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Deep Dive with Ali AbdaalHow To Recreate Your Life And Career In 2023 - Paul Millerd
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WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT
Paul Millerd on Leaving the Default Career Path for Wonder
- Millerd argues that the default path of school, job and family works for many people, but a growing number find it unfulfilling and need to reconnect with what they actually value.
- He offers a three-step approach, as summarized by Abdaal: figure out what you value, work out what it costs in money, status and relationships, and decide whether the trade is worth making.
- Both speakers stress that small, cheap experiments, such as Millerd's ship, quit and learn, reveal what energizes you better than waiting for a perfect plan.
- Millerd shares his own numbers, a consulting salary of about 170-180K versus a freelance income of 25-55K, and describes how pairing uncertainty with wonder made the leap bearable.
- They discuss redefining 'enough', slower long-term ambition, and finding supportive peers, and Millerd describes writing his book The Pathless Path after 383 conversations about people's relationship with work.
IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING
5 ideasMost people don't need to quit; they need a break from worker mode
Millerd says most people should aim for a one-to-three-month break from being hyper-scheduled, so they can reflect on what they value and fear, and may even discover hidden benefits in their current job.
Pair uncertain discomfort with wonder
Millerd says uncertainty is terrifying on its own, but adding curiosity about what might happen can immunize you for a while. Abdaal says adding wonder made leaving medicine feel okay.
Confront the worst case to loosen fear
Abdaal explains that picturing being broke and relying on friends and family showed him the fear was less feasible and more recoverable than he thought, which helped him let go of medicine.
Run small experiments instead of seeking the perfect plan
Millerd suggests ship, quit and learn: do a small project designed to end, and notice whether you resent it or want more. Abdaal applies this to testing digital nomad life or van life for a short stretch.
Non-financial costs matter as much as money
Millerd warns that people close to you may offer less support than you expect, and that you will crave affirmation more while feeling uncertain, so finding peers on similar paths is important.
WORDS WORTH SAVING
5 quotesIt just took me 15 years to remember this is the things that energized me and I liked.
— Paul Millerd
Uncertain discomfort is terrifying. But if you pair it with wonder, like ooh, what might also happen, then you can sort of immunize yourself for a certain period of time.
— Paul Millerd
I don't think most people should quit their jobs. What I think most people should aspire to get in their life is like a one to three-month break from worker mode.
— Paul Millerd
Enough is knowing that no amount of money in my bank account will ever satisfy my deepest fears.
— Paul Millerd
One of the things I didn't realize on my previous path was that no one ever asks you, "Why are you doing this?"
— Paul Millerd
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SPEAKERS
Paul Millerd
guestAuthor of The Pathless Path and writer of the Boundless newsletter focused on rethinking work and careers.
Ali Abdaal
hostProductivity creator and host of Deep Dive with Ali Abdaal, known for content on learning, work, and creator business.
High quality AI-generated summary created from speaker-labeled transcript.
