Exercise 2: Design your own apprenticeship. Don’t
go in search of a mentor; instead, identify the mentors that
are already around you. Who could you ask to meet for
coffee or lunch? Make a list of these people and reach out to
them. Prepare ahead of time, ask questions, and take notes.
Afterward, follow up with a thank-you note, sharing
specifically what you learned and how you’d like to do it
again. Start meeting regularly with those who reciprocate
and let the relationship progress organically. (For more on
finding a mentor, visit artofworkbook.com/apprentice.)
Exercise 3: Practice in the margins. Instead of
preparing to take some giant leap, start working on your
calling today. Don’t overcommit. Begin with thirty minutes
a day and increase the frequency from there. Make a list of
activities you can do to the point of exhaustion and start
pushing yourself in them, spending more time on the areas
where you have the greatest passion and skill. Pay attention
to how you grow or don’t grow, and see what that tells you
about your calling. (For more on the science of skill
acquisition, visit artofworkbook.com/practice.)
Exercise 4: Look for pivot points. Go back to the
line you drew in Exercise 1 and mark your greatest
moments of failure. When did you try something and it
didn’t work? Were you rejected by someone or fired from a
job? What did you do afterward? Identify the times when
you faced an obstacle that forced you in a different
direction. What did that tell you about yourself? Now make