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They can conquer who they believe they can.
~ Virgil |
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Opportunity Knocks:
Creative Ways to Make a Living Without A Job
Who Says You Can't Live
Your Dreams?
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Valerie
Young |
By Valerie Young
Dreamers beware: for every dream there are 10
naysayers just waiting to dash it. It almost happened to Beverly Goodman
Park. Park was close to 60 when her marriage ended. At an age when most
people are contemplating retirement, Park decided to pursue a long-held
dream of becoming an attorney. A lot of people told her she was too old.
Undaunted, Park went to law school while working full-time, passed the bar
exam, and at 61, landed a job at a law firm. Of her critics she says, "I
thought this age stuff was baloney."
Walter Anderson, author of
The Greatest Risk
of All, says by the time we are in our 20s, we will have heard 25,000 "can’ts."
Don’t expect a lot of support for your "foolish dreams." Instead, be
prepared to reach deep within to turn "can’t" into "can." Here are two
motivation-boosting tips to get you started:
Become the Future "You"
Dreams, by their very nature, are about the
future. With so many present-day demands your dream can start to feel
distant. The more far-off the goal, the less likely it is you will act on
it.
How can you make sure your dream doesn’t fall
prey to the out-of-sight, out-of-mind syndrome? By bringing it into the
present. To do this you must become the future "you." Here’s how: The
next time someone asks what you do for a living, try answering, not in terms
of the present, but as if you were actively engaged in pursing your dream
right this minute. In other words, squelch your pat "I’m an accountant/in
sales/a social worker/a homemaker" response and instead try saying something
like: "I’m an aspiring mystery writer," or "I’m looking into returning to
school to become an oceanographer," or "I’m in the process of changing
careers to pursue my love of gourmet cooking."
It doesn’t matter if you haven’t written a
single page of your future bestseller, sent away for one college catalog, or
lifted a finger to pursue your passion for cooking. What does matter is that
the dream that once felt elusive will suddenly begin to feel real. And when
that happens, you will be amazed at how much sooner you’ll get the change
ball rolling. Before you know it, you will actually BE the future you!
Get Inspired
Someone who knows a lot about the power of
"acting as if" is Steven Spielberg. Hoping to fulfill his filmmaking dreams,
Spielberg explains that he snuck onto the lot of Universal Studios and
became a "squatter" in an empty office. He even bought plastic letters to
mount his name in the building directory. Security guards and exec’s alike
thought the guy belonged there. His high jinks paid off. Spielberg’s first
directorial break came when the studio bigwigs finally saw his first film
and liked what they saw.
This and other success stories can be found in
Mischief Marketing: How the Rich, Famous, & Successful Really Got Their
Careers and Businesses Going. Author Ray Simon reveals how famous people as
diverse as Mother Teresa, Duke Ellington, Andy Kaufman, rap artist Big Pun,
and Benjamin Franklin really got started in life and how you can use their
mischievous techniques to do the same.
As encouraging as success stories can be,
learning about another’s failure can be just as inspiring. Did you know that
Bob Dylan was booed off the stage at his high school talent show? Or that
Walt Disney was fired from a newspaper job for "lacking ideas?" Or that
Thomas Edison failed to perfect the light bulb until his ten-thousandth try?
How many "can’ts" do you think these dreamers had to endure?
And when faced with a dream-buster, these
"failure stories" can make great comebacks, too. Would Parks’ critics have
been so quick to discourage had she pointed out that Grandma Moses didn’t
start painting until she was 80 years-old and that, of her over 1,500
paintings, 25 percent were produced when she was past 100?
"Persistence," said Robert Half, "is what
makes the impossible possible, the possible likely, and the likely
definite." As anyone who has ever chased a dream will tell you,
disappointment, self-doubt, and failure go with the territory. The trick is
to recognize these setbacks for what they really are – bumps in the road,
not the end of the road.
Publisher Katherine Graham said it well: "To
love what you do and feel that it matters – how could anything be more fun?"
