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live life on purpose work at what you love follow your own road
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By Valerie Young If you truly want to change course, you need to stop thinking about what's "realistic" and instead think about what's possible. For those of you who've been reading this newsletter since 1995 or even for a few months, this may seem obvious. But I assure you, not everyone is on the same page. That point was really driven home a few years ago when I hosted a small dinner for a few friends.
One of my
guests was taking a Spanish class. So I mentioned the invitation I'd
received from
International Living magazine
to speak at a conference in Panama for people who want to live and work
overseas.
Before sitting down for our dinner, I gave my dog Cokie his. As I mixed up a concoction of chicken and sweet potato, I reminisced about a delightful woman I'd recently met while in Paris who makes her living as a professional dog chef. As we retreated to the living room for dessert, one of my guests picked up a copy of Sir Richard Branson's biography on my coffee table. Much to her surprise it was autographed.
That of course required an explanation of how I wound up being part of an intimate "pick Richard Branson's brain" roundtable followed by VIP seats at Rock the Kasbah, Branson's star-studded annual fundraiser for his mother Eve's foundation. (Click here for a cool video about her work helping impoverished women in Morocco to start small businesses.) My friends have no idea who entrepreneurs like (counterclockwise) Ali Brown, Mari Smith, or Eban Pagan are.
But they definitely were wowed that I got to chat with the surprising T-I-N-Y Paula Abdul and was front row for Natasha Beddingfield, Estelle, Adelle, and Gavin Rossdale.
Then a friend and I traded compliments on earrings. She had no idea who made hers. Mine came from an impressive young Canadian jewelry designer and entrepreneur named Rachel Mielke. I met Rachel while speaking at the Women Entrepreneurs of Saskatchewan annual conference after which she invited me to tour her nearby studio.
I'm a huge fan of the hit television show the Shark Tank where entrepreneurs pitch venture capitalists to give them money to grow their businesses. So you can imagine how impressed I was that Rachel had successfully pitched her business on the original CBS's show known in Canada as the Dragon's Den. And by the age of 29, she had been invited to attend a 2008 pre-Oscar Luxury Gifting Lounge in Los Angeles As my guests were leaving one of them noticed my tube of lip balm "Chicken Poop Lip Junk." With a name like that, I had to tell them about my interview with another determined entrepreneur named Jamie Tabor Schmidt of ILoveChickenPoop.com. Everyone told her that you can't name lip balm Chicken Poop. As it turns out, the novelty name is the reason they buy and why Jamie got her product into a huge national chain like Walgreen's. That was the moment my friend Joanne exclaimed, "Wow, you live in this total other world, don't you?" I honestly didn't know what she was talking about. "What do you mean?" I asked. "Well, you just got back from speaking at a travel photography course in Paris. You're speaking in Panama. You meet these fascinating people that no one else ever seems to meet. It's like you exist on a planet all your own." As I looked around the table at my guests -– a district court judge, the training director at a university, a clinical social worker, and a college professor -- I realized that I may not live on a different planet, but in a lot of ways I do inhabit a very different world. It's a place I've come to think of as the World of Possibilities. Life in the Real WorldSadly, most people operate in a world they proudly refer to as the Real World. You can always tell when you've met someone who has never lived in -- never mind entertained -- the World of Possibilities. All you have to do is start talking about how happy you are when you're baking and how you've been thinking of starting a cookie business... Or about how you'd absolutely love to run tours to Provence, France... Or that you have a life-long dream of moving to the country and starting an organic farm... The first thing you'll notice is that Real World people look at you like, well, like you're from another planet. Which, compared to them, you are. Next they are quick to recite with great certainty all of the reasons why your ideas are completely unrealistic. After all, having never started a business themselves and knowing zilch about either selling cookies or running tours, being from the Real World, they nonetheless deem themselves authorities on what is and isn't possible. And to underscore your other world status they will flatly tell you that you just aren't operating in the Real World. They mean it as a dig. What they don't realize is that this is actually a very good thing. Because when you dwell in the World of Possibilities, you know these things are doable for one simple reason: People are doing them! The World of PossibilitiesLook around and you'll see people who have figured out that a dream + effort = profiting from your passion. People like 55-year-old Marla Romash who, after an amazing career in politics, felt the urge to do something new. Today she bakes cookies with a political theme. Or MaryJane Butters of MaryJanes Farm. What began as a passion for organic farming has morphed into her own magazine, retail stores, a bed and breakfast, a line of food and other products, a farm school and much more Or Cynthia Morris who, after leading successful tours to France for years, literally wrote the book on how to lead tours for fun and profit (if Cynthia's name sounds familiar, she was part of a panel discussion along with Barbara Sher, Barbara Winter, and me that's part of Making Dreams Happen.) It's likely that you have a foot in both worlds. A big part of you knows in your heart that it really is possible to open an artist's retreat or design your own skin care line or find some way get paid to research holistic healing techniques. But the gravitational pull to "be realistic" keeps pulling you back to the Real World. When I started this business in 1995, I could never have imagined speaking in Panama or reviewing travel photography courses in Paris or getting to pick Richard Branson's brain or running my own career coach training program or meeting people who run the most fascinating businesses... And yet, here I am doing all of that and more. And so can you. Dale Carnegie once said, "We all have possibilities we don't know about. We can do things we don't even dream we can do." The vacancy sign is always out in the World of Possibilities. Whenever you start to think your dream is not possible, find someone who is successfully doing the thing you want to do and follow them. I guarantee that this road will lead you to a lifetime of satisfaction, well-being, and even greater possibilities than you could ever imagine. Being realistic is not all it's cracked up to be. In fact, as hip-hop artist and actor Will Smith reminds us, "being realistic is the most commonly traveled road to mediocrity." NOTE FROM VALERIE: Welcome to my world...one that's about to get even bigger. That's because next week I'm opening registration in my new 2012 Profiting from Your Passions career coach training program. Scroll down and you'll see that I put together a short video that spells out some of the key qualities and characteristics of people of my fellow Possibility Dwellers. Whether you're curious about what it would be like to get paid to brainstorm business ideas as I do or not, I think you'll enjoy the video.
