Alex Angarita Trapeze

Last week I was shooting some footage for a hosting reel with a friend and we went to Trapeze School at the Santa Monica pier. Even though I grew up in Los Angeles, I had no idea it was there. Man, I love finding those hidden gems in LA. That’s what makes this place so awesome!!! So, we took the trapeze classes because, well, why not? Having a penchant for adventure and considering myself part monkey in a past life (that’s a story for another day), I thought that this would be no problem…well, I was wrong.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Being a trapeze artist is hard. You have to not only be strong, agile, and fearless but you must develop an insane instinct for timing. That’s what it’s all about. The minute you hesitate or act prematurely because you’re afraid or because you’re over thinking it, you’ve missed your cue. In my case, I was supposed to be caught by the trapeze instructor swinging on the other end but in order for it to work, we had to leap at the same time.  It’s all timing. I thought about all of the times I’ve hesitated about doing this or that and how much timing plays a role in making your own luck. This is especially true when someone else is leaping with you!  But just like in trapeze school, you can always get back up there and try again. It’s all about living life without hesitation.  After all, there’s always that net.

See you on the other side,

~Alex Angarita

The book, and later the movie, The Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman, centers around this idea that a warrior is really someone who can learn to master themselves.  Central to this concept of a warrior is the idea that a warrior’s highest calling is service to others.  By combining the ideas of mastering yourself and learning how you can be of service to others, you can find true meaning in your personal and professional journey.

Mastering yourself means understanding your personal skill set.  What are the tools that were given to you at birth, by your parents, teachers, etc. that make you unique.  A Socially Conscious Warrior must understand who he is, what kinds of weapons and armor best suit him or her before going into battle.  In today’s world, these tools and weapons might be characteristics like leadership, communication or creativity.  Then, like any other warrior, you must learn how to use these tools without being afraid that you will fail or be ridiculed.  You must practice, practice, practice, and then practice some more.  Once you have a sense of who you are, once you have begun to master the warrior within, it is essential that you use your skills for the service of others.  This is the highest calling of a Socially Conscious Warrior, according to many followers of this tradition, including my own teachers and mentors, and myself.  This is how you become a Socially Conscious Warrior.

There is no greater satisfaction than knowing who you are and how you can better the world and the people around you.  Coincidentally, this is also what schools and employers are looking for.  Applicants who know who they are and know how and where they can add value.  With application season in full swing, many students are spending too much time on school websites trying to figure out what they’re looking for and not spending enough time searching within to find what they already possess inside.

In Fiji, I remember sitting in front of a pile of firewood and some dried coconut husks holding a machete in one hand and a flint stone in the other wondering what the hell I was going to do next. I would have looked completely incompetent if I wasn’t able to start a fire. Very nervously, I banged the machete against the flint stone and nothing. I tried again and again. Nothing. I got so mad (starving will do that to you very quickly) that I just went crazy whacking away in the middle of the jungle. To my surprise, the frantic banging did the trick. I was ecstatic. I had accomplished a simple task that any self respecting cave person could have done and yet I felt like I had just invented the light bulb. I felt such personal power. I had created something out of nothing. Not to be too dramatic but I had, through my willpower and perseverance, converted the energy around me to create the very source of life.

Flash forward to Malibu this past weekend when I was camping in Leo Carrillo State Park. Hardly the unforgiving jungle but I decided that I wanted to try to start a fire without the use of matches or a lighter. The exact same thing happened. Nothing at first but then with some perseverance and after really going at it, there was fire once again. Life source accomplished! I felt the same surge of personal power that I did in Fiji.

Where am I going with this? My experience on Survivor taught be a lot more about my personal power than cool camping tricks. That moment, I knew deep down that I couldn’t go back to life at corporate law firm. It simply wasn’t my calling. It went against my instincts. I needed to create. I spent the rest of the time not only plotting with the other castaways but also planning the launch of my first company.

Last weekend, I was reminded of the essence of why I became an entrepreneur. That just happens to be my passion but the same holds true for many of the challenges we all face in the workplace and anywhere else in life. When we feel stuck, we often forget that we have the power of creation. Things are never as black or white as we think. Recognizing that its a jungle out there only means that there are no limits to the resourcefulness that you can bring to any situation. Tap into that inner cave man or woman and let it out. I promise that you will surprise yourself.

Lesson: Tap into your primal power of creation to unleash your creative instincts.

Activity: Make a fire without the use of a lighter or matches. Use the tools around you. Get creative and don’t give up until you have achieved life source.

So, there I was… dangling 50 feet up in the air while rappelling down the deepest canyon when a big bag full of heavy ropes hit me  on the back of the head.  I was naturally shaken but I focused on every detail of my hands grabbing onto the ropes as I continued my descent.  It wasn’t the fastest drop but I was just happy I was still in one piece!

I often talk to clients about how important it is to stay focused and not get distracted by what might go wrong when you’re in the middle of an important task.  Even though being hit in the head was jarring, taking my focus off the rope because of my fear would have only turned a small headache into a trip to the hospital or worse.

