The Proximity Principle - How to do work you love
Ken Coleman's book The Proximity Principle is a call to all to find work you are meant to do. To realise that the daily grind is a choice.
You don’t have to spend your 90,000 working hours over your life, doing work you hate and that ultimately doesn’t align with your values.
Ken breaks down the key principles that encourage success, namely that of putting yourself in close proximity to the right people, places and the arenas in which to practice. It seems so obvious when you just take a few seconds to think about it. But it’s often the case that the simplest things are so often overlooked.
I know that when I have put myself in proximity to people and places linked to my goals, great things have happened. I started my creative network–Creatives Hub–by putting myself in close proximity to other creatives and entrepreneurs. It was quite a change for me having at the time had my network of connections quite drastically reduced through redundancy and moving home.
Drawing closer to people who could help me get to where I wanted to go, did just that, enabling me to start Creatives Hub in 2012. This then led to another thing I loved doing–producing podcasts through other people I subsequently met.
The clarity with which Ken Coleman writes is refreshing for its simplicity and structure. It seems easy to know what to do after reading each chapter. Of course that doesn’t mean to say it is easy to take the necessary action. If it was, everyone would be doing it and there'd be no need for the book.
As a coach I know the importance of helping my clients remove obstacles from their path so they can progress toward their goals, and Ken does exactly this. If you were ever in any doubt what you needed to do to find work you love, are good at and aligns with your values, once you read The Proximity Principle, that obstacle will have been removed. You have no excuse!
There are many books out there which will tell you to follow the specific formula that made the author successful. However, the reality is somewhat different. We are all unique people and if you were to follow the exact same process someone else followed, literally to the letter, that does not mean you will be guaranteed success. There simply isn’t one formula that will grant the same level of success to anyone and everyone.
The Proximity Principle is just as its name suggests–a principle. A guide that most of us know works. If you spend time with someone, you will get to know them better. If you spend time regularly in a specific place such as a coffee shop or church, you will naturally build connections. If you want to be a better writer, you need to practice writing.
Ken sums this up nicely.
“In order to do what you want to do, you have to be around people who are doing it, in places where it is happening.”
Even though we know this, the difference is in being intentional about it. You can regularly come in contact with people without really getting to know them. You can sit in a coffee shop and never share with anyone what you do or ask them about their career, hopes and dreams. You can say you want to be a writer, but never actually write. You have to choose to actively participate. It won’t be done for you. It is hard work which is why many people don’t do it.
The motivation behind finding work you love, is what Ken Coleman regularly stresses on his Radio Show and podcast. That is,
“You were created to fulfill a unique role - a role that is needed. And you must do it!”
I totally subscribe to this belief as I wrote in a previous post.
This very clear message from Ken Coleman should arouse your desire to ask ‘Am I doing what I am created to do?’ If the answer is ‘Yes’ then fantastic! Let’s celebrate. If it is ‘No,’ don’t panic. I highly recommend you grab a copy of The Proximity Principle asap, and you’ll be well on your way to discovering what you were born to do.
