We’ve been told what the path “should” look like.
Want to be a doctor? Go to college. Med school. Pass the exams. (I think. I’m not a doctor.)
Want to be a teacher? Get an education degree, student teach, land a job.
Dream of being a director? Better go to film school, take the classes, complete the projects – then maybe you’ll be ready.
But that’s simply not true.
And Jake Jabbour is living proof.
About five years ago – during the height of the pandemic – I sat down over Zoom with Jake: improviser, teacher, podcast host, and business owner in Los Angeles.
His mom was a teacher, so he was drawn to the idea of teaching. But the education degree path? Boring.
Instead, he followed curiosity – studying political science and philosophy. That curiosity led him to Teach For America, and before long, he was teaching in a real classroom.
Fast-forward to now: he’s taught improv to hundreds (thousands?) of people and created his own business from it.
What I love most about Jake’s story is that he never followed the expected path. He followed what lit him up. And that’s the real path. The one that leads somewhere true.
Even for me, I started down the traditional route – Bachelor’s straight into a Master’s. But somewhere along the way, I realized it wasn’t lighting me up. Comedy did. And that meant I had to choose a different path.
But even then, I found myself falling into what felt like the “traditional comedy route.” At least it was more aligned, but it still wasn’t fully mine.
It wasn’t until 2020, when the world shut down, that everything changed.
I got furloughed from my retail job and suddenly had an infinite amount of time to do whatever I wanted. I launched the Level Up! With Shay podcast, and that one choice opened the door to opportunities I never imagined – ones that let me quit W-2 jobs and finally trade skills for income, not just time.
Before I knew it, I was a podcast editor, producer, assistant, graphic designer, copywriter, web designer – you name it. (Okay, the marketing degree helped a little.)
This was nowhere near a traditional path. I put my creative life front and center and learned how to build a business around it. And it happened in just a few months.
So many people still believe there’s only one way to get what they want in life. But we’re starting to see – finally – that there are many ways.
People once mocked gamers as lazy… now some of those “lazy” teens are millionaires.
Because we live in an infinite universe. Infinite storylines. Infinite energy. Infinite miracles.
Air. Water. Food. Creativity. Ideas.
It’s time we stop asking, “What’s the right path?” and start asking,
“What path is right for me?”
Even five years later, Jake’s story still reminds me of that truth.
It’s like… infinite or something.
Watch the full episode here and discover how choosing your own path – one fueled by curiosity, not convention – can lead to something infinite, unexpected, and entirely your own.
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Share Your Thoughts
Jake’s story reminds us that growth doesn’t always come from following the rules – it often comes from trusting your curiosity and stepping off the expected path. What’s one moment where going your own way led to growth you didn’t see coming? Share it in the comments – I read every one!
Curious About the Original Episode Blog?
No edits made. Just pure growth. 🤌🏼
Check it out here!
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