Kurt Nahikian* is one of those people who says so many pithy things, that you want paper and pen handy to write them all down. His personal brand is a ‘defender of big ideas’ and he has done it all. He says that at 50-something, he is the oldest millennial. Surely he is right. Here are his most quotable quotes and his workLIFEstory:

• This is the time to design your own work – At this point in his life, Kurt looks at every job as a project. Like the millennial he is (sort of), he says this is an important part of his perspective. He is invested in each moment of his career and doing his best within the container of that set of responsibilities. He’s done it all, from a big corporate career, to an independent consultant, to a start-up artist, and now a leader for a smaller-size company. In each case, his focus has been on how he can bring his best to his clients and co-workers and design his own work – leveraging his own best talents. Lesson: Take ownership to design the work you love.

• Vacation? What’s that? – Everything Kurt does is linked with everything else. He weaves together all that he loves to do through his work, his vacations, his family, his volunteer activities, and his hobbies. This way, his work is always about his life and vice versa. Lesson: Weave what you love into all that you do.

• Slow down and think – Kurt is naturally a morning person (he wakes up really, really early), and he has learned the value of rest and a good night of sleep. The research agrees with him. Sleep is important, and the opportunity to be ‘off’, makes us better when we’re ‘on’. He says that when he’s able to really rest, ultimately it helps him think better. Lesson: Learn to slow down, rest, and think.

• I figured out what my limit is, it’s back there! – Kurt’s daughter taught him this lesson. She had followed the try-to-do-it-all (or try-to-do-too-much) family vibe and pointed out to Kurt that sometimes you know your limit only after you have crossed it. Going outside the proverbial comfort zone is a good thing. However, Kurt says that you have to know your ‘governor’. He means you have to know your limits and your boundaries. You have to know how much to stretch and then be able to stop and enjoy the new reality you’ve created for yourself. “Sometimes you bounce off the guardrails,” he says, “and then you know you’ve hit an important boundary.” Kurt says that a workaholic making a career as an entrepreneur is like an alcoholic owning a bar “sometimes what seems harmless is just a bad idea when you know your own limits”. Lesson: Know your right limits.

• Aim for the middle – Kurt’s dad is 90-something and a retired inventor and entrepreneur. He is going strong on Hilton Head Island where he lives. He volunteers at the local senior center and enjoys, in his words, “pushing the old people around in their wheel chairs”. One time in the startup phase of his first venture Kurt asked for his advice. “If all my potential sales come in, I’ll be overwhelmed and I’ll fail. If none of my potential sales come in, I’ll starve,” Kurt lamented. His dad’s advice? Aim for the middle. He meant that you can’t get too up or too down, and that things will change anyway. Keep your perspective and aim for satisfaction and a belief that things will ultimately work out. Lesson: Keep perspective and seek balance.

• Know yourself by compliments and insults – Kurt thinks that compliments and insults are instructive. The thing that we consider the biggest compliment is likely a clue to our greatest source of inspiration – the thing we should pursue in life. On the other hand, the thing we consider the biggest insult is a clue to what could be our Achilles heel. Stay attuned and avoid stepping into those pitfalls. Lesson: Reflect and know yourself.

Kurt recognizes that the real definition of leadership is when people who don’t have to follow you, choose to. Kurt is leading in his ‘encore career’ by which he means the career that comes later in life. In one way of thinking though, all his stops in his career journey have been encores. Doing what you love, and doing it well are reasons for applause, for sure.

*Kurt Nahikian is a Business Designer (and Defender of Big Ideas) for CQL based in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Would you like to tell your story? If so, let me know by emailing me at tbrower108@gmail.com. Why? One of the foundations of Bringing Work to Life is abundance: the idea that it is possible to find fulfillment, have it all, and avoid the trade-offs between work and life. After all, work and life aren’t separate things to be placed in containers, but part of an integrated whole of a satisfying life. Another foundation of Bringing Work to Life is the idea of multiple right answers. As we’re all seeking ways to bring work to life – and bring life to work – we can learn from each other’s unique solutions and stories. I’d love to learn about your story! 

Tracy Brower is the author of Bring Work to Life by Bringing Life to Work: A Guide for Leaders and Organizations.