GeekMBA360

A few years ago I ran into an acquaintance at the Phoenix Airport. He had been working as a post sales consultant for the same company for several years.

I asked him: "How are things going?"

He said: "The same old shit, the same old shit".

Have you had your own "same old" moment/day/week/month/year/decade? 

You get up at the same time every morning, tired, want to sleep in for another hour but you have to go to work.

You go through the same morning routine: eat a quick breakfast, fight through the same morning traffic, stop by Starbucks to grab a cup of coffee, check your blackberry while you stop at a red light, get to office, and start slaving away. 

You don’t like your bully boss. You’re tired of your back stabbing colleague. You don’t like your work environment. But, you keep doing the same thing at work. You attend meeting after meeting. You write email after email. You come in early in the morning so that you can talk to your colleagues in Europe. You work after dinner so that you can get an update from your colleagues in China.

You feel you don’t spend enough time with your family. You feel that you’re chained to your paycheck.

Days past. Months past. Years past. The same old stuff.

You suddenly wake up one day. What am I doing? Why am I wasting my time? Don’t I deserve better than this?

Don’t wait until you have a major life crisis to wake up.

Don’t repeat the same old stuff.

If you find yourself saying "the same old stuff" to others, you’re having a problem.

You need to have an identity outside of work.

You need to feel motivated, active, and stimulated everyday.

I challenge you to step out of your comfort zone and try new things:

• Take an Outward Bound Adult Renewal class such as Blue Ridge Mountains Backpacking and Rock Climbing.
• Pick up a magazine in a subject area that you never had any interest in the past. Read it cover to cover. 
• Start attending Toastmaster meetings and set a goal to become Able Toastmaster (ATM) in two years.
• Moonlighting for 10 hours each week at a job that you’re truly passionate about. You might earn no or very little money, but you’ll find the experience energizing.
• Start blogging consistently for 30 days to share your thoughts, feeling, and insights with your friends and the public. You’ll be surprised by how much fun blogging will bring to you. 
• Devote 90 days to go through the P90X workout program.
• Take a dream Vocation Vacation to learn to be an actor, an animation TV producer, a baker, a brew master, a Broadway director, etc.
• Go to live and work abroad.
• Take a Tango class.
• Learn to play an instrument.
• Take classes to become a paramedic.

The list goes on and on. But, the key message is that instead of repeating the same old stuff, it’s up to you to inject energy, excitement, and fulfillment into your own life and career.

Friends: Life is too short. Live your life fully.