In this episode we discuss what to do if you feel like you’re having a mid-life crisis every two years, the importance of staying grounded while you make big changes in your life, how to pivot your career and take “smart risks,” how to discover your strengths, and the right way to make big, exciting changes in your career with Jenny Blake.

Jenny Blake is a bestselling author, career and business strategist. Jenny began in the startup world and went on to work in Training and Career Development at Google before pivoting to pursue her own projects full time. She’s the author of Pivot: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One: and has been featured on TED, CNBC, Forbes, US World & News, and more!

We discuss: 

• What to do if you feel like you’re having a mid-life crisis every two years

• The importance of learning, growing, and making an impact

• How to find “pivot points” in your life and what to do when you find them

• The importance of staying grounded while you pivot and while you make big changes in your life

• The 4 stages of pivoting & how to take "smart risks”

• The comfort zone, the panic zone, and the stagnation zone

• The critical importance of finding your strengths

• Exercises that help you truly find your strengths

• The risk of “self assessment” strength tests and what you can do to find your strengths more effectively

• The critical importance of bolstering your bench

• “Frentors” and how they can create accountability and help you achieve your goals

• How finding people who are a few steps ahead of you can help you

• The “perpetual newbie state” and the critical importance of learning and growing

• Think of your career like a smartphone, not a ladder

• Why you don’t have to know what direction you’re heading in next, but you can try many directions and double down on the ones that are working the best

• The importance of "10% projects” and how you can find them either within your career or in entirely new spaces

• The “15 for 30” challenge and how you can transform your options

• Why you should revel in what others reject

• How someone else’s grunt work can be your area of genius

• The “3 Es” of Testing a new idea and how they can help you pick the right direction to move in

• How you can “flip failure”

• How defining failure can help you overcome the fear of it

• And much more!

Thank you so much for listening!

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SHOW NOTES, LINKS, & RESEARCH

• [Book] Pivot: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One by Jenny Blake

• [Website] Pivot Method

• [Book Site] StrengthsFinder

• [Personal Site] Jenny Blake

• [Website] Pivot Coaching

• [Website] RescueTime

• [Website] The Momentum Crew

• [Website] 16 Personalities - Free Personality Test

Episode Transcript