I had a Sadness come over me today.
I looked at my Bookmarks on my Computer under the "Development" Folder that I have.
What did I see?
Programs that I have had for years, which I Completed.
All were Valuable for their time to my Growth.
So, Why was this Sad?
Each of these programs had Mentors who I felt were Far Ahead of Me.
I went through their Programs.
Learned Everything I Could.
Consumed All of their Information.
Applied it in my Life.
Then, I Waited.
Waited.
Waited.
I have kept these Bookmarks, Expecting that Eventually these Programs would get Updates.
That these Mentors would Release New Programs.
That at some point, the Journey would Continue Further.
But they Didn't.
Years I've waited for some of these Programs.
In the Rare Cases that New Programs were Added, they were Side-Steps or even Backtracks instead of Growth.
Despite these Individuals having Great Success, I am Finding that they seem to have Nothing Left to Teach Me.
I will not name them because I still have Deep Respect for many of them and Hope this changes in the Future.
But looking at this made me wonder...
Why?
What is it that Stopped Them?
What is Different about the Mentors I Admire Today compared to the Mentors of Yesterday?
It seems as I look more closely, it comes down to One Thing.
They Stopped at the Edges of their Industry.
What do I mean?
I've talked about this as the Gap between Experts and Sages in the Past.
Experts Understand Their Industries.
They are Masters of What Exists.
Sages Develop the Future.
Now, some of these Mentors I Admired "Were" Sages at some point in their Career.
They "Did" Define their Industries and were the Faces of those Industries.
But what Happened?
Over Time, what is "Brand New" becomes "Well Known".
What made you a Sage eventually becomes the Baseline for Experts, and then for Everyone.
Think of it like this...
How many Children Understand Smart Phones better than their Parents?
Even when the Child Does Not Own a Smart Phone!
What has happened?
The "Smart Phone" became the Baseline for Everyone Over Time.
This happens with Careers as Well.
That is what has Happened with these Former Mentors of mine.
Their Insights became the Baseline.
The Baseline is No Longer Impressive.
They can No Longer Mentor Me because they are Not Moving "Beyond" that Baseline.
But then you have to go Further than this and Ask...
Why?
What has Stopped them at this Baseline?
I had a Further Realization.
They Stopped at this Baseline because that is the Extent of Discoveries that could Happen "Purely" within that Industry.
To Understand this Better, we must look at Flow Psychology.
Flow is where we Perform and Feel our Best.
This is the Psychophysiological State where Sages are Born.
It is where Innovation Happens and the Future is Created.
There is Something Fascinating that Flow Psychology has Discovered.
There are Limits to Industries.
People push their Industry as Far as they are Able, and that is It.
The Industry begins to Stagnate.
Eventually, there are "No" Sages left in the Industry.
Everyone Rises until the Boundary of the Industry is the Baseline.
Which then offers us a New Question.
How do we Become a Sage if we are "In" an Industry that has Stagnated?
Flow Psychology Provides the Answer Here as Well.
Cross-Industry becomes the Answer.
The Greatest Insights and Advancements that Occur "Never" Happen "Within" an Industry.
They always Occur through Cross-Industry Insights and Mastery.
Someone begins to Find the Secrets "Between" Industries.
In this, they Expand the Possibilities.
This is Exactly what Has "Not" Happened for these Mentors of Yesterday.
They hit the Edges of their Industries.
Then, they either Stopped There and began to Decay - If there is No Growth, then by Default there is Decay...
Or they Simply Never Dug into Other Industries "Enough" to Find Significant Insights for Growth.
They play along the Edges of Industries, but Never "Immerse" Themselves in those Industries.
This is How Careers Die.
I also Realized that "Most" of the Mentors I Have Today are Pushing the Boundaries in Psychophysiology.
They go into the Deep Scientific Research.
They are Conducting and Funding Deeper Research.
They Look Between Industries to Discover New Answers.
This made me Realize...
The Largest Killer of Careers is the Inability to Look Deeply Beyond their Industries.
You can become a Master of your Industry by Learning Everything in your Industry.
But then your Career will Stop Growing.
All Further Growth then Depends on Others to Discover Insights.
But after they Discover those Insights, and you Learn them, they are No Longer Significant.
You are part of the Herd, following the other Masters in the Herd.
Then, You Wait.
It is Incredibly Important to Become a Master of Your Industry First.
It is a Required Part of the Path to Sageship.
But Eventually, Your Industry "Itself" becomes the Impediment to Growth.
The Industry, Ironically, Kills Your Career Growth.
For your Career to Grow Further, you must Move Beyond Your Industry.
Sageship is Found Beyond.
Are You Ready to Go Beyond Leadership?
Tired of Broken Algorithms and AI Slop?
Excited to Dive Deeper into Psychophysiological Mastery?
Want to Change The World?