Learn how saving more money isn’t always the answer and what’s possible when you look at something as an experiment. Stephen Warley also explains his belief that the nature of work is changing.

 

Stephen Warley runs a community and weekly podcast called Life Skills That Matter.  He believes work as we know it is changing. Stephen is on a mission to spread that message and help people prepare for it.

Important Highlights and Takeaways

  • Self-employment is a more natural way of being human and being 100% yourself
  • Trying self-employment for a year will teach you more than you ever imagined
  • Working for yourself makes you more attractive to future employers should you decide that self-employment is not for you
  • Working for yourself is a shift in self-identity
  • The hardest question you’ll ever answer for yourself is “What do I want?”
  • The industrial revolution let us put off thinking about and getting clear about what we really want
    • Technology we have created is now forcing us to answer it
    • What we really want will translate into the work we do
  • If you are feeling overwhelmed by a big project or a dream you have, write out a recipe for you what you think is involved:
    • What are all the ingredients you think you need?
    • What do do you think the steps are?
    • Who can you ask for help?
    • What’s the smallest next step you can take (even if it feels too small)?
  • You are self-employed the minute you decide to work on your own terms
  • Make calendar appointments with yourself–YOU are your most important customer
  • Be aware of past failings or disappointments you may be interpreting the future with
  • Looking at John’s next step as an “experiment” opened up so many new possibilities because there could be no “failure”
    • This is the future of work
    • Increasing uncertainty will require continuous iteration
    • Self-reflection becomes an important part of this process as well
  • Each week Stephen checks in with himself (self-reflection) to evaluate what is working and what is not working
  • If experiencing a series of negative thoughts, write them all out and get clear on what’s going on
  • Being stuck is a positive thing
    • It doesn’t mean something is wrong with you
    • Acknowledge it as a sign that something needs to change

If You’re at a Company

  • How can you start showing up now as an entrepreneur or consultant at your company now?
    • How could that change your mindset and the way you approach your work?
  • Get really clear on how much money you (not anyone else) need each month to live
    • “Your Number” is your number–it’s person specific
    • Provides freedom and clarity by breaking fears down into real numbers
    • This helps dictate how many customers you need or what your projected monthly income needs to be
    • You might be surprised to learn that the amount you need is much less than you assumed
  • Tuning your resume is the wrong first step in the job search process.  Instead:
    • Get really clear and define the type of work you want to do and are passionate about
    • Find companies doing the kind of work you want to do
    • Tailor your resume to those desires

Resources

Credits

All songs licensed under Creative Commons