North Star Writers Group

You can learn by observing others. When I was 17 years old, I thought I wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon. So I took advantage of an offer to shadow the Milwaukee Brewers’ team doctor for a day. I expected to watch surgeries and meet baseball players. Instead, this is what I experienced.

There were no surgeries to watch. There were no baseball stadiums to visit. There were just countless examination room doors to open and close. We visited patients in his office all day long – more than I can remember. I knew the visits were important. My own orthopedic doctors helped me many times. I just didn’t realize how much of a doctor’s week was spent in the office. I learned in one day that the path of a doctor was not for me.

Who will you observe this year to test an interest of yours? Don’t romanticize an interest. Investigate it.

You can learn by asking others. Meet with people who love what they do in your company. Ask them what excites them about their work. Ask them how they discovered their passion. Ask them what they did to reach this point in their career. You will learn a lot about yourself as you listen to their stories. You will also expand and deepen your relationships at work as a result. The colleagues you interview will feel appreciated by your interest.

When I was at Yahoo!, one of the many people I respected and admired was Kirk Froggatt, former vice president of human resources. Kirk loved any activity that helped inspire and develop Yahoo! employees. One day he joined me for lunch. At the time I was running Yahoo!’s Customer Care Division.

We talked for two hours. He then gave me a book. I read it over one weekend. And then, over the ensuing months, I read Kirk’s white papers, plans, and recommended books. I loved everything he sent to me. And along the way, I discovered that my true path was in the field of learning and development. One year later, I moved into a full-time role leading the training organization at Yahoo!. It started with a lunch.

With whom will you meet this year? Be humble. Reach out.

You can learn by the example of others. In 1917, my grandfather lived in Brunswick, Maine. He worked as a bookkeeper for the Bath Iron Works, the largest shipbuilder in the country at the time. He worked long hours. He lived at home. He had no extra money. He had an elementary-school education. And he dreamed of becoming an accountant.

Despite his circumstances, my grandfather found a way to pursue his dream. He adhered to a motto: “I can. I will.” My grandfather borrowed the correspondence course books that his older brother had purchased years earlier to study accounting. He set aside two hours every night after work to read the books and take the practice tests – without looking at his brother’s answers. My grandfather would then clear his mind with a walk, and then go to bed. For two years, he followed this plan. In 1919, my grandfather passed the State of Maine accounting exam.

The original certificate conferring my grandfather’s right to practice accounting hangs in my parents’ living room. It reminds my family what you can achieve when you make time for pursuing your true path.

Whose example will you emulate this year? Learn from their journey.

One key to discovering your true path is to let other people teach you. Observe them. Ask them. Emulate them.

Email David your thoughts and stories at david@themomentumproject.com.

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