If you’re tacking a big scary task that requires lots of concentration like taking the GMATs, tackling that big scary test, or you’re in the middle of that presentation for your new boss, it’s all about staying focused and not letting distractions into your consciousness. Don’t let your fears get the best of you.  Remember, you are in control.  Breathe, focus intensely on the smallest details of the task at hand and let everything else go blank.  Don’t let a little thing into a big one by loosing your cool and most importantly…Don’t Look Down!

Good luck out there and see you on the other side,

Alex

Speaking to a UC Berkeley student going into his last year of college reminded me of Russell Crowe’s final moments before his showdown in Gladiator.  Our Berkely gladiator was pre-med and thinking about applying to law school, or business school or maybe dental school.  He was decisively indecisive. But one thing was clear, he was ready for the end of his life as he knew it.  It was both impressive and sad.  Life was about to get serious and he was preparing for it as if he was going into battle.  My unsolicited advice to him was clear, never stop adventuring.  Life’s adventures keep you young and they are like buying insurance for success and longevity in your career.

People often say that college was the best time of their lives. College is only four years, five if you stretch it.  Is everything really downhill after you graduate?  The stress of applying to graduate school or finding the “right job” especially in this economy can be very daunting, often making recent grads feel like their lives will surely end after graduation.

With people switching jobs every couple of years and changing careers every seven until the age of 70+, your working life will likely be very long. Adding a little or a lot of adventure along the way is a great way to remember why you’re working so hard to begin with and can actually improve your on-the-job performance.

Yes, we are talking about your two-week vacation to the Grand Canyon every year. But it also means taking micro adventures all along the way.  Micro-adventures are about doing activities to connect with that spirit of adventure that people often put away along with the camping gear in between trips. They are essential to maintaining your sanity and can help you cultivate essential career skills.

One of the things that people often complain about after they’ve been working for a while is that they don’t have time to play the piano anymore or they wished they hadn’t stopped taking those martial arts classes.  Even with the perfect job, it’s important to find balance.  Doing the same thing everyday is hardly balanced.  The stimulation from the different courses, types of people and physical activity that you are naturally a part of growing up and in college is part of the reason that life feels so carefree.  Not having a real job and sponging off the parents is the other reason.

When entering the workforce, it’s important to hang onto that balance. Whether you’re taking voice lessons or people watching at a café on the weekends, keep your mind and body nimble by continuously stimulating your senses. This is a great way to remain stress free, which already has tons of benefits.  But this type of balance is also very important in remaining flexible and having a fresh perspective.  These are essential skills for rising through the ranks and creating opportunities.

The instincts that you cultivate in your micro-and big adventures will actually help you perform better in your career.  If you don’t think preparing for a triathlon will improve your focus at work, think again.  If you are shy and have a hard time giving presentations at your first job, try reading poetry at an open mike night.  Your boss might be a welcome sight after crashing and burning in front of a room full of judgmental hipsters.

Balance is key to maintaining a long and prosperous career.  Never stop bringing out the adventurer in you and you are almost guaranteed a rewarding and enriching life full of constant growth and learning.  Not to mention fun and, oh yeah, lots of adventures.  The other key is that there are no guarantees. Always remember to roll with the punches.  That one took some adventuring to really learn.

On my latest trip to Thailand, I had the opportunity to go rock climbing in Koh Phi Phi (means Phi Phi beach).  Aside from avoiding certain death by the hands of a gang of wild monkeys, I also gained some insights into strategic risk taking.

In coaching applicants through applications for competitive jobs and for top programs, I have found that the most meaningful way to convey that you possess a certain skill is not to say it outright but rather to demonstrate it through an example.  A memorable and interesting way to do this is by telling a brief anecdote about something you do outside the workplace that requires a transferable skill.

For example, if you are applying to jobs that require you to evaluate risk such as for a hedge fund analyst position, conveying that you display an instinct for risk in your non-work life can bring the message home.

Rock Climbing Example:

When I stepped up to the rock face, getting to the top looked impossible.  Trying to figure out how I was going to safely navigate my way up the holds without falling and/or being attacked by monkeys along the way was information overload.  I took a deep breath and figured out the first five moves.  That I could do.  I would at least get ten feet off of the ground and maybe I would see a path that I didn’t see before once I got there.  Sure enough, once I was ten feet off of the ground, I could see the next five moves.  Slowly but surely I made my way up the rock, five moves at a time, until I reached the very last hold.  That one was a leap of faith.  I literally had to go airborne to grab the next hold.  I had to rely on my experience climbing and my instincts that I would make it to the top.  Sometimes there is only so much calculation and planning you can do.  Then you have to rely on your experience and your instincts and take a leap of faith.

Applicant analogy:  This example illustrates an ability to take calculated risks.  Rather than being overwhelmed at the prospect of having to climb a 500 foot vertical rock face all at once, you calculate the risk as far as you can see and you carefully navigate the possibilities until you make it to the top.  This example can be conveyed at a job interview, school application, or simply networking to convey an understanding of strategic risk taking at an instinctual level.  It is also more memorable than your typical work example and can add depth to your applicant profile.

