Ready, set – leap! Preparing now to leap at the right time later
Hear about our conversation with Dan Volgenau and how he's prepared for leaps not knowing when they might come by prioritizing self-reflection, taking advantage of catalysts, and maintaining perspective.
We recently spoke with Dan Volgenau, Marketing Manager at Lifetimely. Dan’s leaps have been far and wide, spanning continents and major personal and professional life choices. Some of Dan’s leaps have been intentional and planned, others were more spontaneous and opportunistic, but three elements have characterized and helped prepare Dan for these big leaps -
- Prioritizing self-reflection and learning
- Taking advantage of catalysts
- Maintaining perspective
Prioritizing self-reflection and learning
When Dan was frustrated with his job and trying to figure out what was next, he introspected as he tried to figure out what was next. He read self-help books, listened to a wide range of podcasts trying to understand himself and to explore other areas. Through his research, he heard the advice to ask himself, “Which of your contemporaries among your peer group are you most jealous of?” While the framing sounds negative, Dan saw this as a positive in terms of thinking about people his age with roughly the same amount of ‘experience’ as him but whose lives he wished he could swap places with – in contrast with being jealous of peers who made a lot of money but whose lives or work did not interest him. By reflecting on who came to mind, he realized one thing they had in common was living abroad, traveling, and having an adventurous lifestyle. By putting in the work to look inwards, find resources, and reflect on what he was learning, Dan was able to reach a new sense of clarity on his path and the leap he wanted to take.
Taking advantage of catalysts
Once Dan had more of an idea of what he was seeking, he took advantage of the catalysts that provided the perfect opportunity to make these leaps. When he received a call from a friend in Vietnam, he felt fully prepared to quit his job and look for something in a new country. When he met with people in Vietnam and they suggested he move to Austin to freelance, he took that leap to advance professionally. And then when he found a professional opportunity to work in South East Asia or remotely around the world, he leapt back. When these inflection points presented themselves, Dan was ready to jump in headfirst because he had already done the work to know what he was looking for in a leap. Other events also served as catalysts, such as when he realized he needed more financial stability than freelancing could provide, and so in other ways Dan was his own catalyst, realizing when he needed to make a change and then seeking it out. In some ways, it can be easier to wait for a ‘sign’ of when to make a leap – so when that sign came, Dan was ready, and when it wasn’t, Dan figured out for himself when he needed to make a change.
Maintaining perspective
Dan’s demeanor when talking about his adventures all over the world and the ups and downs of his experiences working in different organization is quite striking, as he tells what seems like quite scary and nerve-wracking stories with a sense of calm. When asked about what helps Dan maintain this level of ‘zen’, it was twofold – one was his philosophy on work and how it has changed over time, and the other was his perspective on the downside. For the first, his philosophy on work was originally prioritizing his lifestyle outside of work, and so he was ok with having a less than stimulating profession if he could live the lifestyle he wanted. His approach has since changed and developed as he’s found more purpose and fulfillment from work. In terms of perspective on the downside, he knew that the worst thing that would happen to him in a role was that he might get fired, but that he knew he still had a set of foundational skills and could find other work. While he has a certain amount of privilege that this was his worst-case scenario, the exercise of envisioning the downside is helpful in determining risk tolerance and capacity before making a leap.
Dan’s career journey is ‘non-traditional’ though it may be coming a bit more common with remote work becoming the norm. Regardless of his career path, the insights of how he’s made leaps and what have been guiding forces, catalysts, and enablers are still extremely useful in thinking about leaps and how best to prepare for them.
Photo by Fabio Comparelli on Unsplash
