Russ Johns – Build Skills That Will Carry You Beyond Your Job

Mar 3, 2021

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BIO: Russ Johns is a producer at The Pirate Syndicate. He helps people be SEEN, be HEARD & TALKED ABOUT... using LiveStreaming Media.

STORY: Russ spent 15 years dedicating all his time to his job at the expense of his family and health. The company went through a merger and acquisition, and Russ’s role was made redundant, leaving him jobless. Russ’s biggest regret is spending so much time building someone else’s dream instead of his.

LEARNING: Build skills that are marketable outside of work. Build your dream, not someone else’s. Invest in what interests you and brings you joy the most.

“The worst investment is the one that you do not make. The time that you do not invest in what you are doing.”

Russ Johns

Worst investment ever

Investing everything in his job at the cost of his family and health

Russ invested 15 years in an organization that he thought was amazing. He invested a lot of time at the cost of his family and health. He truly loved his job and had no desire to stop doing it.

Getting phased out

As fate would have it, the company went through a merger and acquisition, and Russ’s position was no longer needed. And just like that, he had to leave an organization he had dedicated his life to for 15 years.

The loss of his job was a tragedy that changed Russ’s life completely. It took him a while to recover from it.

Picking himself up

Russ had no choice but to pick himself up, recover from the loss, and come back in full swing. He had to learn new skills to keep going, but this time around, Russ decided to dedicate his time building his dream and not someone else’s.

Lessons learned

Do what interests you and brings you joy the most

Explore and understand some of the things you might be interested in and learn about them. Learn what brings you joy and gratitude.

Build your dream, not someone else’s

Be cautious about how you spend your time and about investing in other people’s dreams. Instead, work on your own dreams.

Add value to your life every day

Always wake up with gratitude and create something of value every day. Be okay with who you are and where you are. As you go forward and create something new, you become something new.

Andrew’s takeaways

Take advantage of the opportunities in front of you

Thanks to the internet age, you can take advantage of numerous tools and opportunities to build yourself. Make sure that you do.

Build skills that are marketable outside of work

You have got to build a skill that is marketable outside of your job. Just devote a couple of hours every weekend or throughout the week to learn a new skill. If you do, you can secure your future income and happiness.

Actionable advice

Pay attention.

No. 1 goal for the next 12 months

Russ’s number one goal for the next 12 months is to grow The Pirate Syndicate and help over 100 people produce their own shows, their own events, and their own activities to be seen, be heard, and be talked about.