CREATIVE CAREERS UNLEASHED! #96

What happens when you actually do find “work that doesn’t suck” but then … that work — part-time, full-time, or contract — chews up most or all of your energy and time?

Okay. Maybe, that’s a bit dramatic.

But, it IS how it feels to me sometimes. As much as I love my new ‘job’ as a “Cruise and Vacation Specialist” I’m finding myself  overwhelmed at least once a day,  frequently feeling  ‘behind the 8 ball’, and therefore, beating myself up for not getting everything done.

And, this, ironically or not, is the situation with several of my clients.

What about you?

Do you find that your ‘real job’ (you know that thing that you do to pay the rent)  sucks up so much time and energy that you can’t move ahead on your plans to live your dream?

So, what do you do?

Well,  here are 3 ideas I’m working on …

1. Get Clear on Your Real Priorities

One of my 30-something creative clients recently voiced a lament that went something like this, “I don’t know what to DO … I have so many ideas. What should I do?”

The “problem” with most eclectic, creatives isn’t a scarcity of ideas! It’s a lack of action and accomplishment!

My, and my clients, favourite ‘excuse’ for this is lack of time.

Sorry folks, sorry Lyle, but as the time management gurus are only too happy to point out, “we all have 168 hours a week!” It’s not the time you are given each week:  it’s how you spend it.

So, ask  yourself, as I am asking myself every morning, “What MUST I do today? What do I NEED to do today? What actions will move me closer to my dream?”

I use my answers to these questions to set my priorities for the day. And, 

2. Stay Focused On Your Priorities

Knowing your priorities is critical to your success. Even more critical is actually acting on them!

That means staying focused. Ah, but keeping focused is a very big challenge for creative eclectics.

Why? Because we are often ‘right-brain’ dominant people who live and breath ideas. Ideas stimulate and excite our neurons. And, there are a gajillion ideas coming at us every moment … oh, and people clamoring for attention!

True, other people do interrupt us … and, learning to manage interruptions is a critical skill. But, most often we are our worst enemies. Whether we are Introverts or Extraverts most of belong to online communities, subscribe to blog and news feeds, &/or just go ’surfing the Net’ looking for ideas or distraction.

And, that’s the schizo thing about being an eclectic creative: we need outside stimuli to fuel our creativity but when we get too much, or get lost in that ’stream of data’ then we don’t get a damn thing done!

So, to keep me from ‘wasting TOO much time’ being a Social Media Butterfly, I work hard at only allowing myself ’snippets’ of time on Facebook, Twitter, or in online communities. I pop in and out several times a day, stay for 10 minutes or less per visit, read the most appealing items, post a response or two, and then get back to work.

Well that’s the theory anyway. But, sometimes I get distracted! And, when I do, I try hard not to berate myself for it. And, I focus on doing My Work instead of lamenting my ‘mistakes’.

3. Stay Healthy

Staying healthy is a MUST for me.

And, it needs to be for you too.

Why?

The simple fact, as far too many have learned, is that “if you don’t have your health, you don’t have anything!” I’m finding that many of my clients, even those who are 30-something are reporting clear, unmistakable symptoms of stress overload.

So, what can you do to stay healthy?

Once you’ve made it a priority then ACTION is required. And, believe me, a once-a-week trip to the Gym isn’t what I mean.

No. A focus on healthy living means daily, even hour-to-hour attention to nutrition, exercise, and stress reduction. For me that means that first thing in the morning I go for a 5 kilometre walk. And, during the day I take time out to get up and away from my computer and stretch or I  go for a 5 or 10 minute walk in the back yard or down the block. I prepare and cook (yes, I’m the chef in the house)  healthy meals that follow the national food guide. And, I work at removing stress from my life and managing the stressors that appear in my life.

I can’t forget these daily actions … because when I do, I pay an immediate price: PAIN! You on the other hand can ‘forget’ because the price you pay takes a while to show up. But, remember the saying, “Pay me now. Or, pay me later!” And, remember that the delayed payment can be fatal.

Sermon over.

Practice these 3 strategies on a daily basis and you’ll find yourself living a more passionate, authentic life.

