“” — Theodore N. Vail

We recently blogged about Tim Ferriss' decision to stop his startup advising activities. In that post, he outlined a fantastic strategy to overcome imaginary difficulties: list them all.

First, take an honest look at your work and the structure of your role. Can you be replaced by any of the following?

  • a college student who’s willing to study and work 24/7 to get traction?
  • someone more experienced than you in your field?
  • a fresh grad who’ll do the work for less than you?
  • a technology like artificial intelligence, robotics, drones?
  • a suite of software programs?

What about five years from now? Do you think your role will be replaced by anything listed above? What about ten years from now?

The world is changing at a rapid place, and most of our core jobs are going to change a long with it. Some might disappear entirely. Rather than defining your career by a job role, you should find your unique voice -- the way you contribute value to the world, regardless if your specific job role. Then, find a way to do just that and get paid for it.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

  • What message do you have?
  • What do the people closest to you count on you for?
  • What are you doing today to communicate that message in a bigger, better way?

Imaginary, real, or something in between -- your difficulties can be overcome.

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