877. Pivoting From Politics to Broadcasting

Ken Coleman

“There had been a real change in the nation’s politics. I began to question everything about it. Is that the space that I want to be in? Because when you have this expectation and idealistic expectation–as I certainly did–and then it doesn’t pan out that way, it can really make you question everything.”

Ken Coleman is a number one national bestselling author, career expert, and a nationally syndicated radio host of the Ken Coleman Show. Pulling from his own personal struggles, missed opportunities and career successes, he helps people discover what they were born to do and provides practical steps to make their dream job a reality. His second book, “The Proximity Principle: The Proven Strategy That Will Lead to the Career You Love,” was released in 2019.

The Most Impactful Turning Point?

“I had a public call all my life. I wanted to communicate for a living, to communicate to help people. But instead of through the political spectrum in the political arena, I changed to broadcasting. It obviously was not as political, and you can really influence a lot of people and not get hung up in the politics of what you’re saying. You are able to say what you want to say. So that began the pivot, if you will, from politics to broadcasting.”

The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?

1. There’s a scourge of seven figure earners in the United States that are miserable. So success truly isn’t it. It’s significance. Significance is in our sweet spot at the intersection of what we do best and what we love to do most. Human beings, in my belief, were created to work. And I don’t mean to be a workaholic. I mean to make a contribution. That is what everybody longs for. Do I matter and am I making a difference in this world?

2. What do you do best? What has always come easy for you in your life? What do people compliment you on? We know this inherently. Just make the list. Let your heart inform your brain. You know these things. If you’re stuck, go talk to people who know you best, who can speak to these things.

3. Get clarity on the answers to these three questions
– Who do you most want to help?
– What problem do you most want to solve?
– What solution do you most want to provide?
If you ask yourself those questions on a daily basis in quiet time with no one
distracting you, your brain will do what it was designed to do, which is begin to find
the answers once you’re focused on the right questions.

4. Then ask yourself: What do I think my primary role is in work? Am I a fixer? Am I a conductor? Am I a leader? Am I an organizer? Am I a cheerleader? Am I a counselor? Come up with a word. It doesn’t have to be the perfect word, but it is a
word that really describes that role. When you get this answer done, then it’s okay. “I know what my sweet spot is, I know what my role is.”

5. Once you know your role, you will need to explore many different ways you can do that. What you’ll find is there are multiple career paths, certainly 10 times the
number of jobs, if you will, that would allow you to live that life of tremendous
meaning in your work.