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What Do You Do?: A Tool for Understanding Yourself Better and Finding Your Unique Path in Life

Andrew Petty is Dying

Release Date: 06/13/2022

Ep. 103 | When the Solution Becomes the Problem, with Dr. Mike Barnes show art Ep. 103 | When the Solution Becomes the Problem, with Dr. Mike Barnes

Andrew Petty is Dying

I met in 2018, when I served as executive coach for the leadership at the , the addiction treatment center here in Steamboat Springs, CO, where he served as Clinical Director. My respect and appreciation for Mike grew quickly in the course of that partnership, built especially upon Mike’s willingness to learn from anything and anyone–despite the long alphabet salad of credentials behind his name and his position of esteem in the addiction treatment, trauma, and family therapy community. Since then, our paths have continued to cross, and I’ve continued to benefit greatly from his...

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Ep. 102 | The Ep. 102 | The "Big 6" Create Big Results, with Chris Ray

Andrew Petty is Dying

At the beginning of 2024, Chris Ray embarked on a new Adventure. We captured Chris' thoughts and expectations at the beginning of the Adventure in . This is the promised "after" episode, in which Chris and I explore how the Adventure impacted him.  Chris' story showcases the power of the Big 6 to create big results in our lives. The Big 6 are essential ingredients in the recipe for a life we're outrageously proud of: Courage, Humility, Truth-telling, Self-permission, Self-responsibility, and Self-knowledge. Tune in to Ep. 095, , for a deep dive into the Big 6.   I hope this episode...

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Ep. 101 | Finding Solid Ground in the Face of Fear, with Chris Marsh show art Ep. 101 | Finding Solid Ground in the Face of Fear, with Chris Marsh

Andrew Petty is Dying

In this episode, I sit down with my pastor and friend, Chris Marsh, to dig into how a very recent and very close encounter with Mortality has impacted him and his family. Along the way, we explore: how to find solid ground in the face of crippling fear the necessity of appealing to the transcendent the gift of suffering As always, thank you for your time, trust, and attention.  Remember, you ARE going to die. But you’re not dead yet. So get after it!   Let’s Connect If this episode helped you, I'd love to know. Find me on , and , visit , or .   Connect with Chris:  ...

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Ep. 100 | A Confession, Wisdom from the Farm, and What I Really Mean by Ep. 100 | A Confession, Wisdom from the Farm, and What I Really Mean by "Get After It"

Andrew Petty is Dying

In a hurry? Like me, you might do well to tap into some wisdom from the farm.  On this episode, I offer a confession en route to extracting some wisdom from the farm that applies to all of us if we’re willing to hear it.  I also offer what I suspect is a much-needed clarification of what I mean by “get after it”--the phrase with which I close my standard episode sign-off. If you’re often in a hurry and “get after it” only makes it worse, be sure to stay tuned in to the end of this episode.  Remember: You ARE going to die. But you’re not dead yet. So get after it!...

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Ep. 099 | How to Stay Positive and Free from Fear when the News is Overwhelmingly Bad and Fear-based show art Ep. 099 | How to Stay Positive and Free from Fear when the News is Overwhelmingly Bad and Fear-based

Andrew Petty is Dying

How can we stay positive and free from fear when the news is overwhelmingly bad and fear-based? I got this topic idea in the form of a question from a good friend and a former guest on this show, Frederic Tate. You can find him on Ep. 056 . Frederic’s a fascinating guy with a fascinating story. I thoroughly enjoyed that interview, and I wholeheartedly recommend that episode.  Frederic's experience is that it is difficult to stay positive and free from fear when he perceives the news to be overwhelmingly bad and fear-based. Many of you can relate. It is a wild time to be alive on planet...

