Master a skill. Become the expert. Then watch the world move on. In the 1980s, I was an award-winning field engineer in Silicon Valley. Back then, fixing computers meant using voltmeters and oscilloscopes. Real diagnostic work. You had to know what you were doing. But by the end of the decade? It was all board swapping. Technical mastery wasn’t needed anymore. So I pivoted. In the ’90s, I became a network manager. Early on, building and maintaining a corporate network took serious expertise. Firewalls, IP addressing, routers. It was complex. By the end of the decade? Plug-and-play gear took over. By 2002, routers configured themselves. So I pivoted again. In the 2000s, I built a new career in online marketing. At the time, you had to hand-code websites, manually run SEO, and figure out email systems from scratch. It was hard and valuable. Now? AI writes your copy. Drag-and-drop builders create your site. Campaigns launch in a few clicks. Once again… The skill becomes irrelevant. Now I’m in my fourth arc, my Epic Encore. I coach men over 55 who are still pursuing their goals. They still want to contribute. They still have more to give. But they’re wondering what it looks like now after the titles fade and the tech leaves us behind. That’s why this month’s Mastermind Book Club pick hit me so hard. Modern Wisdom, Ancient RootsBy Dr. Srikumar Rao Chapter 6: The Identity Trap Dr. Rao’s insight is simple but powerful: Most of our stress, fear, and uncertainty comes from clinging to an identity that no longer fits. We spend decades building a professional identity. “I’m the tech guy.” “I’m the fixer.” “I’m the expert.” And when that role disappears? We don’t know who we are anymore. This chapter helped me see the pattern: I wasn’t grieving lost skills. I was grieving the loss of identity. Dr. Rao shows us how to let go of those old “I am” stories and reconnect with something deeper. Something more essential. He teaches that you are not your job title. You are not your résumé. And that’s the conversation we’re having live, with him, this month. 📅 Thursday, July 24🕦 11:30 AM PT / 2:30 PM ET 🎙️ Live with Dr. Srikumar Rao If you’re entering your next chapter and wondering who you are without the old title… If you still want to lead, contribute, and grow, but on your own terms… This call is for you. Hope to see you there, Ted |
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One of the most powerful stories in Barry Kleiman's "The Playground Principles" isn't actually about what happened on the playground. It's about the man who never set foot on it but shaped everything that happened there. The Blue-Collar Foundation Barry describes his father as a man who "never set foot on the blacktop" but "instilled the quiet, blue-collar examples of humility, effort, and always showing up." This father, captured in a cherished family photograph with Barry and his brothers,...
It's been a while. I've been battling some very challenging health issues. By far, the most challenging couple of months of my life, mentally and physically. I'm living a roller coaster of emotions, and my challenges are far from over. Luckily, I have a fantastic wife and two children who have been there for me. I also have a great friend, Barry Kleiman, who checks on me every day. Business is the last thing on my mind right now, but I want to keep my toe in the water while I battle through...
A few weeks ago, I couldn't walk more than a few steps. I'd fall to the floor, curl up in fetal position, feeling like I was still falling. For 21 days, I was bedridden with extreme vertigo in both ears, unable to work, unable to concentrate for more than a few seconds, unable to do the simplest things I'd always taken for granted. It was one of the most challenging periods of my life. But something unexpected happened as I began to recover. This obstacle that completely derailed my life...