What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20 by Tina Seelig Read Free Book Online Page B

traditional paths appear blocked.
    Linda Rottenberg, of Endeavor, shared a relevant story that had been passed on to her by one of her advisors, about two student fighter pilots who got together to share what they had learned from their respective instructors. The first pilot said, “I was given a thousand rules for flying my plane.” The second pilot said, “I was only given three rules.” The first pilot gloated, thinking he was given many more options, until his friend said, “My instructor told me the three things I should never do. All else is up to me.” This story captures the idea that it is better to know the few things that are really against the rules than to focus on the many things you think you should do. This is also a reminder of the big difference between rules and recommendations. Once you whittle away the recommendations, there are often many fewer rules than you imagined. This is how Linda leads Endeavor: each franchise is given three things they can’t do—the rest is completely up to them.
     

    Another way to break the rules is to break free of expectations you have for yourself and that others have for you. Armen Berjikly, a computer scientist, always expected that he would spend his career working for a high technology company. He studied computer science as an undergraduate and management science as a graduate student. After completing school, he took a job as a product manager at a company called Echelon. Everything was going smoothly, he was well respected in the company, and his path was set. However, a close friend developed multiple sclerosis. He was so moved by her condition that he wanted to do whatever he could to help. In his free time after work and on weekends, he built a Web site called “This Is MS.” The site offered useful information about MS and its treatments, and provided a confidential forum for people with MS to share their experiences. The site quickly gained traction because visitors were hungry for the chance to tell their stories. Armen realized he had struck a nerve. He decided to build an even bigger Web site that allowed anyone to share his or her experiences anonymously. This new site, called “The Experience Project,” gained avid users quickly. Armen had to make a tough decision: Should he stay in the secure job with a reliable salary and a clear career path, or jump into the unknown by deciding to run The Experience Project full-time?
    After serious consideration, Armen decided to break free from the expectations that both he and his family had for him in order to pursue this venture. It was a terribly hard choice, but it has been several years now and Armen doesn’t regret his decision for a minute. The business is hard work, but the most challenging part was deciding to completely reinvent himself. 5
     

    So, let’s step out of the high technology business world and see how you can break rules in order to create something of great value in a completely different arena. The past few years have seen growing interest in restaurants that look at food, cooking, and dining in a brand-new way. Instead of using traditional cooking techniques, a handful of chefs are experimenting with “molecular gastronomy,” which involves stretching the limits of cooking in all sorts of unusual directions. These restaurants use equipment and materials straight out of a laboratory and play with your senses in wild ways. At Moto, in Chicago, 6 the kitchen is stocked with balloons, syringes, and dry ice, and the goal is to create food that is shocking yet tasty. They have a “tasting menu,” where you actually eat the menu, which might, for example, taste like an Italian panini sandwich. Moto strives to break the rules with each dish they serve, from “delivering” food that looks like packing peanuts to the table in FedEx boxes to making a dessert that looks like nachos but is really made up of chocolate, frozen shredded mango, and cheesecake. Each dish is designed to