This is your life we’re talking about here. So what are you waiting for?
Catch a dream, have some fun and start turning can’t into can!
Add Your Two Cents
Want to comment on this
article?
Click here to hop over to the Changing Course Blog!
About the
Author
"Turning Interests Into Income" 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.htm
Follow
Valerie Online
 -
www.ValerieYoungTwitter.com
-
www.ValerieYoungFacebook.com
-
www.ValerieYoungLinkedIn.com
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The best way to predict your future is to create
it. ~ Abraham Lincoln |
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Featured
Resource
 Secrets of Becoming a Publicist
A simple, step-by-step guide to boost your income and enjoy the satisfying
and exciting, public-relations lifestyle this year:
Tired of your drab,
8-to-5 job, and want to take control of your life? Well, it’s time to expose
a big secret. There is a demand for good publicists …
and anyone can do it.
That’s right. You don’t
need a fancy education or big bucks. By learning a few simple skills, you
can start making money in the public relations field in a matter of weeks.
Whether you want to work
from home, attend VIP events, or just help your favorite charity, you can
create the lifestyle that’s right for you. Follow the easy steps outlined by
our PR expert, and take advantage of this hot career opportunity now.
ChangingCourse.com/recommends/publicist
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Where the heart is
willing, it will find a thousand ways. Where it is unwilling, it will find a
thousand excuses.
~ Arlen Price |
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You will never find time for anything. If you
want time, you must make it.
~ Charles Buxton |
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Guest Article
Mildly Creative
By Ken Robert
Have you ever dreamed of being
wildly creative? So have I, but lately I’ve been settling for mildly creative,
and you know what? I think the results are better.
Wild Eyed and Hungry
Perhaps you've imagined, as I
have, churning out ideas at a feverish pace, breaking new ground in unchartered
territories of human thought, and producing piles and piles of powerhouse
material. You want to be wildly creative like a mad genius high on paint fumes,
because you think this is the way to break through the creative blocks that hold
you in.
Perhaps you've been drawn, as
I have, to almost any book or program or piece of software that promised to
unleash your creative genius, for anything that offered a chance to spark your
neurons, boost your brain power, or free your innovative spirit.
"Yes, yes!" you cried, "Ignite
the fires of my imagination!" And then you noticed the people around you
beginning to slowly, gently step away.
Yeah, I've been there.
My Wild Ideas Lead to Lame Results
I used to believe that
creativity was some sort of manic state I had to whip myself into, and who could
really blame me? Various gurus of creativity suggested things like writing at a
breakneck speed, drinking gallons of coffee, and whacking myself on the side of
the head.
I also thought that
creativity, especially creative writing, was something otherworldly and
mystical. Over and over I read about the importance of creating a sacred space,
whatever that is. Light candles, burn incense, drink some herbal tea, listen to
Gregorian chant...
But all this advice left me
feeling frazzled and largely beneath the task. Sure, I could generate dozens of
ideas, but I couldn't bring myself to work on a single one. I was too keyed up
and the whole process seemed too holy.
Into the Mild
Over time, my focus changed. I
wanted to know how to cool myself down rather than fire myself up. I wanted to
know how to settle down and actually produce something. I wanted to know how to
train my mind in order to think and act like someone becoming a writer and, most
important of all, to enjoy the process. When I’m able to do these things, I find
that I think better, work smarter, and feel infinitely more sane.
Trying to be wildly creative
exhausted me and I never accomplished anything. Being mildly creative has the
opposite effect.
Aspects of Being Mildly Creative
For me, these are the keys to
being mildly creative.
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You quiet yourself in
order to hear what you have to say, rather than shout at yourself to be more
creative.
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You allow yourself to work
in small chunks, rather than force yourself to work in large blocks.
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You focus on asking small,
interesting questions, rather than on demanding big, amazing ideas.
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You develop simple habits,
rather than create complicated rituals.
