April 9, 2020 | by David March.
Generally, I am a positive and optimistic person, tending to look at things ideally. This is more than just positive thinking – being an idealist shaped the way I approached my career and what my journey looked like. It isn’t unique to me, though; a new consciousness of value is beginning in all areas of the free market. You can see it in the way we eat, drink, and live – people are starting to believe in a better way.
On the flip side, let’s think about McDonald’s, with their iconic sign declaring that over 100 billion people have been served. McDonald’s is the epitome of a giant corporation focused on quantity rather than the value of their product. It’s all about how many products can we sell, how can we sell more, and how can we extend our reach. This is prevalent in all the major industries – the key point is the focus on mass production.
When we turn back to the concept of idealism, we see that there has been an emergence of businesses that are following a different path: quality over quantity. These are the people who believe in a better way and are working to make it a reality. Instead of thinking about how much beer they could sell, micro-breweries emerged out of wanting to create the ideal beer. Small local bakeries grew out of the same thought process about pastries, bread, and cakes. What about making the most nutritious and delicious foods? Farm-to-table restaurants have that covered.
The cultural answer to modern-day industrialism is the small quantity, high-quality approach. These artisans make their products in small batches, with more attention to detail (watching the brewing temperature, adding in one teaspoon of a spice that will change the entire pastry, or delivering freshly picked produce same-day to local restaurants), really focusing on all the variables that add up to a delicious food or beverage. They are different because they hone their efforts and master their crafts; thus, the artisanal movement is born.
My journey into idealism
Going through high school, I found that the public-school system followed the same industrious, mass-production mindset. There wasn’t any proper guidance for students because the counselors were overworked, working at a ratio of 300 students to one counselor, if they were lucky.
High schools were just not equipped to give individualized, one-on-one coaching. All faculty members would ask of you was what college were you going to, what courses were you going to take, what’s the course load, and does that college have your major? Everything was designed to shuttle you to college.
In the same way, college was another assembly line towards a major and, eventually, a career. My experience was that the coursework of my psychology classes was seemingly unconnected to what I wanted to do. I found it to be focused on neuroscience, the anatomy and chemistry of the brain, biology, and genetics.
However, I was more interested in things like the placebo effect, theories of mind, a practical understanding about what makes people happy, the tenacity and strength of the human spirit, and personality types and how they affect our everyday decision-making.
My educational experience was, like so many other things in America, based on quantity. So, I made the conscious decision to shift that thinking within myself and work to change it wherever I could. I wanted to help those in need of career guidance; those who, like me, felt like they were on an assembly line to a future in which they had little choice.
I began with my own career – what would my ideal career look like? I knew I wanted to be the best at what I did and help others do the same. I wanted to truly embody artisanal, craft thinking.
From this point, I looked at my experiences and discovered I could provide individuals with guidance on their ideal career path – I could become a coach.
To educate myself on the field, I studied the background of Joseph Campbell by reading The Hero’s Journey and The Power of Myth. The latter book consisted of interviews with Campbell that were conducted while he was the lead story consultant for George Lucas on the set of “Star Wars.”
I learned about passion, purpose and strategy from books like Joseph Campbell’s Pathways to Bliss, Thomas Cleary’s Samurai Wisdom: Lessons from Japan’s Warrior Culture andSun Tzu’s The Art of War. Through these works, I also became engaged in Eastern philosophy and Buddhism.
I then delved into personality types and their meaning through The Undiscovered Self and Psychological Type by Carl Jung. The personality-type rabbit hole eventually led me to be a personality practitioner of the Myers-Briggs (MBTI) and enroll in an extensive, year-long coaching program by iPEC (Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching). After that, I attended Tony Robbins’s “Unleash the Power Within.”
After engaging in such a broad range of research, I decided to write a book about my findings. That undertaking gave me a huge amount of insight into the struggles we all go through, especially when transitioning to a new career or taking a risk on something we’re passionate about.
How is my experience valuable and how can it be used to help others?
Throughout my journey, I learned a lot of lessons. Above all else, I came away with an understanding of how to deal with the ups and downs of searching for the ideal career while maintaining a steady job and a positive outlook. Juxtaposing the optimistic with the realistic scenarios in our mind helps us maintain a healthy outlook on our situation. This process fuels the middle-ground mindset that is necessary for strategic thinking and, ultimately, your success.
In my field, the heart is the most important: the emotions behind what we do and the decisions we make. My studies in Eastern philosophy, alongside traditional Western philosophy, helped round out my worldview. I can see a more complete picture of how things work together and how you fit in the scheme of your vision.
I currently work in the staffing industry as a generalist, so I get to know and understand many different positions and how they function in the real world. I get to hear the struggles from both sides: the employer and the employee. I have a complete understanding of what makes a good career and which types of careers work best with which personalities.
Just like I did with my own career, I can distill down all the variables in your life. Together, we can create a map for your future to guide you in the direction of your dreams. In working with me, you’ll learn from my own mistakes, gain a better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of your personality, and discover the true path for your life.
To take the next step, schedule a call with me at https://calendly.com/coachdavemarch
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