by Ajani Husbands
I read Forbes Magazine… and it is way above my pay grade. For example, the magazine is littered with advertisements for jet cards, which is like a timeshare for jets, starting at $60,000 for 25 hours. The Forbes subscription also comes with a subscription to Forbes Life, which is, as you might guess from the name, a lifestyle magazine for Forbes readers. And, although the magazine features luxury items such as a $180,000 hooded fleece made of pure gold (not kidding here) or a $30,000 stone bathtub, Forbes Life speaks directly to me. Strange, but true. What makes Forbes Life so appealing is that it doesn’t just feature luxury items that seem galaxies away. The magazine focuses on the individuals who produce such items, and all of these individuals have one thing in common: dedication to quality.
Probably the majority of people reading this blog would describe themselves as young professionals. Maybe you work at Accenture or JP Morgan. Maybe you are a resident in med school or have an entry or mid-level position on capitol hill. Or maybe you are an entrepreneur starting your own NGO or corporation. The idea though is that you are young, full of energy and innovation, and feel unstoppable. That is the first step to a Forbes Life, and unfortunately that’s where it ends for most people.
As we get older, we become more sensible and get attached to security. We by and large find it safer to stick with a company than strike out on our own. We’d rather seek the security of earning an additional degree and a guaranteed pay raise than take a leap of faith into the unknown. Even the fields we go into are exciting at first but are eventually humdrum. Real estate. Corporate law. Government and politics. Consultancy. And we stick with this humdrum reality because we believe it will get us to the point where Forbes Magazine truly applies to our living standards. One day we’ll have the $5,000 watch or maybe the $60,000 jet card.
But just because we have it, doesn’t make it a lifestyle. You can only grasp a Forbes lifestyle when you strike out on your own along a dedicated path. The guy who makes the $30,000 stone bath tubs dedicates his whole life to the process. He doesn’t just chisel bathtubs; he creates an experience. The same goes for the man making the solid gold hooded fleece (seriously… could NOT make this thing up). And that’s what a Forbes lifestyle is, an experience.
Basically what I’m talking about is doing you. In life, we eventually forgo our deepest ambitions and talents and trade it in for security and comfort. And for some of us, our comfort levels reach a level of luxury, and that’s fine. Nonetheless, that luxury often comes at the cost of personal fulfillment.
So what is doing you? Is it your artistic abilities? Photography? Sketching? Your uncanny ability to be innovative in any situation? Your distinct knowledge of World War II era comic books? Doing you is taking what it is you love and doing it at a level of quality that far surpasses the norm. That is the Forbes Lifestyle.
For instance, if I were to do me right now, I’d blend my love for writing and my love for innovation and create the definitive writer’s retreat that would fully immerse writers of all variations (journalists, poets, novelists) into a creative space. That’s just one example (I have many definitions of doing me). And though I’m not doing me yet, there are steps I’m working on to get there asap:
1) Determine what you love. Often times we do what we’re good at, but not what we love. I love writing, but I work in politics. I may be pretty good at politics (I like to think so), but it’s not what I love.
2) Go Two Steps Higher Than What Exists. Since I love writing, it’d be easy to say “I want to write books.” But what is above that? If I loved basketball, I could be a player… or I could be a coach… or a manager… or design the next generation of basketball stadiums. There’s always more to what we love than what we see on the surface, and we have to fully explore it.
3) Do What Hasn’t Been Done. Jay-Z said “I can’t base what I want to be on what everybody isn’t.” In other words, just because it hasn’t been done, doesn’t mean that it’s not doable. On the contrary, it means that it’s out there waiting for you to do it.
4) Do Nothing Short of Absolutely Perfection. Whoever said perfection was impossible? That person was lying and did not know how to do them. Perfection is what defines doing you and is what will set you apart.
At the end of the day, doing you comes down to being 100% about what it is you love. And you know what… that’s also what defines being Esfac’e.
