Five With Flores

A few weeks ago I blogged about being nervous before giving a presentation in Florida.

Part of the reason I was so stressed out is because I have really wanted to steer my career in a slightly different direction for a couple of months and I considered this speaking opportunity a grand step in exactly that right direction. I ended up being a big hit, but that is neither here nor there.

The more immediate reason I was stressed out, nervous, and so on before going up was Jonathan Fields.

Jonathan used to be a big time lawyer. He had one of those six figure jobs that they train you in this country you are supposed to grow up to want to have. He worked at one of the power firms in New York, handling bazillion dollar deals.

Until his body told him to stop.

Jonathan had a radical medical condition — a growth ended up having to be removed!!! — that he interprets as his body rejecting his career path.

So he decided to go from one day being a big shot lawyer to working as a personal trainer for $12 an hour.

No, he didn’t fall on his head or anything… He was learning the ropes of the fitness world. He transitioned personal training to becoming a fitness entrepreneur, had some associated adventures along the way, until finally opening his own yoga studio in the greatest city in the world.

… On September 10th, 2001.

Yikes!

So he took the biggest financial gamble of his career — his life — right as the New York economy was crumbling under the weight of the greatest tragedy ever to occur on American soil.

But Jonathan saw this as an opportunity to open his doors — for free initially — and help the New York community heal.

I’d say there was a happy ending (because he was eventually able to grow his yoga business to a great success)… but it was not an ending at all. Jonathan recently sold his stake in the yoga studio because he wants to write, blog, and Tweet full-time.

You see, he has become a kind of career chameleon.

Kind of appropriate to the turn I want to take in my own career, kind-of.

So what was the big problem?

Jonathan was up before I was.

On the one hand, he is this wonderful, earnest, and engaging speaker. A true inspiration for anyone who wants to take his own life by the horns and steer his ship to whatever beat of whatever drummer he wants… While making a fine living! Pretty great, right?

He’s an awfully tough act to follow.

Jonathan is one of those “quality human beings” who are just so honest and well-intentioned, out there to actually help you out.

Like I said, he’s an awfully tough act to follow.

So what does this have to do with anything?

Jonathan’s book, Career Renegade: How to Make a Great Living Doing What You Love is out on Amazon now.

Career Renegade is not just Jonathan’s story, it’s a system that anyone can use to… well… make a great living doing what they want! Jonathan has become famous for finding bloggers who make $200,000 from their kitchen tables or guys who play video games professionally. Sound fun?

Career Renegade is brand new so I haven’t read it yet, but I hope I’ve communicated one per cent of how inspiring a speaker he is. He has poured the last couple of years of his life into this effort, and I know that if you are looking to figure out how to discover the best path for yourself — “bad economy” or not — or find out how you can happily and successfully live towards your best destiny, the $11.20 is going to be a no-brainer.

Especially in this time of economic turmoil, where the news is declaring it “the worst financial situation since the Great Depression” every night, you might want a little Career Renegade in your back pocket.

I’ll write a more proper review of the book once I’ve actually read it, but Jonathan Fields? The guy, the speaker, the Renegade has my highest recommendation.

LOVE
MIKE

(I’m guessing you’ll love this)