Watch this video to find out why 30 year old millionaire Sam Polk walked out on Wall Street and has never been happier.
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Picture yourself at the top of your game on Wall Street. Your bonus checks have grown to millions of dollars each year and you are picked up at your front door by limousines to attend World Series games or rub shoulders with the wealthy and famous whenever you wish.
Why would you ever leave this scene?
Former hedge fund hotshot Sam Polk did just that.
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Carlos Castaneda once said, “Look at every path closely and deliberately…Then ask yourself alone, one question: Does this path have a heart? If it does, the path is good; if it doesn’t it is of no use.”
Sam Polk is a bold example of what it means to follow our heart. You can read the stories about his dramatic exit from Wall Street on Yahoo Finance and in his recent New York Times op-ed. Let him tell you about how he came to a moment of clarity and realized that no amount of money would ever be enough–and that it was time to break the empty addiction in favor of a life that matters.
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But I want to focus on the project he started when he left the big money behind.
Sam Polk started Groceryships.org. This is a non profit which seeks out struggling families and offers them Groceryships. A Groceryship is a scholarship for groceries. They provide families the money to buy fruits, vegetables, grains, beans and seeds for six months, and then provide a comprehensive program of education and support to empower them to increase health by incorporating more of these healthful foods into their diets.
Please visit the Groceryships.org site to learn more and find out how you can get involved–or become inspired to launch your own project.
I see Sam’s awakening to his own greater life purpose as part of the epic shift underway on Earth right now. I applaud him for having the guts to walk away from a path which no longer had heart for him. His example will inspire many others to do the same. He is modeling what it means to do good and do well. This is emerging trend of conscious entrepreneurs shows us that people who are passionate about improving the world don’t need to be martyrs or take a vow of poverty.
This is an idea whose time has come. Thank you for your leadership, Sam!
Watch this video to hear the story in his own words.
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Photo Credit: Screen capture from Yahoo Finance video article
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Author’s Note: When I first saw this story, an internal “hallelujah!” boomed inside my chest. My own path is different from Sam Polk’s but parallels his in some important ways. I can also testify that walking away from a successful career which has turned into its own kind of prison is exquisitely worth it.
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The interesting part for me is the fuel behind the addiction. He had his millions but he was still afraid. Bravo to him for having the self awareness to identify fear as his driving force. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about fear as a motivator lately. I don’t believe one can find a true calling while in fear. Only when you can identify the fear and work through it enough to get to a place of trust can you move in love. I am also realizing that as parents and educators it’s a challenge to teach responsibility without… Read more »
Jacob, thanks for the great article. I’ve traded stocks for a living for 15 years and I applaud this guy for being able to walk away. Taking millions from the Wall Street 1 percenters and giving it to the poor. A modern day Robin Hood. Love it!
The call to our heart’s path knows no bias; it doesn’t see wealth or poverty, gender, race, or creed, it only seeks out those who hunger for it. Some are lucky enough to know AND follow their heart path early on…Steve Erwin for example…others of us have a different journey and it’s different for everybody. The key for me in the video was when he described feeling the fear of…obscurity, the “what’s next”. He pretty much said that once you take the step of faith towards your heart path, (where have I heard this before?) things will fall into place…and… Read more »
Excellent point, Shari.
I agree, too. For some of us, finding and embarking upon the journey of heart requires that we step out of the shadows and appear before people in new ways. For others of us, it requires that we leave the old public persona and allow ourselves to be recreated in new ways.
In either case, it is all about courage.
Thank you!
More power to him. I can’t blame him at all for banking several million, then leaving the biz because he can. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not criticizing or envious at all. He chose one way to do it, and that’s okay. I applaud him. I am not judging him. I’m also not judging the people who think that they can’t follow their own path with heart unless they first make a bizillion dollars some how in order to finance it. What I’m saying is his case is one way, and not necessarily the best or only way. But a… Read more »
Thank you, Todd
I love that we find the path with heart whenever and where ever we get the courage to step off the path which no longer does.
I appreciate your comments! Thanks for being here.