the career journey and motivate people to become their ideal self. If you need help, visit me at www.careerdesigncoaching.com.
