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In order to do what really matters to
you, you have to, first of all, know what really matters to you.
~ Dr. Ed Hallowell
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Opportunity Knocks:
Creative Ways to Make a Living Without A Job
Recreate Your Life:
Summertime is the Perfect Time to Grow a Dream
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Valerie and her shelter dog,
"Cokie Roberts" |
By Valerie Young
Has the school calendar of your youth hardwired you into seeing September as the time for new beginnings? If you yearn for a new job, a career change or maybe even a total life makeover – summertime is by far the best time to act.
Summer is synonymous with fun. It’s possible to make a change and still have time for recreation. In fact, the word recreation literally means to “re-create.” And what better way to spend your summer than recreating your life! Here are six ways you can use the rest of the summer to grow a dream:
1. Catch a falling star.
When my best friend, Elaine, and I weren’t building forts or skipping rope we could be found lying beneath a shady tree or a star-filled sky. These weren’t idle pursuits. We were flexing our imaginations. As the most carefree of the four seasons, summers are made for dreaming. It’s the perfect time to gaze upward, to look inward and to imagine what could be.
2. Grow a dream garden.
Look within and you may find the seeds of a dream planted long ago. Left untended though, dreams will fail to sprout. Summer is the ideal time to cultivate our dreams both old and new. Start with good soil. What is it you care deeply about? What makes you happy? What do you want your life to look like? Now get rid of the weeds – the lame excuses, apathy, self-doubt, and fear born from lack of information. Tend to your dreams and watch them grow.
3. Take advantage of the longer days.
Even though those so-called lazy days of summer have gotten a lot busier of late, the additional hours of daylight do seem to add a bit more time to our lives. Once you’ve engaged in some active reflection, use some of this “found time” to start working toward your goals. Even if it’s only 20 minutes a day, it’s all forward motion!
4. Read a real thriller.
As you’re packing for the beach leave the romance novel or who-done-it at home. Instead treat your life like the adventure that it is by picking up a real thriller like Paul and Sarah Edwards'
The Practical Dreamers Handbook or
Create a Life That Tickles Your Soul by Suzanne Willis Zoglio. Maybe you already have a new direction in mind. Then take this time to read up on that exciting new career.
5. Invest in your dream.
Save both money and time by spending your vacation at home. Make it a real vacation by doing the kinds of things a tourist on a budget might do – go on a picnic, head to a museum, take a day trip. Stash the money you would have spent on a more costly vacation into a “dream fund.” Use your savings to take career-expanding classes, buy some snappy new interview outfit or even start your own business. If your dream includes relocating, do hit the road by using your vacation as an exciting research expedition.
6. Summer is the ideal time to ease into a new job.
With all the overlapping vacation schedules, many organizations operate in a somewhat more relaxed mode in July and August. As a new hire, that means the trial by fire period is apt to be a little less trying. If you’ve been putting off a job move until the fall, keep in mind the slower pace makes summer a great time to learn the new job ropes before the workplace once again launches into fall overdrive.
Recreating your life is about making choices. What choices are you willing to make to grow your dream? Whatever you decide to do, have a safe, relaxing, and inspired rest of the summer!
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 to help you discover your life mission and live it. Her career change tips have been cited in Kiplinger's, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today Weekend, Woman's Day, and elsewhere and on-line at MSN, CareerBuilder, and iVillage.com. An expert on the Impostor Syndrome, Valerie has spoken on the topic of How to Feel as Bright and Capable as Everyone Seems to Think You Are to such diverse organizations as Daimler Chrysler, Bristol-Meyers Squibb, Harvard, and American Women in Radio and Television.
To read more
articles about how to work at what you love without a job go to
ChangingCourse.com/articles
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It is good to have
an end to journey towards, but it is the journey that matters, in the end.
~ Ursula LeGuin |
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Featured Resource
Make Money Growing Small Plants
-
Even if You Have a Small Yard
That's what Mike McGroarty does. And he's made thousands of extra dollars
doing it.
But if
you… or someone you know… love the idea of turning that green thumb into
the kind of green you can take to the bank, then Mike is your guy. After
years of running a thriving home-based plant business, he finally
arranged his
entire system into an easy step-by-step format that shows you
everything you need to make extra money growing plants from your home.
This
could be a great seasonal income stream for this year or, since a lot of
the planting happens in the early spring, it’s a great way to get
yourself up to speed so you are ready to go full steam nine months from
now.
Once
you enter Mike's site you'll see a link that says “Make
Money at Home Growing Small Landscape Plants on 1/20 Acre or Less.”
That’s where you want to go!
Visit Mike online at
ChangingCourse.com/recommends/freeplants
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A life without
dreams is like a garden without flowers.
~ Author Unknown |
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You owe it to
yourself to make your days here count. Have fun. Dig deep. Stretch.