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Ep. 098 | The Brave Habit: Cultivating Bravery in Daily Life, with Todd Henry show art Ep. 098 | The Brave Habit: Cultivating Bravery in Daily Life, with Todd Henry

Andrew Petty is Dying

What is bravery, and why is it so important? What are some of the common counterfeits of bravery? How can we detect and eliminate them from our own lives? How can we get braver?  As an “arms dealer for the creative revolution," is the author of seven books and a veteran podcaster of 19 years who speaks internationally on creativity, productivity, and passion for work, and helps people and teams generate brilliant ideas.  Todd's new book, The Brave Habit, is a concise, persuasive, and timely treatise on bravery. In today's conversation, we explore bravery through the lens of The...

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Ep. 097 | Evolve: Create an Ending to Make Way for a New Beginning show art Ep. 097 | Evolve: Create an Ending to Make Way for a New Beginning

Andrew Petty is Dying

This episode is different in a few notable ways. First, it’s extemporaneous. Second, I recorded it to video for release on my fledgling YouTube channel, where all of my past episodes currently reside. Finally, I share news about the future of the podcast–an ending to make way for a new beginning.  Key moments in this episode include: 00:00:01 - Embracing Change and New Beginnings 00:03:24 - Pursuing a Unified Framework 00:08:07 - Making Bold Choices 00:11:10 - Moving Forward with Conviction 00:13:48 - Seeking Audience Input Remember, you ARE going to die. But you’re not dead yet....

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Ep. 096 | Look Up, Let Go, and Live, with Chris Ray show art Ep. 096 | Look Up, Let Go, and Live, with Chris Ray

Andrew Petty is Dying

Do you ever feel powerless against your hurts, hang-ups, and habits?  Chris Ray's hurts, hang-ups, and habits literally killed him. Remarkably, his encounter with Mortality wasn't permanent, and Chris returned transformed. Chris is no longer powerless against his hurts, hang-ups, and habits because he has learned to look up and let go.  If we have ears to hear, we can learn the same lessons from Chris’ story without a harrowing ordeal of our own. If we have the courage to add Action to our Insights, we can experience transformation, too.  I met Chris through a mutual friend...

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Ep. 095 | How to Become Someone You Feel Genuinely Good About show art Ep. 095 | How to Become Someone You Feel Genuinely Good About

Andrew Petty is Dying

Who are you?  A big question, for sure, and not a slow pitch over the plate for most of us. But it’s a pitch that is critical for us to get good at hitting.  As of this recording, I’m just a couple days removed from the first Growth Camp of 2024, where we plumbed the time-proven depths of the Hero’s Journey framework to go beyond resolutions and discover a heroic path to our best year yet. Once again, the importance of who we are–that is, the quality of our character and our responses in life’s defining moments–rose to the surface and stayed there, demanding our...

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Ep. 094 | Beyond Resolutions: A Heroic Path to Your Best Year Yet show art Ep. 094 | Beyond Resolutions: A Heroic Path to Your Best Year Yet

Andrew Petty is Dying

Each new year presents the opportunity for a new adventure. Often we start out strong but fizzle in a month or two. Our fragile resolve sabotages even our most well-intended and heartfelt resolutions.  We need something stronger than our own resolve and more reliable than our resolutions.  As we kick off a new year, I invite you to go with me beyond resolutions to find a heroic path to your best year yet.    In this episode, you will: Learn about the Hero’s Journey. Be equipped to embark on a transformative journey through the Hero's journey framework. Discover a path to...

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“What do you do?”

We’re all familiar with that question. It comes up naturally when we meet someone for the first time in a social setting. Its usual purpose is to learn what someone does for a living to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. 

In this episode, however, we’ll REpurpose this old question in a new way to help you know yourself better and discern even more clearly the paths in life for which you’re uniquely made. It will become a new tool in your ongoing quest to live YOUR life with guts, gusto, and abandon. 

 

My Answer to “What do you do?”

“I seek to understand how we should conduct ourselves in this world to produce the best results with our lives.” That’s my most current answer to the repurposed version of the familiar question, “What do you do?” that I’m sharing with you today. It’s a description of what I’ve ALWAYS done, regardless of my age or stage of life or job. It’s a description of what I can’t NOT do, of what I’ve always felt compelled to do, of what always calls to me in the midst of whatever else I’m actually doing. 

