At the age of 40, Jason Tafler was on top of the world. He already had a remarkable run as CEO of PointRoll, a $100 million internet advertising company in the United States. Now, he was Executive Vice President & Chief Digital Officer of Rogers Communications, a $30B Canadian Telecom. His youth, exuberance and incredible work ethic catapulted him to the upper echelons of the telecom and media giant.
“I was fixated on the myth that the more money you make, the happier you will be.”
But that simply wasn’t the case. The further Jason advanced in his career, the further he drifted from his true identity.
“I was burned out and angry, plain and simple. That wasn’t my true self. “
He had always been interested in health and wellness and thought about starting a company based on those principles. But his hyper-focus on the job and getting ahead drowned out his inner voice. And that same obsession with work and advancement nearly cost him his life.
A Brush With Death
January 8, 2016 is a day forever circled on the Tafler Family calendar. He woke up on that Friday morning feeling ill but felt pulled to go into work. After powering through an early presentation, he felt even worse. A colleague noticed he was turning yellow. Not a good sign.
Jason’s condition continued to decline, but there were endless tasks, meetings and e-mails to wade through. Jason was all about completing the work. As the day dragged on, he was experiencing massive internal bleeding and on the verge of collapse. Finally, he was rushed to the hospital.
After some confusion and chaos, the doctors ultimately determined that Jason was rapidly losing blood from his small intestine. He proceeded to undergo four emergency blood transfusions. But nothing stemmed the bleeding, and he ended up losing half his blood volume. Jason Tafler’s body was giving out.
“As I lay there, I distinctly remember the helpless feeling of having no control. I wasn’t used to that. I knew my life was in the balance and there was nothing I could do.”
Jason’s mind also turned to his family. His own father had died suddenly from an aortic aneurysm. He thought about his wife Afshan and his 7-year old son Aydan. He didn’t want them to suffer from a sudden loss and be without him. He didn’t want to die!
Over the next 36-hours, Jason drifted in and out of states of shock, fear, and acceptance. Finally, by 6am Sunday morning, Jason started to stabilize. He regained some color and the bleeding dissipated. The worst was behind him.
The stress of countless hours of work had nearly done him in. Jason Tafler was going to survive. But he would never be the same. (And that was good news.)
Starting From Scratch
Everything Jason had ever known was called into question. He had set such high standards for his work and his career, and had put those achievements above everything else in his life.
“I realized that I was fully addicted to my work. I was decent to my family but I really wasn’t present. My priorities were upside down.”
Something had to change. Jason quit his job at Rogers a few weeks later.
“My job was everything. I now had to start from scratch. And I had no idea what the future held.”
Jason slowed things down. He learned to meditate. He wrote every day in his journal. Eventually he peeled away the layers to hone in on what he truly loved.
“The whole process was a re-birth, both spiritually and emotionally. It was like learning to walk all over again.”
Slowly, patterns started to emerge in his thinking and writing. Jason’s internal voice got louder.
“I realized I hadn’t done what I was meant to do with my life. My dad was a journalist and was passionate about his work. That was missing for me. I wasn’t living my true purpose!“
That would all change in the next few months.
Building a Foundation
Jason continued to meditate, journal and dwell on his own interests. He wrote down what he loved. What moved him. And what held him back.
“I realized that all my negativity was tied to some limiting belief.”
Jason sketched out a list of eighty-five limiting beliefs that had taken control of his life. Once he addressed and acknowledged these, his interests and passions started to emerge. His authentic inner voice was now becoming loud and clear!
“I always connected with the health and wellness industry. It made sense to me. And I wanted to use this knowledge and my gifts to help people.”
Obsession with work and advancement had parked Jason Tafler on death’s door. Now, just months later, Jason was feeling more alive than ever. His authentic self had emerged!
Living His Purpose
Jason’s revelation drove him to flip the priorities in his life. In order, his principles now focused on the following:
- Take care of myself and my health.
- Be present and connected with my family.
- Share my purpose with the world.
Jason’s purpose was now focused on mental health and chronic disease. He founded his health and wellness company, Unyte, to help ease the struggling and suffering in people’s lives.
“We can’t eliminate stress and adversity. But we can help people focus on how to relax their minds and bodies and overcome whatever obstacles they face. We can give them tools to become more resilient.”
Amen, brother!
And the fact that sharing his purpose is not his first priority, actually makes him more productive and passionate at work.
“When I first tell investors that business is my third priority, I get some funny looks. But they soon understand the value this delivers to the company. We are not focused on short-term results. And because we have our priorities straight, and take care of ourselves first, our culture drives passion and purpose, which translates to enhanced focus, productivity and performance.”
And that is something any investor can appreciate.
It took a near death experience and a total overhaul of his beliefs and priorities, but Jason Tafler has finally found his purpose in life. He is doing exactly what he should be doing. And the world is a better place for it.
What Does It Mean For Us?
Jason Tafler’s remarkable transformation provides lessons for all of us.
How many of us listen to our authentic inner voice?
How many of us find our true calling in life?
How many of us dispel our limiting beliefs?
How many of us focus more on our health than our work?
How many of us have our priorities straight?
Jason Tafler’s story transcends the tired cliches of “follow your passion” and “live your dream”. It’s not that simple. Finding our true purpose requires reflection, meditation, re-programming, hard work and perspective and gratitude.
But even then, nothing is ever certain. There is no right answer for what to do with our lives. All we can do is keep listening to our internal voice and keep taking care of ourselves and our families in the process.
Jason Tafler almost died before discovering his true purpose in his life. And now his journey is only beginning.
Let’s not wait for a near death experience to start our own journey. Keep reflecting. Keep grinding. Keep staying resilient. Peel away those limiting beliefs and pay attention to your authentic voice. We can’t race through life without taking some time to think about our true calling.
The clock keeps on ticking. Today is the day to start living your purpose.