I work for a major entertainment company in the New York area. I started in the television production business out of college and have slowly merged into the sales and marketing end of things. Recently, I have been promoted, which is good and bad. I have definetly hit the ceiling at this company and maybe in this industry. I think that I'm going to have to make a career change into a more lucrative field to continue to prosper. How do I reinvent myself without taking a 50% pay cut. Thanks in advance.

-- John Davis (samp033@aol.com), November 13, 2000

Answers

John don't worry about hitting the ceiling rest your concerns on whether you have reached a point of satisfaction in your life, where you can enjoy the point to which you have risen to. Don't make a beautiful home and then decide not to live in it because that's what your question regarding reinventing yourself sounds like.

The only person who knows if you have hit the ceiling in your particular industry is your belief system. The rest of the industry can only judge you by the clues and experiences you offer it. If you believe that, your actions and behaviors may reflect that too. What I do know is that "the industry" isn't based on a rationale mindset, it believes mostly what the hungriest seekers within it want it to believe. I have seen people with limited ability rise above the ceiling and people like yourself who probably choc loaded with talent, draw a line in the sand.

Draw the line in the sand where you want to park your life and enjoy it. If you follow the line that this mythical character "the industry" you may follow it for a long long time and never come to any resolution of who you should be and what you are viewed as.

John, you have reached the high end of life's poker game. The question is whether yours is a good hand or a bad hand. A bad hand good still win and a good hand could still lead to a 50% pay cut. Get back and deal with who really matters in this game, YOU.

The question is how hungry are you and how satisfied are you? Hunger is good because it takes you up one more floor, satisfaction is good because it allows you to enjoy what you were hungry for.

-- Mark Zorro (zorromark@consultant.com), November 13, 2000.