The View

03/09/2016

I walked into the immaculate elevator and requested the top floor.

46 flights later, I found myself in a large, quiet lobby with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Chicago’s Loop and Lakefront. It’s a familiar sight that never ceases to mesmerize me. I was lured to the windows. I paused. For a moment, everything was calm.

“Can I help you?” a voice interrupted my daydream.

There were two women in the lobby overseeing the front desk which elegantly sat in the back third of the room. They likely watched me drift past them. If I was dressed any more casually, they may have called security. Instead, we began bantering about how amazing it must be to work from that space everyday. Finally, they kindly asked, “Are you here just to admire the view or do you have an appointment?”

I told them I was there to meet with one of the partners of the prestigious law firm.

“I’ll call and let him know you’re here.”

Soon I was greeted by two men in pristine suits. I quickly wondered if I belonged there. But as we began our conversation seated at the long wooden conference table, their gracious tone and genuine interest in Ei put me at ease. We placed one of Ei’s advisors on speaker phone and for the next hour discussed an array of matters regarding our legal affairs. It was one-part checkup and one-part exploration of our next steps.

Throughout the meeting, I interrupted several times to ask for the definition of a term or explanation of a concept. With every question, I had to admit my own lack of knowledge. But I didn’t want to. I wanted to shy away from questions and nod as if I knew what they were saying. However, the more honest and curious I was, the more interested they were in helping. By the end of our conversation, we had established next steps for the coming season.

That’s a picture of most of my meetings these days – sitting with people who are more experienced, financially successful, and incredibly well put together. I often find myself wishing everything in my world was further along. Instead I’m asking 100 questions and fixing countless little mistakes. Where I want to be is consistently ten steps further than where I am.

If you’re taking any type of Leap, you’ve decided to get out of your comfort zone, which means you’ll have moments of feeling that way as well. You’ll move through days and months of questioning yourself or doing work that’s not quite the quality you’d envisioned. The more important the leap is to you and others, the more you’ll feel it.

In the words of Ira Glass, fight your way through that.

Keep going through the conversations where you feel uncertain. Face the decisions that seem grand. Rather than being frustrated that you haven’t “arrived,” let your curiosity shine through and remember where you hope to land. With each thing you make and attempt, you will take a small step forward. You’ll learn more about your craft, your world, and yourself. Which means wherever you land and however long it takes, you’ll be better off than when you began. And I promise…at times, the view will be amazing.

Keep Leaping,
Victor