We get jobs. We work in a particular field.
We move on, either by our choice or others.
We are faced with a choice.
We can follow the logical path. Stay in or close to our field. Connect with our network. Find something similar.
Or
We can follow the illogical path. Try something radical. Move outside of comfort. Apply the lessons and skills from one industry to another. Go work for ourselves.
During a recent breakfast discussion, as I listened to the plan for the new career, the new job, the new approach, and most of it was on the logical path.
They know people, they have experience, so they keep following the logical path.
It made sense. I kept listening.
“It all makes sense to me. But (pause) what if you spent 25% of the time you are planning to spend down the logical path in a different direction? What if you scheduled one-quarter of this effort down the illogical path?”
Throughout the rest of the conversation, it was fun to notice their body language and tone of voice. Whenever they spoke of something on the illogical path, they lit up. They leaned in, they were excited.
I shared a story about a close friend who is a writer. For most of their career, they found jobs writing. It was the logical path.
But the logical path, the seemingly safe choice, had its price. They were not very satisfied.
The writer friend recently followed the illogical path. They now have this weird hard-to-describe job that is cool, challenging, and new (frankly this job sounds super-spy like so I like to pretend that I am meeting with a spy when we have breakfast).
Which path are you following?
Sometimes the illogical path may be worth taking.
Carl Weber Consulting 