Week 385 (brendan@brendanbarca.com)

Here's your weekly dose of Fuel Your Mind Friday where I share business building ideas, lifestyle design hacks, and inspirational content to help you thrive in your work and find purpose in your life.

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PSA: My wife, Pema Sherpa, and I have another blog called The Mindful Minute! Check it out.

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CREATING THE LAWS OF YOUR CAREER UTOPIA

Too often in life, we settle for "good enough."

We stay in a high-paying job even though we don't like the work.

We work for an uninspiring manager for years because they're easygoing.

We take a new job that sounds "OK" just because we don't think something better will come along.

But this mentality of settling leads us to large stretches of life where we're living below our potential.

And, over time, this can stunt our growth and lead to unfulfilling work or even burnout.

No matter where we are in our careers, this mentality is a risk for all of us.

Luckily, entrepreneur and author, Derek Sivers, created a system to guard against this settler's mentality.

Derek founded, grew, and sold his company, CD Baby for $22M.

But he did this all within, what he called, the laws of his "Business Utopia."

As Derek grew his company, he created laws for his business to ensure he was creating something that aligned with his dream.

At the inception of his company, he wrote down 10 laws that would help him create a company he loved - instead of one he despised.

In the coming years, any time he made a decision he consulted with his laws.

This way of doing things didn't always lead CD Baby to faster growth or more money, but it kept Derek sane and happy

For example, Derek would not think of decisions in a "Yes" or "No" framework.

But rather, he'd ask himself, "Is this a 'hell yes?'"

If it wasn't, then it was a "No."

Following Derek's advice, I started my own business utopia laws a couple of years ago.

Now, for every big decision I need to make, I consult my laws first.

But you don't need to have a business to create your own laws.

Instead, you could create the laws of your "Career Utopia."

To help you get started, I've shared the "10 Laws of My Business Utopia" below.

Use this list as a starting point for creating your own laws. Then refer back to your laws each quarter to make sure you're staying true to your vision.

The 10 Laws of My Business Utopia:

Law #1: Help clients achieve their dreams above all else

You got into this business to make magic happen, and that's what your clients deserve

Law #2: All clients, business partners and employees must embody these four traits:

Authenticity
Generosity
Respectfulness
Inspiring

Law #3: When making business decisions: If it's not a "Hell Yeah" then it's a "No"!

Only commit to things that you REALLY want to do

Law #4: Do what makes you happy, not what makes more money

Freedom of time & location > money & commitment

Law #5: Grow slowly and carefully, not recklessly.

Foundation must be strong for the business to last

Law #6: Only work with people or corporations who are 110% sure they want to work with you

Don't settle for people who are "half-in and half-out" -> This will serve no one

Law #7: Always give more than you take

Giving to others will cause the ripple effect you want to see in the world

Law #8: Only do it if it FEELS right

Listen to your body when making decisions. Your gut is your compass. Not your mind/ ego

Law #9: Do what you love each day and delegate or drop the rest

You got into this to make life better. Life is your daily activities

Law #10: Build a simpler life

Don't build a trap. Remember you are building this to create a better work-life, not a worse one

Now, it's your turn. What are the laws you'd put in place to govern your ideal career or your ideal business? By creating these laws for yourself, you might just find that a "utopian" career is possible after all.

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Thanks for subscribing,

- Brendan

Let's connect on LinkedIn!

brendanbarca.com

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