When To Jump is a 4-step guidebook to following your passion and chasing your dreams. Presented as a collection of case studies, it’s an inspiring and practical guide to changing your career and ultimately your life by deciding when to jump to something new.
When To Jump Summary
Mike Lewis is a former venture capitalist turned professional squash player. The son of bestselling author Michael Lewis, this is his first published book and chronicles his own process of moving from a conventional corporate career into the unknown.
As part of his process, Mike developed a 4 step plan for deciding when to jump (The Jump Curve:
(a) Listen to the Little Voice
(b) Make a plan
(c) Let yourself be lucky
(d) Don’t look back.
Easy to read, inspiring and practical. This is the type of book to recommend to anyone wondering whether to jump into something more fulfilling in life.
Below are some of the key insights from the book.
Key Insights
Listen to the Little Voice
- It’s important to tune into your true intuitions in life.
- While jumping feels lonely, you are always supported by those around you.
- In all jumps, there is always a decisive moment when you know you need change.
- No-one really needs permission to jump, but you should always seek support.
- It’s important to feed yourself the right motivation to inspire your jump.
Make A Plan
- Instead of making things perfect, start small and wade into the water.
- Start saving money with a clear financial goal in mind.
- Get some pre-jump practice to test the water before committing fully
- Seek feedback and constructive criticism in the right places.
- Commit to what you believe in with a set date.
- Go ahead and feel the fear, but don’t let it stop you
- The worse case scenario is never that serious in life.
Let Yourself Be Lucky
- Get a calendar and set the date in motion
- Try even just one thing to start the process of jumping full time
- Prepare yourself to be lucky in your new endeavours
- Make the Jump already!
- Don’t focus on external criticism, just do you.
- When you look back, take comfort in the idea that it wasn’t so risky after all.
Don’t Look Back
- You will come out stronger, whatever happens.
- Prioritise learning as a necessity when jumping
- Develop mental and physical discipline – for when passion wears out.
- It’s important to avoid regretting the decisions you didn’t take in life.
- You may wake up scared, it’s part of the process.
- Put in the long hours to create something meaningful
- Welcome happiness, everyday
- Haters will hate and your parents will cry.
- There will never be a perfect time to jump.
- Jump for the life you want, not the life you are escaping from.