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You bring the act of
creating down to earth rather than place it in some sacred realm.
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You draw inspiration by
living your life, enjoying your friends and family, and taking care of your
health rather than by trying to lock yourself away for hours or days on end,
starving yourself of human contact, and beating your brain and body into
innovation.
Trust me. It works. And here’s
a dirty little secret. This is how most of the real geniuses throughout history
went about their work. Quietly, slowly, calmly, persistently.
Do these things, and they'll
probably never make a movie about you, chronicling your life as an artistic
genius living on the edge of creative insanity. Instead, you may have to settle
for being happy, sane, and productive - a mildly creative alternative.
About the Author
Ken Robert is a poet, a writer, a curious explorer, and the creator of Mildly
Creative where he serves as a creative companion for those leading lives of
quiet inspiration. You can learn more about Ken and his Mildly Creative habits
at MildlyCreative.com
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You don't have to
be great to get started, but you have to get started to be great.
~
Les Brown |
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Learning Opportunities
Turn Your Interests
Into Income Tele-Brainstorming Call with Your Host, Valerie Young
Have you ever wished that you could sit down and
have a
one-on-one brainstorming session with Valerie? You know you want to do
work you love, you just don't know how! Here's your chance!
Join us this month as we feature three (possibly
more) business ideas or challenges that Valerie and her special guests will
focus on.
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Thursday,
July 30
12:00-1:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Free for Changing Course Club Members*
(sign up in the Club Lounge)
$19.00 for Non Members**
Click Here to Register |
 *This
series is free to current members of the
Changing Course
Club.
**100 percent of Non-Members registration fees go to the non-profit
micro-grant organization
TrickleUp.org
The 2nd Annual Creative
Freelancer Conference
This is the
only business conference for "creative solopreneurs" presented by HOW Magazine
and Marketing-Mentor.com. It will be a high energy networking melting pot of
graphic, web and interactive designers, photographers, copywriters, video
producers, illustrators and anyone else who is committed to making their
freelance life work.
Creative-business experts including Ilise
Benun, Peleg Top, Petrula Vrontikis, Lee Silber, June Walker, Todd Henry,
Colleen Wainwright, Darryl Salerno, Michelle Goodman and others, will share best
practices for pricing, online marketing, building client relationships, dealing
with taxes, being creative on demand, maintaining a work/life balance and other
skills critical to freelance success.
August 26-28
San Diego, CA
Click Here for
More Details
Changing Course readers will receive an
additional $25 discount if you use this promo code: BC2.
For additional details and registration information, visit here:
CreativeFreelancerConference.com
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Start where you
stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better
tools will be found as you go along. ~
Napoleon Hill |
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The View From
the
Other Side
“Anytime you’re starting a
business, I think you’re always making mistakes, every day….You’re always
learning. And I think what really differentiates [entrepreneurs] is your ability
to recognize and correct your course and do so quickly. In many ways, being a
nimble organization, and being able to recognize and admit that that may not
have been the best choice, and being able to fix and diagnose and move on, I
think is a very important skill set for an entrepreneur.”
~ Angie Hicks, Angie's List
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Resources for
a Change
The stimulus package in the USA will mean jobs for
those in the construction and trade industries, even small 1-2 person companies.
This may be a great time to "retool" and train to eventually start your own
small business in construction or the trades. Here are a few resources geared for those with an interest in those industries:
The National Association of Women in Construction
has chapters around the world including South Africa, Australia, New Zealand,
the UK, and Canada. Sisters in the Building Trades has links to training
programs and apprenticeships. (NAWIC.org)
Sisters in the Building Trades
works to expand a network of active women that will affirm building
trades sisters as a positive and growing part of the construction workforce.
They hold regular meetings allowing women to network and share their
experiences; match mentors to new tradeswomen; enter into partnership with
disadvantaged women to provide encouragement and hope; and reinforce appropriate
workplace conduct. (SistersInTheBuildingTrades.org)
Run 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 website.
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