Michael Lewis on When to Jump

Aug 20, 2019

When Mike Lewis was twenty-four and working in a prestigious corporate job, he eagerly wanted to leave and pursue his dream of becoming a professional squash player. But he had questions: When is the right time to move from work that is comfortable to a career you have only dared to dream of? How have other people made such a jump? What did they feel when making that jump—and afterward?
 
Mike sought guidance from others who had “jumped,” and the responses he got—from a banker who started a brewery, a publicist who became a Bishop, a garbage collector who became a furniture designer, and on and on—were so clear-eyed and inspiring that Mike wanted to share what he had learned with others who might be helped by those stories. First, though, he started playing squash professionally.

“(Mental health) is of the utmost importance before all else.” -Michael Lewis

In this interview we'll cover:

• What we need to do to nourish the soul.
• The importance of understanding what you’re really made of.
• Getting to the root of who you are.
• The key to knowing what feeds your soul, and going about doing that.
• Everyone defines happiness and contentment differently.
• What do you get out of bed for in the morning?
• The joy of taking calculated risks.
• The story you want to tell, for yourself.
• Letting yourself be lucky before you take the jump, and jumping anyway.
• Pushing through an aversion to risk.