Add Your Two Cents
Your thoughts mean so much to me -- and the other 23,000 change seekers who've received this article. I'd love to hear what you think! Click here to hop over to the Changing Course Blog! About the Author Profiting From Your Passions expert Valerie Young abandoned her corporate cubicle to become the Dreamer in Residence at ChangingCourse.com offering resources for people who want to work at what they love. Her career change tips have been cited in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today Weekend, More, Kiplinger's, Woman's Day, and elsewhere and on-line at MSN, CareerBuilder, and iVillage.com. Valerie is also the author of The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer from the Impostor Syndrome and How to Thrive in Spite of It with Crown Publishing/Random House. To read more articles about how to work at what you love without a job go to ChangingCourse.com/articles.htm Connect With Valerie Online
| I'm the one that's got to die when it's time for me to die, so let me live my life the way I want to. ~ Jimi Hendrix
| Guest Article 10 Self-Employed Careers You May Not Have Considered By Philip J Reed on behalf of Redstone College Those deciding upon self-employment have a world of opportunities ahead of them, but one of the first things you'll need to do, of course, is decide on a career path! For that reason we've put together a short list of ten self-employed careers you may not have considered. As always, it's important to choose the right career for you, so if none of the below seem to fit, we hope they will at least provide a helpful starting place! Computer Repair Technician You may have training in this area, or you may just be an enthusiast. Either way, you may be able to help those who don't have quite as much experience or confidence with computers as you do. From simple setup of new desktop units to more intensive trouble-shooting and repair, not to mention one-on-one training for your customers, you can do a lot of people a great deal of good! Food Truck Manager Food trucks are becoming enormously popular, particularly in major cities. Is there a food or type of food that you are particularly good at making? Consider starting your own food truck, and making that food for hungry people everywhere! Design some eye catching graphics and cruise the streets to advertise yourself and drum up business. Food trucks are only getting more popular, and now may be the time to share your culinary expertise with the world! Consultant Are you seeking self-employment later in your professional life? If so, you probably have a lot of valuable experience that younger firms would like to benefit from. If you have a particularly deep area of expertise, consider consulting. You may have valuable knowledge that people would like you to share with them. If that's the case, give this career option some serious thought! Air Conditioner Repair Technician With a degree in HVAC and some hands-on training, you can set yourself up in the field of air conditioner repair, which would certainly be a lucrative profession in the summertime! And considering that the degree also focuses on heating systems, you'll be in demand year-round to make people feel comfortable in their homes, in restaurants, doctors' offices and other establishments that require precise climate control. Interior Designer Work from home... somebody else's home, that is! Interior designers have an eye for style, flair and organization. If that describes you, then you may well be interested in a career as an interior designer. By working closely with clients you will help them determine the absolute best way to furnish, decorate and accent their homes, and you're likely to build up close and beneficial relationships with retailers and renovators along the way. Interior design can be fascinating and exciting, and the right kind of personality can really shine in this profession. Freelance Writing / Photography If you love writing or taking pictures, or even if either of these is a hobby you'd like to develop, then you may be interested in a career as a freelancer. Newspapers, magazines, and now even websites will pay you for your work, and that can turn into a great source of income for those who enjoy expressing themselves creatively. The best part is that since you will be writing only the articles you want to write, there's no chance of getting bored or getting stuck with assignments you can't handle. Craftsman Interpret this however you like! You could literally make and sell crafts in your own online store like Etsy, or you can perform larger renovation projects for homeowners and builders who are interested in utilizing your skills. The scale of your craftsmanship is limited only by your own abilities, and you can always work to expand those abilities to encompass projects of any size! Investment Advisor Do budgeting and accounting come naturally to you? If so, congratulations, because those things don't come naturally to everybody! The best part: people will gladly pay you to do these things for them. With a finance degree and a passing grade in the series 65 or 66 Registered Investment Advisor Exam, you can begin your career as an investment advisor, and help individuals, families and businesses get their finances in order, and their lives back on track. Plumber Another great job for those who love working with their hands and solving problems would be a plumber. Plumbers may often have a dirty job, but it's a necessary one, and it's one that's appreciated and often very rewarding. It may not be high on your list of dream careers, but it's one worth considering, particularly if you enjoy helping your fellow citizens out in times of emergency! Dog Walker Do you love animals, or maybe just have a way with dogs? Consider starting your own dog walking business. Particularly in areas with a high population of senior citizens, this can be a very lucrative job, particularly if you allow yourself to stand out by offering additional services such as bathing, grooming, or yard cleanup. It also provides some great exercise! About the Author Philip J Reed works on behalf of Redstone College in Denver, Colorado. He has written extensively on employment and employment-related issues. If you have any questions regarding the article below, you can contact Redstone College through their website at http://www.redstone.edu.
| We have to dare to be ourselves, however frightening or strange that self may prove to be. ~ May Sarton
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What
if you could be at home -- or anywhere in the world --
and get paid to brainstorm with clients over the
telephone about creative ways they can turn their
interests into income.
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