Test Preparation Analogy:  This example is also of particular importance to anyone taking a standardized test.  Many times, you read a math word problem or a passage in a verbal section and you are paralyzed.  You have absolutely no idea how you are going to reach the end of the problem.  You are afraid that taking the wrong path will waste valuable time but the more you think about it the more time you are wasting.  My advice, just like in rock climbing, figure out the first few steps and then go from there.  Write it down, work out the first few concepts and I promise you that the next few steps will become clearer.  Before you know it, you are at the end of the problem.  Like my experience in Thailand, staring at a rock face wondering how I was going to get to the top isn’t doing anyone any good.  Just get up on that rock.

Take away:  Understanding strategic risk taking at an instinctual level develops insights that are valuable to many career options and is essential to excelling in standardized tests.

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I’ve been taking martial arts for over a decade but it wasn’t until last weekend while I was in Thailand that I finally understood the great Bruce Lee and my own Fighting Instinct.

Lee stated that the “fancy mess” created by ritualizing fighting “is nothing but a blind devotion to the systematic uselessness of practicing routines or stunts that lead nowhere…real combat is not fixed and is very much ‘alive’[.]”

We arrived at Kho Phi Phi island where we found a Muay Thai bar holding amateur fights.  I volunteered to be the next fighter.  At this point, I was still expecting to use my reach advantage against a shorter opponent.  At 6’2″ tall and with long monkey arms, this has been my go-to in training for years.

Here’s some commentary before the fight.  Getting nervous.

Ok, I was ready.  We stood ringside to watch some of the fights.  I started to feel a sick feeling in my stomach.  These guys were really going at it.

Admittedly, I nearly chickened out but my buddies convinced me to stay in it.  I stepped onto the mat.  The ring master paraded me around with my hand lifted up in the air.  I felt like I was watching a bad martial arts movie.  The difference was that I wasn’t in Ong Bak.  I was scared.  Maybe I would be so intimidating that no one dared to do battle with me?  Wrong again, Angarita.  A red-haired man raised his hands.  As he stood up, it dawned on me that he was taller than me.  Oh crap, I thought.  I was relying on my reach.  I couldn’t believe I was about to fight the only guy in Thailand that was 6’4″. He was a French Savat fighter on holiday.  Great…After spending 4 months in France, I was not happy at the prospect of getting my butt kicked by a French guy.  No offense, but the bureaucracy of that place was already killing me figuratively.  A physical beating was more than I could bear.

Too late now.  The fight was on…

I was nervous at first because his reach was so unexpected.  But as I relaxed, I stopped thinking about his advantage and just allowed my instincts to take over.  I got through it and ended up winning the fight by decision.  Plan on retiring while I’m still undefeated

I learned some unexpected lessons.  I learned that in life, you can practice all you want but you can never prepare for every eventuality.  Despite facing the unexpected, It’s not until you really take a risk that you feel the learning on an instinctual level.  All those years of training only made sense when I stepped into the ring.  I used much of what I had learned but I quickly left old habits and adapted to my limitations, letting go of rigid training routines.  I didn’t have a reach advantage so I moved differently.  I didn’t have to try, I just had to let it happen.

Whether it’s starting a business, applying to school, or asking a crush on a date…It’s all the same.  After adequate preparation, you will only  make gains once you try.  Once you do, you may end up surprising yourself with your own creativity after surrendering to your instincts.  In this case, it was my Fighting Instinct.

Take away:  Preparation is absolutely essential for success.  Once you’ve trained, the only way to really hit that next level is to surrender to your instincts.  Have faith that they will guide the way.

Exercise:  Place myself in situations where I am well prepared but confronted with unexpected obstacles so that I have to rely on my instincts.

Note to Self:  My ear still hurts.  Don’t do that again…

Alex

Crowded cabin

I walked down the aisle to my seat on a plane headed to China.  It’s a stopover on my way to Singapore, my home for the next two months.

Looking at the faces filling the crowded cabin, I felt oddly at home.  Although spending the last four months at INSEAD, a world renowned international business program in France, has instilled in me a greater cultural sensitivity, this wasn’t the primary reason for my familiarity with my environment.  The cultural diversity represented by the faces of the people staring back at me reminded me of my home in Los Angeles.

I had been fortunate to travel quite a bit but this was different.  I set out in late August of 2009 with a one-way ticket to France to seek adventure, as always, and in the process to develop my Global Instinct — an instinct that lies at the heart of the international businesses, geopolitical issues, and diverse cultures that drive the world today.  An instinct that I believe is necessary to thrive in times of worldwide scarcity.  This blog is a vehicle by which to experience my adventures abroad and a window into this process, my process.  The evolution of the lens by which I will interpret the barrage of information and shifting attitudes underlying the global trends that will define the future.  Welcome to Project Global Instinct.