Dream big.
~ Macintosh Ad |
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Guest
Article
Do You Want Change In Your
Life?
By Peter Vogt
Since graduating from college I'd always wanted to "do my
own thing," to
"be my own boss." And, most of all, I wanted to help people.
But I
didn't know how to put all of this together; I didn't even
think it was
possible. That was the kind of thing only "other people"
could do - not
me.
So I did the only thing I knew how to do at the time: I
buried my
entrepreneurial desires and went to work in the "real
world," first at
the local newspaper (as a sports reporter) and then for a
newsletter
publishing company (as a writer covering higher education
issues). But over the next five years and beyond, I
discovered that when
it comes to wanting to be a "free agent," you can run - for
a while -
but you just can't hide.
The desire to be on your own never goes away - never. In
fact, it just
keeps bugging you, constantly, trying to get you to listen.
How? There
are any numbers of examples:
-
You're in a staff meeting, listening to yet
another "plan" for what your division or company intends to do in the coming
year, and all you can think of is, "We could be doing SO much more, and SO
much better!"
-
You take a daily lunchtime walk with a
colleague, and all the two of you talk about is what's wrong with your
company and what it should be doing. (Corollary: You're dubbed as "negative"
by some of your co-workers because "all you ever see is what we're doing
wrong.")
-
You lie in bed most nights unable to sleep
because you have a thousand ideas running through your mind, all of which,
you believe, can "change the world."
-
Where others see "problems" or "needs," you see solutions
and
opportunities.
Are these and others signs of the free agent calling a
regular part of
your life? If so, I don't have any magic answers for you on
how to
answer them. (I only answered mine, in 1995, when I reached
a point
where NOT answering them was the greater risk!) But I
do know this: They are not going to go away.
No, in fact they're just going to keep growing louder and
more animated
as you get older; as you learn more about "what's out there"
and, as
importantly, what's not; and as you slowly begin to
recognize that the
only difference between you and the thousands of others who
are making
their own way is that they've merely reached a point in
their lives
where they've developed the "gumption" or the "chutzpah" to declare
themselves "knowledgeable enough" or "good enough" or
"experienced
enough" or "________ (fill in the blank) enough" to follow
their own
path, whatever that path may be.
Is it easy to listen to this badgering "voice" inside of
you? Of course
not; if it were, everyone would listen and listen well! But
if you think
about it - really think about it - the costs and risks of
NOT listening
to it, in the end, are much higher than those of heeding it.
You'll be
able to get away with burying the voice for a while. But
you'll never be
able to ignore it. It will nag you, cajole you, kick you,
gnaw at you,
and even bite you until you give it the
attention it deserves.
And then - amazingly - it will lead you. It will transform
itself from
"annoying nag" to "insightful guide." You'll learn HOW to
listen to the
voice and, more importantly, how to act upon the same things
it's been
telling you for months or even years. You'll
begin to understand that you are ALREADY "_________ (fill in
the blank)
enough," and that the feeling of not being "________ (fill
in the blank)
enough" doesn't really ever stop - no matter how old,
experienced, or
knowledgeable you are - until you simply declare it null and
void
yourself.
Certainly there are risks involved in pursuing your own
path. But so too
are there risks in NOT pursuing it. Ultimately, that's what
that nagging
inner voice of yours is really screaming about day after
day, hour
after hour, nonstop. So give that voice "equal time" - true
equal time.
Unbury it for a while. Let it speak. You will always be its
one-person
captive audience. You've heard enough of its nagging,
begging, and
pleading. Give it a chance to present its ideas on the open
"stage" of
your mind, heart, and soul. Get beyond mere listening so
that you hear
what the voice is saying and UNDERSTAND it, perhaps for the
first time.
Only then will you be ready to ACT in a way that starts you
down the
path of your dreams.
About the Author
Peter Vogt, M.S.
is a career counselor, writer, and speaker who encourages people — particularly
introverts — to explore their many career possibilities and challenge the
limiting beliefs, assumptions, and perceptions they often have about themselves
and the world of work. You can visit him online at
CareerPlanningResources.com
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Decide what you
want, decide what you are willing to exchange for it. Establish your priorities
and go to work. ~ HL Hunt |
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Upcoming Workshops and Teleclasses
Turning Your Interests into
Income:
The Opportunity Hour Teleclass With
"Opportunity Analyst" Valerie Young
There
really is no shortage of creative ways to get paid to do work you truly love.
The problem is most people don't know how to profit from their passions.
Viable and
fascinating business ideas are literally all around you. You just need to
know where to look!
Listen in
as serial "Opportunity Analyst" Valerie Young delves into her vast
Opportunity Files to reveal some fascinating ways that regular people – just
like you – have turned their interests into income!
