Adam Markel left a high-powered law career after an anxiety attack and built a reinvention plan. He cites data showing 58% of people dislike their jobs, and that successful founders average age 40, with rising entrepreneurship in the 55-65 range. Late starters like Vera Wang and the founders of Lululemon and GoDaddy show career pivots are possible at any age.
Questions this video answers
58% (cited from a Harris poll by the speaker).
40 years old (speaker's claimed average).
Workers aged 55–65 (speaker's claim of the only age group with rising activity in the last two decades).
Chip Wilson (Lululemon at 42), Bob Parsons (GoDaddy at 47), Bill Porter (E*Trade at 54), Vera Wang (started her business at 40).
Chapters
Welcome. The images you're seeing right now are just a glimpse into my current world as an entrepreneur loving my business and my life. And the truth is, it hasn't always been this way. And that's exactly what I'm going to share with you in this video. How I got here and how you can, too. So let's go on a bit of a journey together. Take a breath and ask yourself, are you totally in love with your life? Are you excited about what you're up to? Are you feeling full of energy and amazing ideas? Or do you find yourself feeling disappointed about your life? Do you feel unhappy with what you're working on and really frustrated about building someone else's dream and not your own? Hi, I'm Adam, and I'm here to tell you that you're not alone. Did you know, according to a recent Harris poll, that 58% of people are in jobs or careers that they don't love? Pretty shocking the first time you hear it. So let me repeat that for you. 58% of people are in jobs or careers they don't love. Plus, more than one half of all Americans have entrepreneurial dreams of their own. Yet most people stay put and don't do much about it. I couldn't unhear those statistics. I knew that I had to address this topic and share my insights because this used to be my life. I was one of those statistics. I was a very successful attorney in New York City, and I had the money. I had the cars, I had the homes, everything you could imagine that money could buy you. I was a cliche, thriving, at least from the outside. But I spent most of my days feeling frustrated, angry, and full of dread. I was working 80 hours a week, sometimes sleeping in my office and missing my kids during the day and not being there to reach them, a bedtime story at night. My health was dwindling, and one day I found myself in the ER thinking I was having a heart attack, which turned out to be an anxiety attack. Go figure. That day changed my life. I didn't die. I got another chance. I was still alive. And after that experience, I could no longer tolerate the life I was living, the things I was doing, and most importantly, the person I was being. So what did I do? Well, I started to build my plan B, a reinvention plan of sorts. I think of it as a bridge to a new path. I didn't just quit my job and close my law practice. I began to make small changes that, over time, completely transformed my life. And trust me, it wasn't easy or quick or painless, I can appreciate why the majority of people just stay in careers and jobs that they don't love. It's because of self doubt, overwhelm, lack of clarity, financial and family responsibilities that create pressure and stress, the fear of failure, the fear of success, and the list goes on. So trust me, I get it. And I know why. You may be in this position right now. Making a change like this can be scary. But the truth is. The truth is that if I can do it, you can do it. And now more than ever before, starting a side hustle or pivoting into a different career is at the tip of your fingers. We're not living in the same world that our parents grew up in. The barrier to entry for starting a business is lower now than ever before. And the truth is that anyone can do it. All that stops any of us from getting in the game is ourselves. So it just doesn't matter whether you're 30, 50 or 80, you still got dozens more years ahead of you. So if you're done sitting on the sidelines, staying in a career you hate, or giving up on the business you've always wanted to start, then it's time to declare that you won't play small and safe anymore. How often do you write yourself off and say I'm not cut out to be an entrepreneur or I'm too old to start something new. But get this, the average age for a successful startup founder is 40, and the only age group with rising entrepreneurial activity in the last two decades is between 55 and 65. How crazy is that? And there are a lot of pretty remarkable examples of people over 40 thriving in business. People like Chip Wilson who began Lululemon at 42. Or Bob Parsons who started GoDaddy at 47. Or Bill Porter who started E Trade at 54. Or Vera Wang who didn't strike out on her own until the age of 40. These people are just like you and I. They decided to use their knowledge, their skills and their passion to build their dream. Plain and simple. So my question to you is what are you ready to create? What do you want to pivot into? Who can you teach? What gifts can you be? Shar? And trust me, I know it can be overwhelming to make a change, especially since the market can be so noisy. And personally, I can't stand to watch another one of those videos of a self proclaimed expert or guru standing in front of their leased jet or in the garage of their rented mansion talking in front of their on loan Lamborghini it's just for show. And what it doesn't show you is what it really takes to get there and actually stay there. What's really required is to become clear on what you want to create, build a strong foundation and get around people that can help you develop and grow that thing. So it's the time to call upon your experience, your wisdom, your life lessons, and give yourself credit for the resilience, the maturity, and the patience you've cultivated, as those are vital qualities to any successful entrepreneur today. And this ain't just me saying this. The Harvard Business Review said that entrepreneurs get better with age. Even billionaire Carlos Slim, one of the richest people in the world, says that workers in their 60s are in their prime. Others argue that successful ideas come from need. Understanding of need comes with experience, and experience comes with age. So again, I ask, who can you be serving that you may not be right now? What expertise can you share with the world? What do you know that could benefit other people's lives? And most importantly, do you feel inspired to start something new or even invigorate something you may have created in the past? When you say yes to sharing your gifts, you're really saying yes to your life. You're saying yes to living fully. And even though it can be a bumpy road at times, you'll find yourself pursuing your goals and your dreams, trying new things, learning and growing and seizing the day, which over time means you're actually seizing your life. And I know this from experience. I made this choice of whether to stick with something or pivot many times. And what I can say is that the times I've chosen to pivot are the times in my life where I felt the most on purpose, full of energy and fulfilled. So, do you want to start a food truck, teach surfing lessons, create a yoga studio, build a tech startup, speak and inspire others with your stories, or sell tons of product online? Regardless of what you're pivoting into, you'll be building one of the most highly rewarded skills in the world today, the art of reinvention and resilience. After all, you can do this process again and again. As we all know, change is the only constant in the universe in our personal lives, the economy, and the world. I mean, come on, imagine what's possible. You can make money and have an impact at the same time. You could wake up in the morning loving your life fully. You could use what you've learned over the years and teach others. It's obvious that your skills are valuable and that there's a good chance that, you know, you could potentially help a lot of people. So if you're ready to pivot, to stand up, to get started, and to be supported, well, then take a nice deep breath, because you're in the perfect place. Because I believe in you. And I'm here to show you the way. The way to you living the lifestyle you truly desire and taking one baby step at a time in the direction of your dreams. It's possible. I've done it, and so can you. And what I'm most excited about in video two is that I share exactly how. So let's get started.