It’s not a carefully-crafted mission statement or a statement of intention. It’s not aspirational. It’s a statement of what IS. It’s a statement of who I am and what I do in the world on a fundamental level. I can no more change myself on that fundamental level than I can alter the course of the stars in the sky. 

That’s the level of insight that we’re after with our newly-repurposed version of “what do you do?”

My desire for understanding has been evident from an early age–as have been whatever impulses guide you on a fundamental level. One day, when I was a little boy, for example, I paused to examine the dirt, and then asked my mom “what’s the dirt doing?” (There may or may not have also been another episode at about the same age where I paused to pray for a caterpillar, then sent it to caterpillar heaven with a decisive stomp of my foot. My mom still hasn’t gotten over the shock. She thought I was praying for its welfare, but apparently I was administering its last rites. But I digress…)

 

What’s the Big Deal About Answering “What Do You Do?” for Ourselves?

The big benefit of knowing what we do on a fundamental level with this kind of clarity is that it strengthens our sense of who we are and what we’re here for. Enlightened and strengthened in these ways, we can then pursue personal and professional paths that align with what we do on a fundamental level. What we do for a living to keep food on the table and a roof over our head can be a natural extension of what we’ve always done and will always seek to do on the deepest levels of our being. 

I’m grateful that what I do for a living IS a natural extension of what I do on the most fundamental level. I’ve discovered that that marriage between both levels of doing is a self-perpetuating engine of growth, both fed by and feeding the very processes that drive it.   

Life is hard enough without the added hardship of persisting in personal and professional paths that don’t align with who we really are and what we really do. And the world needs all of us as fully engaged in our unique purposes as we can possibly be.

How confident are you in your current answer to “what do you do?”

 

How to Answer “What Do You Do” for Yourself

I’ve arrived at my current answer to this question through ongoing observation of myself as I move through the world. But that observation has occurred in the grit and grime of real life, not from behind glass with lab coats and clipboards. My conclusions at this point are based upon real-world trial and error, successes and failures. They are the result of countless implementations of my formula for human growth, Insight + Action = Transformation. 

My answer is also based upon others’ feedback about what they observe in me. I’ve proactively sought that feedback from family, friends, and professional acquaintances. I’ve also enlisted resources like coaching and therapy to create the kinds of insights that those kinds of partnerships are especially good at creating. 

My answer will continue to evolve, too, as long as I stay engaged in the question and summon the courage to act upon what I learn. 

What are one or two observations have you made about yourself so far in life that help you better understand what you do on a fundamental level? 

 

Draft Your First Answer to “What Do You Do?” Today

“What do you do?” is a familiar question that you can repurpose in a new way to help you know yourself better and discern even more clearly the paths in life for which you’re uniquely made. It takes time and awareness to wield this tool, and all of us are capable of wielding it well if we choose. It takes courage to act upon the insights we gain, forsaking paths that aren’t ours in favor of ones that are.  

Live YOUR life with guts, gusto, and abandon. 

Take a new step in that direction today. Draft your first answer to “what do you do?” Don’t white knuckle it, and don’t censor or judge yourself. Then, update your answer whenever observations made in the real world generate new depths of insight into what you do. Wash, rinse, repeat. 

Remember: You ARE going to die. But you’re not dead yet. So get after it!

 

I Can Help You Discover What You Do in the World

Connect with me Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, visit my website, or email me. Go here to learn more about the Graveyard Group, where you get invaluable insight and feedback from your own confidential board of advisors. 

One final note before I sign off today: I’ll release one more episode in June before I take a creative break for the month of July to rest and retool. I look forward to returning refreshed in August.

I’m so glad you tuned in today. Don’t forget to follow this show, and I’ll see you next time on Andrew Petty is Dying.

 

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