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Issue 213 |
August 19, 2009 | |
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Don't follow your dreams; chase them.
~ Richard Dumb |
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Opportunity Knocks:
Creative Ways to Make a Living Without A Job
Innovative Ideas May Be All "In Your Mind"
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Valerie
Young |
By Valerie Young
Aspiring entrepreneurs – especially those who
are “creativity-impaired” – can take heart in knowing there is more than one
way to generate ideas for products or services.
Capitalize on Mistakes
Some of the
best product ideas were unintended. Did you know, for example, that
Post-It-Notes were the result of what 3M Company researchers at first
thought to be a bad batch of glue?
Then there was Thomas Sullivan, a New York
City tea importer who, in 1908, found that the sample tins of tea he
normally sent to customers had become more expensive. His solution was to
send less tea and to have the samples sewn into small silk bags. Sullivan’s
customers assumed that these convenient bags were meant to steep in hot
water and orders started rolling in for this new product innovation now
known as the tea bag.
Sleep On It
One of the best times for
idea development is in the early stages of sleep. Both Thomas Edison and
artist Salvador Dali often used their nap time to stimulate creative
thinking. The men would nap in a chair while holding a small metal object
(Edison held a ball bearing, Dali, a key).
The object would eventually clank to the
floor, awakening the nappers with a start. Edison and Dali would then
quickly jot down whatever ideas or intuitive connections may have been in
their mind.
Pay Attention
Did you know that burrs
were the inspiration for the popular clothing fastener known as Velcro? When
you start looking at the familiar with fresh eyes you’ll be amazed at the
creative business possibilities you might see.
Be Ready
Keep a notebook and pencil or
a small tape recorder handy at all times. After all, you never know when or
where the inspiration for your new enterprise may strike!
Trust Your Gut
Speaking of
Post-It-Notes, back in the late 1980s my then employer held a course on
innovation. Attendees were put into small groups to brainstorm new
product ideas and then present the best idea to the entire class. As I
watched the other groups writing their favorite idea on flip chart paper and
hanging them on the wall with masking tape, the light bulb went on…
What if flip chart pads were manufactured to
work like giant Post-It-Notes for easier hanging? Being a trainer myself, I
thought it was a great idea. My group didn’t agree and picked another one
instead. What was at the time a novel product improvement is today pretty
much the standard for flip chart pads. I may have missed out on a fortune
but I learned an invaluable lesson – trust your gut and go for it.
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
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ValerieYoungTwitter.com
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ValerieYoungFacebook.com
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ValerieYoungLinkedIn.com
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Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw
all the paint you can on it.
~ Danny Kaye |
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Featured
Resource
If you're an
author, publisher or aspiring author, you'll want to schedule some time to go to
Las Vegas this fall for Author 101
University: A Crash Course in Publishing Success.
Listen and learn first-hand from the top publishing and marketing experts as
they reveal tools and techniques to get your book published, and double or triple
your income as an author or publisher.
You'll be
engaged as top pros share their expertise, reveal the inner workings of the
publishing industry, and discuss various approaches to common marketing and
publishing challenges.
Here are just a
few of the speakers you'll hear from:
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Mark Victor
Hansen, Mega-Best Selling Author
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Brendon
Burchard, Best Selling
Author, Speaker and Coach
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Stefanie
Hartman, “The Expert’s Expert”
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David Hancock, Morgan James Publishing, Author and Speaker
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Alex
Carroll, Best Selling Author, Radio Interview Expert
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Cynthia
Zigmund, Literary Agent
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Rich
Frishman, Public Relations
Expert and Best Selling Author
And many more
speakers are still being added. Speakers like James Malinchak, Tom Antion, Mike
Koenigs and Stefanie Hartman...just to name a few!
Some of the key
topics that will be covered include:
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How to write
and present your book proposal to an agent so that your book can be sold to
a publisher.
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What are
publishers looking for in a new book? What separates "yes" from "no" and
what you can do to get the best advance.
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What you
need to do to make your book a best seller.
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How to
promote yourself using low-cost means online to catapult your sales and
exposure into the stratosphere.
The vast majority (99%) of authors make less than $50,000 a year.
This is the event that will show you how to be in the other 1%!
Space is limited
and with literary agents on hand (for those who invest in a special VIP
upgrade), this event is guaranteed to sell out. As a special bonus, you can
bring a friend for no additional cost!
Click here to
get the details:
ChangingCourse.com/recommends/author101
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Courage is not the
absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important
than fear. ~ Ambrose Redmoon |
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Unless a man undertakes more than he possibly
can do, he will never do all that he can.
~ Henry Drummond |
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Guest Article
Are
Too Many Choices A Good Thing?
By Sally Evans
Some people love the idea of having unlimited choices. For
others, it feels too overwhelming and sends them running.
