Be the man in the arena

How I became the man in the arena…. and created my dream job

"Your time is limited, don't waste it living someone else's life." - Steve Jobs  

The amphitheater brimmed with energy and the thrum of a massive crowd.

A fierce sun pierced my vision, while the scorching sands beneath seared the soles of my feet.

The very air pulsated with the crowd's anticipation.

A whisper of death sang past, as a spear narrowly missed its mark—merely caressing a strand of my hair before finding solace in the ancient wall half a second later.

That is, it would have if any of this were real.

But this battle, this arena, was just a metaphor.

In real life, I was about to step into the arena of intentional risk-taking, create my dream job, and get time back with my family.

Backstory

I took a job with a robotics company over the Spring as an advanced control systems engineer.

It was going to be perfect: 20% max travel, stock units, and a high salary.

"You'll be a VP in a couple of years." the recruiter assured me.

My current job was boring, and I was aching for a challenge.

So I seized the opportunity. 

And regretted it 3 months later. 

20% travel turned into 85%. 

My baby son’s 1st summer was flying by. 

And I was missing it traveling all over the US at a moment’s notice for 2-4 weeks at a time.

But the worst part was observing the people I worked with. 

Most were 20 years older than me and had been doing this for their whole career. Miserable, stressed, and complaining all the time.

Definitely not a future I wanted. 

Transformation

The final shoe dropped one Friday night. 

My boss texted me: “I need you in Austin first thing Monday morning.”

Ok, fine.

The problem was, I just got back from a 2-week trip to GA and was looking forward to enjoying the next week with my family.

I remember thinking: “No one is coming to save me. If this is going to change, I’ve got to make it happen.”

The seed of an idea took root in my mind at that moment:

I was going to make my own luck, and make up a job at my old company.

So the next night at the hotel in TX, I:

• ideated my ideal job (director level, business development, minimal travel)

• wrote down my qualifications for it (years of independent contribution to the niche area, management experience with dozens of direct reports at a time, and experience running my own business)

• identified a need I could fill for the company I was targeting and had worked with before (“here is a portfolio area that you could grow in with this strategy”)

• wrote a pitch that combined all of these elements ("Here's what you need and here's what I can do.")

The next day on my lunch break, I went out to my car and cold DM’d the CEO of the company.

Stepping into the arena

I remember it like it was yesterday: sitting in a rented Nissan Versa (garbage, company mandated rental) with my hard hat and safety vest on.

Nervous as heck.

But I sent the message.

The thoughts going through my head at the time: 

• “This guy is going to laugh me off the phone.” 

• “I’m not qualified for this position I’m trying to sell.” 

• “If I quit my job at this company, why would they want me back?”

• “What will people think if I quit my current job 3-4 months in?”

But I was hours away, by plane, from my family, with no end in sight. 

And I was confident in my ability to execute the job I was proposing.

So this combination of confidence and desperation propelled me out of the stands and into the arena.

I made the call, and my pitch.

And he agreed to another meeting!

After many more meetings, 6 months later I started working a position that I had made up. 

I had my dream job. And my life back.

No more month long trips away from my family.

No more 14 hour days.

And no more soul-sucking complacency.

I never would have taken this chance if I were waiting for someone to come save me.

I didn't just let my job situation continue as it was, but had to step into the arena and take intentional action to change my life.

How to be the man in the arena

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles… The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly…" - Theodore Roosevelt  

You’ll never know unless you ask. You’ll never make the destination if you don’t take the first step. You’ll never 

Put yourself out there.

Get uncomfortable.

Make sure that you keep your values and principles at the front of any decision you make. 

No one is going to look out for you, that’s your job. 

And the people that are in the stands, their opinion doesn’t matter.

You are making it happen by facing your opponent and fighting for what you believe.

And win or lose, that’s the best place to be.