You don't
even need a lot of money. All it takes is a little creative thinking, which
is a good thing because
Real Success Without a Real Job
author Ernie Zelinski calls creative thinking "the poor man's
wealth." Ernie was spot on when he said, "There is nothing quite as
exhilarating as coming up with a brilliant
idea, putting it to good use, and eventually being rewarded
handsomely for my efforts by the marketplace."
So join a
community of dreamers and dream doers for an exhilarating hour of creative
thinking, opportunity angling, and possibility-provoking fun! The rewards
could be enormous!
Thursday, July 24,
2008
Morning
Session
12:00-1:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Free for Fast Track Members*
$19.00 for Non Members**
Click Here to Register |
Evening
Session
7:00-8:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Free
for Fast Track Members*
$19.00 for Non Members**
Click Here to Register |
*This
series is free to current members of the
Fast Track Your Dream
Community.
**100 percent of Non-Members registration fees go to the non-profit
micro-grant organization
TrickleUp.org**
The Ultimate Travel Writer’s
Workshop
 Over Three Power-Packed
Days, you’ll...
-
Learn the secrets
of writing travel articles you can sell from a group of the best
editors and writers in the business...
-
Discover
little-known techniques travel writers use to land concert
tickets... meals... vacations... and more... without paying a
dime...
-
Walk away with a
short publishable article in hand... and the contact information for
editors we know who are happy to work with you, even if you've never
sold a story before…
-
See for yourself
how you can have the time, adventure, and freedom you’re looking for
as a freelance travel writer…
The Ultimate Travel Writer's Workshop
San Francisco, CA
July 24 – 26, 2008
Go here
ChangingCourse.com/recommends/travelconf
and for more details about this event, or contact Terry Frank toll-free
at (866)415-1425 or local at (202)370-6459 from 8:00a.m.-5:00p.m. Eastern Time.
Romance Writers of America
28th Annual National Conference
Join the Romance Writers of
America in San Francisco to:
-
Enhance your writing and knowledge of the
ins and outs of publishing at more than 100 workshops
-
Get the inside track and let your voice be
heard at panels and round-tables featuring publishing
professionals
-
Schedule a one-on-one pitch meeting with an
acquiring editor or literary agent
-
Attend parties and network with the stars
of romance fiction
-
Be a part of RWA's massive, 450-author
strong "Readers for Life" charity book signing. And let's not
forget the 2008 RITA and Golden Heart Awards.
Romance Writers of America
San Francisco, CA
July 30 – August 2, 2008
Go to
RWANational.org/cs/conferences_and_events for more details on
this event.
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Not being able to
do everything is no excuse for not doing everything you can.
~ Ashleigh Brilliant |
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The View From
the
Other Side
“Half of all new college
graduates now believe that self-employment is more secure than a full-time
job. Today, 80% of the colleges and universities in the U.S. now offer
courses on entrepreneurship; 60% of Gen Y business owners consider
themselves to be serial entrepreneurs, according to Inc. magazine.
Tellingly, 18 to 24-year-olds are starting companies at a faster rate than
35 to 44-year-olds. And 70% of today's high schoolers intend to start their
own companies, according to a Gallup poll.”
~ Michael Malone
in an essay that appeared in The Wall Street Journal on entrepreneurship being the next great frontier. His next book is
The Protean Corporation (Random House)
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Resources for
a Change
Is There a Romance Novel in You?
Let best-selling romance authors show you
everything you need to know to quickly turn your love of fiction into a fun and
profitable business. You can have a market-ready manuscript in a matter of
months with AWAI's Writing for Love & Money. Learn more at ChangingCourse.com/recommends/romancewriter
Work From Home By Running Your Own Home Repair Referral
Network There are over 200 Homeowner Referral Networks (HRN) operating
in the U.S., Canada, and abroad. HRN was rated the #1 Business Opportunity
for 1999 by Small Business Opportunities Magazine and founder Debra Cohen
has received tons of national media coverage. Basically, the business
involves matching homeowners with reputable independent home repair
contractors who in turn pay you a percentage of their fee. A range of
business start-up kits are available all of which include The Complete Guide
to Owning and Operating a Successful Homeowner Referral Network and
unlimited leads from the HRN Web site. To learn more about how Deb got
started, click here
ChangingCourse.com/hrnsuccess.htm
Program in Earth Literacy
is one of the many programs and activities offered at
Genesis Farm in northwest New Jersey. Founded in 1980 by
the Dominican Sisters this 140-acre farm includes an
ecological learning center that offers a wide variety of
programs, including a 12-week accredited graduate
certificate
program at EarthLiteracyGenesisFarm.org/elprogram.htm)
Note: Changing Course does not accept
paid advertisements from any of the resources listed here. This list is
provided to expand your thinking about just how many interesting ways there
are to make a living without a job!
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live
life on purpose