I know we are bombarded by making decisions and choices
constantly. I’ve stood in front of the canned tomatoes in the grocery store for
longer than I care to admit, reading labels, comparing prices, and trying to
make a final decision. Sometimes I wish someone would just hand me the silly can
of tomatoes and choose for me.
So, you may be surprised that when it comes to what you really
want to do, or how you want to do something, I suggest you expand your choices.
The reason is simple. For something as significant as how you
spend your time, it’s worth looking at several choices. Taking a little time to
brainstorm can open your world to greater possibilities and create options you
never knew existed.
Writing things down can help you to get clear about your values,
priorities, and what’s important to you.
One good way to reach a deeper level is to continue to ask
yourself a question over and over and then ask why. So, you may ask yourself,
"What am I passionate about?" Then ask why. Do this several times and see if you
get on a deeper level of why something is important to you.
What if you can’t answer the question about what your passionate
is? Maybe that word is too strong for you. Well, this
is where your quest involves more exploration. What brings you joy? What would
you like to know more about? What sounds like fun to you? What are your natural
gifts? Are you a good gardener, cook, painter, storyteller, magician, or math
whiz?
I consider this part the smorgasbord of your life. At this point,
there is a wide array of choices before you. Then it’s time to figure out what
you are hungry for now.
About the Author
Sally Evans is a Creativity Coach and Jewelry Artist who helps
you to live your dreams. For more articles, resources, and inspiration on living
your dream with creativity and joy, sign up for the Embracing Creativity weekly
newsletter at
EmbracingCreativity.com/embracing-creativity-ezine.html
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Great changes may not happen right away, but with effort even the difficult may
become easy.
~ Bill Blackman |
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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 business ideas or challenges that Valerie and her special guests will
focus on.
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Wednesday,
August 26
8:30-9:30 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
Are You Ready to Make Your Business SHINE
and Discover Your True Wealth?
Once in
a Lifetime Comes an Invitation That Can Change Your Destiny
 Join
one of the most dynamic female entrepreneurs of our generation—Ali Brown—as
she hosts a life-shifting experience to uncover the millionaire inside.
At this mega 3 day event,
Shine: Discover Your True Wealth™ happening this November in Las Vegas,
Nevada, you will meet over 1,000 other Inspired Entrepreneurs for one unforgettable
experience. Over three amazing days, you will...
....attain a whole new level of confidence and courage to succeed...
...gain the clarity and certainty you've been searching for...
...transcend any preconceived subconscious limitations and beliefs while you
build a secure business model that can take care of you and your family for
years to come.
You’ll Also Experience Networking That’s Bar None
Ask anyone who’s been to an Ali Brown event and you’ll hear them share that not
only did they receive stellar business-building information, but they also
enjoyed the best business networking of their life. True deal-makers know that
nothing compares to meeting new contacts in person, and it’s always worth the
trip.
If you’re looking to connect with a large number of extraordinary entrepreneurs
who are serious about doing business in a conscious way, then your registration
for Shine could more than pay for itself many times over in potential
opportunities for networking, joint ventures, and business deals.
This promises to be a transformational multimedia and multisensory journey
unlike any other seminar you've ever attended.
Shine: Discover Your True Wealth™
November 5-7, 2009
Las Vegas, Nevada
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May you live all
the days of your life. ~ Jonathan Swift
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The View From
the
Other Side
"If you love what you are doing
and keep at it, then you are bound to always be improving. You never know when
or where you will get your next break.
Just be ready for it"
~ Callie Danae Hirsch, a painter who was recently
awarded a Metropolitan Transportation Authority Arts for Transit commission to
design the tiles at a New York City subway stop
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Resources for
a Change
Looking to be a Filmmaker?
Listen and learn from the experts like Sam Raimi,
Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, Guillermo Del Toro and Doug Jones as they
offer advice to aspiring filmmakers at the San Diego Comic Con.
YouTube.com
Making Money as an Artist: How to Sell the Reproduction Rights to Your Artwork for Profit
Who says you can’t make money from your art? You don’t have to be a “fine artist” to have your images appear on greeting cards, prints and posters, calendars, on collector plates, in books, animation, for record companies, on coffee mugs, coasters, clothing and fabric, gift bags, fabric, shower curtains – virtually any surface that has a design. This comprehensive course by art licensing guru Michael Woodward spells out step how to get paid for your artwork. He ought to know. Over the past 30 years he’s licensed over $600 million in retail goods.
Looking to Write or Re-Write a Screenplay?
This website is full of resources
for the script writer. You can improve your weakest areas of script writing or
take an in depth course on scriptwriting with their Professional Series classes.
They also have a free call coming up in September with some amazing tips for
re-writing your script. ScriptForSale.com
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