4 Important Pieces Of Career Advice I Learned While Interning With Ryan Holiday

When I landed an editorial internship with Ryan Holiday in 2018, I felt like I made it. Fame and wealth were on the way!

At the time, I felt like I had accomplished what was necessary and was on my way to the top. What I didn’t know at the time was the heroic responsibility that comes with this type of work, and I momentarily lost sight of my purpose.

What I learned is that the life-changing writing work we do as authors, writers, transformers, and creators is why we do it

It’s not about getting famous and wealthy. It’s truly not. 

It’s about becoming the best version of ourselves and creating work that helps others do the same. The fame and wealth, if meant to be, are by-products.

Now, as you adventure toward your purpose, your why, here are four things I learned while interning with Ryan Holiday that may serve as guides.

Read on, here.

This article was first published on the Collective World website.

Where are you going?

“If you don’t know where you are going any road can take you there” 
― Lewis Carroll

Alice wandered around wonderland for awhile, not knowing where she was going. She experienced extraordinary wonders beyond belief, but she didn’t know what they all meant.

She didn’t know where she was going – she didn’t have a planned destination, so that is exactly what she experienced in wonderland.

Once you realize your dream, keep them with you. Your dreams are roadmaps on route to your destination, and they are yours for a reason.

Believe in your dreams, and watch them come true.

Ask Quality Questions

“Quality questions create a quality life. Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers.”
Tony Robbins

What does it mean to ask a quality question?

Well, that’s a good question. If you have the answer please write it in the comments! 🙂

Quality questions for you might be different for someone else.

What does a quality life look like for you?

Begin here, and oh the places you’ll go…

To Break or Not To Break?

“The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.”
—Ernest Hemingway

Personally, I’m just thinking about whether to break from writing every day to writing once a week – or something like that.

But in relation to the Hemingway quote, yes, the world breaks us all. 

“Life is suffering” said Buddha.

& it’s true. Life hurts. We all go through it. Your pain is valid.

The question is, where will you go from here?

What did you learn from your pain? 

What are you still learning from it?

We are never too old to learn something new.

An old dog can learn new tricks. 

It’s a matter of patience, persistence, and humility, to name a few, but the list goes on.

Reclaim Your Mind

“Reclaim your mind and get it out of the hands of the cultural engineers who want to turn you into a half-baked moron consuming all this trash that’s being manufactured out of the bones of a dying world.”
― Terence McKenna

Culture wants you to conform.

It wants you to blindly obey.

But you were born to be free.

You were born with a mind to think for yourself.

This is extremely difficult in societies that aggressively attack non-conformists.

“For nonconformity the world whips you with its displeasure.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

This choice is yours.

And yes, if you choose to think for yourself you will lose friends. Some family members may disown you. But what you will find in this process is the truth.

You will find genuine support from the few who are living their truths as well.

It is a risk, but it is a risk worth taking, and a risk that might possibly save the world.

Adversity is a Gift

“Let me embrace thee, sour adversity, for wise men say it is the wisest course.”
—William Shakespeare 

You lost the election.

You bet on the wrong stock.

You missed the game winning field goal.

You fell down face first into a pile of mud.

And it hurt. 

It still does sometimes.

But you weren’t meant to remain in pain.

The pain – the adversity, is an opportunity to grow, to learn, to prosper, but in the moments it happens it’s almost impossible to appreciate.

Adversity doesn’t feel good, but it carries within it a gift.

The gift of experience.

“Experience is the teacher of all things.”
—Julius Caesar

The gift may be hidden, but it’s there, waiting for you to find it, open it, & move forward – stronger, wiser, and ready for the next opportunity.

Turn Inaction into Action

“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer the negative elements in your life, don’t sit at home and think about it. Go out and get busy!”
— Dale Carnegie

Overthinking is one of the root causes of inaction.

The best way to overcome this is to just take action.

If your thoughts & feelings are holding you back from taking right action, it’s time to break on through to the other side.

You do this, like Nike says, by just doing it.

Everyone feels fear.

Everyone worries.

But in this moment, it’s time for right action.

Simplify, Simplify, Simplify

“Nature is pleased with simplicity. And nature is no dummy.” 
Isaac Newton

Nature appears to be meditating all the time. It is still. It doesn’t worry about anything yet it accomplishes its task.

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” 
Lao Tzu

We’ve been educated to worry, but what if we didn’t? 

What if for at least one day we didn’t worry about anything – like Bob Marley sings.

My challenge for you is for one day this week, think about what it would be like to not worry about anything at all.

Simply live.

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”
Leonardo da Vinci