Call Summary: Career Challenges and Spiritual Growth Through Suffering

Overview

A deep mentorship conversation between Gary and Mayssam during a difficult transition period. Gary was in Vegas about to fly to Texas after a month with his parents who told him to "give up on dreams," while Mayssam was recovering from illness. The conversation focused on spiritual growth through suffering, career challenges, and finding God's purpose in difficult circumstances.

Key Topics Discussed

Gary's Current Situation and Transitions

• Location and Travel: Gary in Vegas, leaving in two hours for Texas airport, staying with a friend there
• Rome Experience: "Rome was good. Maybe more open. Respectful for different kinds of Christians. I think there's a lot of beautiful tradition that is being preserved by the Catholic Church. And people will be right. Which is why corruption is very present at high levels at the Catholic church."
• Meeting Tim: "It was really good to see Tim... He lost weight. Good young man... Definitely more committed to faithful life as well."
• Family Tensions: Parents in Vegas telling him "it's time for me to give up on my dreams" after month-long stay

Career Challenges and Job Search

• Job Applications: "I've been applying to jobs. Been rejected from most things. I think just from AI automated AI rejections."
• Interview Process: Starting interview process with San Francisco company next week, though uncertain about living there
• New Direction: Exploring "multiday trainings related to AI for business people. Like non-technical non tech people" which "unites my passion for education, technology, in person gatherings"
• Work Philosophy: "I would of course, love to be not working for someone. Or if I am working for someone, it's part time, remote... So I can build my own things."
• AI Acceleration Mission: Still pursuing vision of "How can I help people like [Mayssam] accelerate their work with AI"

Mayssam's Health and Work Situation

• Health Status: "I've been telling you I've been very sick" - dealing with cold that kept him out of office for four days
• Corporate Frustration: "Some people in the corporate world are fucking slaves to the system itself. They just want to keep fucking playing the system so they can climb the ladder. And I'm standing there telling them, take the ladder. Take the whole fucking building. Please fuck off."
• Silver Lining: "This cold has been fucking annoying. But at least it got me four days out of the fucking office. Which, wow, felt like heaven."

Spiritual Lessons Through Employment

Mayssam shared profound wisdom about divine purpose in difficult work situations:

• 15 Years of Independence: "I said the last 15 years not wanting to work with anyone. That's when I went into the very tough financial stage. So I wanted my independent, my own growth, but it came at that cost."
• University Job Revelation: "When I took the university job. I started praying, why does God put me there? And I realized, That what God wanted me to go through the phase of being of working under someone. Because I needed a certain aspect of growth that I couldn't have while working alone."
• Divine Purpose in Corporate Life: "If the Lord wants you to work full time... maybe ask him in prayer. Why would he be willing to do that to you?"
• Political Navigation: "His answer was, I want you to learn to navigate people. In a political sense. I want you to learn to navigate the corporate life."
• Spiritual Blockages: "If I'm stuck in a certain aspect in my life. It's probably because there's a spiritual lesson that I'm not learning."

Discernment Lessons from Austin/Tulsa Experience

Gary reflected on hard-learned lessons about character and deception:

• Quote About Adultery: "Why did people stone adulterers before... Why can you not work with an adulterer? And the reason is that if they're willing to cheat on their wife, They're willing to cheat on you. They're willing to lie to you. They're willing to deceive you."
• Pattern Recognition: "The fact that he has a 14 year old daughter outside of wedding with one woman and then another six year old outside of wedlock with another woman. It just shows that he has a pattern of deception."
• Divine Intervention Ineffective: "God allowed him to have multiple heart attacks over the past two years. And he didn't learn anything from that. In terms spiritually... If divine intervention that hospitalizes you does not wake you up, what will?"
• Parents' Criticism: "My parents are like, Why the fuck did you leave? [Tulsa]" - showing disconnect between spiritual discernment and worldly perspective

Suffering and Spiritual Growth

• Calibrated Suffering: Mayssam: "God has a certain desire, a certain way to design each cross proportionally with its holder."
• Subjective Pain: "I don't agree, man. I think pain and problems are very subjective. And God has a certain desire, a certain way to design each cross proportionally with its holder."
• Family Challenges: Mayssam validated Gary's struggle: "Your shit is fucked up. Heavy, fucked up. Not joking, man" regarding parental relationship
• Daily Perseverance: Gary: "Wake up every day. And you know the joke of don't kill yourself. Never kill yourself. Just trying to remember that. Don't kill myself. Just wake up every day. Make progress."

Spiritual Progress and Transformation

• Core Transformation: Gary: "The biggest difference between where I am today versus where I was a year ago... I do feel more committed to making it about God."
• Hidden Progress: "Which is not something I can really talk that much about to my parents. Because it would just probably just piss them off. But I think that is progress."
• Ultimate Priority: "As a Christian, what could be more important than getting a deeper alignment with God?"
• Liberation in Rome: When asked about Rome before returning to Vegas: "It was liberating. A lot of ways."

Regional Stability and Future Plans

• Lebanon Situation: Mayssam: "I don't think anything's gonna happen anymore. We'll talk later about it, but it seems things are changing with BB [Netanyahu] and his friend."
• Political Theory: Has theory about regional changes but deferred discussion: "I have a theory. I'm not going to tell you now because I want to take mine off."
• Travel Invitation: "Don't remove Lebanon ship from your mind" - keeping possibility of Gary visiting Lebanon open

Key Quotes

• Gary on spiritual growth: "I do feel more committed to making it about God. Which is not something I can really talk that much about to my parents... But I think that is progress. Right. I think it's really easy to measure progress and just like account. But as a Christian, what could be more important than getting a deeper alignment with God?"

• Mayssam on corporate slavery: "Some people in the corporate world are fucking slaves to the system itself. They just want to keep fucking playing the system so they can climb the ladder. And I'm standing there telling them, take the ladder. Take the whole fucking building. Please fuck off. I don't want to see you again in my life."

• Mayssam on spiritual lessons: "What I try doing... What do I need to learn today? So that God opens the next door for me. Because I've reached a certain conviction where if I'm stuck in a certain aspect in my life, it's probably because there's a spiritual lesson that I'm not learning."

• Mayssam on suffering: "I think pain and problems are very subjective. And God has a certain desire, a certain way to design each cross proportionally with its holder."

• Gary on deception: "If they're willing to cheat on their wife, they're willing to cheat on you. They're willing to lie to you. They're willing to deceive you. And you're willing to use you."

Action Items / Takeaways

• Gary to continue job interview process with San Francisco company while exploring independent AI training opportunities
• Gary to develop materials for AI acceleration that can be monetized and run by Mayssam for feedback
• Gary heading to Texas for stability after difficult month with parents in Vegas
• Mayssam to update Gary on Lebanon situation and political theory when both have more time
• Gary to message Mayssam upon safe arrival in Texas
• Both recognizing need to stay physically stable in one location for health/recovery
• Continued focus on spiritual growth over career success as primary metric of progress
• Recognition that working under someone may be necessary spiritual lesson for both at this time

Spiritual Mentorship Dynamics

This conversation revealed the depth of Mayssam's role as spiritual mentor during Gary's most challenging period. Key elements included:

• Intuitive Connection: Mayssam immediately sensed Gary's struggle: "Why do you sound so tired or down?"
• Shared Experience: Both experiencing similar corporate frustration and recognizing divine purpose within it
• Validation of Progress: Affirming spiritual growth as more important than career achievements
• Practical Wisdom: Offering concrete framework for understanding suffering as proportional and purposeful
• Brotherhood: Expressing deep care through request for arrival confirmation and health concerns