Technorati Tags: Career Conundrums, Creative Careers, Passion, Unsticking

In my last newsletter I described the 1^st step you need to take in order to find work that doesn’t suck. Today’s article will detail the 2^nd step: what to do once you have (even a very vague) idea of what you’ve like/love to do for a living.

FIND Full-Time or Part-Time WORK THAT DOESN’T SUCK - Step 2

First a brief review of Step 1.

Step 1 of my 3-step process essentially requires you to obtain crystal clarity about WHAT you want TO DO for a living. That is, how you want to contribute, what you want to give to the world, and what legacy you want to leave behind.

Now the idea of a legacy might seem a little “heavy” when it comes to thinking about a part-time job. But having a detailed description of your DREAM does ensure that any interim job or contract position you obtain will support your dream; not prevent it.

The detail you look for includes a clear picture of WHAT, WHO, WHERE, WHEN, WHICH, and HOW. (I’ll cover these details in my upcoming FR^EE teleclass)

Step 2: Use Your Theme(s) to Find THE Work of Your Dreams

Clarity takes time … and effort. The good news is that having any degree of clarity about your Destiny Dream^TM is valuable. Especially IF you act on that clarity and move toward your Dream - as it reveals itself to you.

So, how do you take all those apparently jumbled pieces of data about Who, What, and so on and create a Theme or Themes for your Dream?

Let’s use my Destiny Dream^TM as an example.

I’ve been crafting and using a Destiny Plan^TM to guide my life, career, and work since the early 90s. My Destiny Plan^TM has evolved to have 9 key Action Goal^TM Areas - My Health & Wellness, My Relationships, My Work, My Learning & Development, My Passions, My Sexuality, My Muse, My Spirituality, and My Societal Contribution. Naturally, your 9 Action Goal^TM Areas would likely be different from mine.

What I’ve noticed for the last several years is that, as I’ve done my Action Goal^TM Planning every January, I’ve felt this strong sense that I was missing something.

So, I began asking myself, “What do I need?” (By the way this is a critical question for an Enneagram Two - which I am - to ask themselves). Beyond the needs in my Top Three^TM Action Goal^TM Areas I kept hearing, Travel!

I’ve had a burning Passion for Travel since I was a wee lad. But, like many others, I choose to have a family early on and invested time and energy in my kids instead in trips to Europe.

Sure, whenever we could afford it we travelled: 1^st with the ex and the kids, most often camping trips throughout Alberta and British Columbia, an anniversary trip (alone with the ex) to Hawaii; work trips to New Jersey, Toronto, New Orleans, and San Jose; and following the divorce, many trips to LA/The OC, Monterey, and Palm Springs, while completing my Masters degree; and later with my current wife, trips to Nova Scotia (her home), New Brunswick, Alaska, Newfoundland, and countless camping adventures.

Yet, still it never felt like enough to slake my Travel Lust.

Then a few weeks ago during an early morning walk I saw a sign (literally), as if from God, “Wanted Part-time Cruise Consultants!” WOW!

I jumped at the chance to apply. And, the position seemed ideal: I’d be on contract not - god forbid - an employee; income was commission only - so I could make as much, or a little as I wanted; and I liked the ‘feel’ of the place.

NEXT ISSUE: Step 3: Landing the “JOB”

I love to hear from you. So, let me know what you think. Send me an e-mail or add your comment here at the blog!

Technorati Tags: Career Dreams, Career Plans, Career Transitions, Job Search, Recession

In my last newsletter I cautioned against taking just any job. But, is it possible to find work, even a part-time job or contract/freelance work, that doesn’t suck? YES … and today’s article will show you how I did it! And, how you can too!

HOW TO FIND Full-Time or Part-Time WORK THAT DOESN’T SUCK!

When I started up this, my current, company back in December 1997, it was my intention to make a living as a Freelance Writer. I’ve told you the painful story before about why that didn’t happen. It doesn’t bear repeating. BUT, I do want to share some important lessons, I’ve learned along the way, about finding work that doesn’t suck.

First, what do I mean by work that sucks?

I mean full-time or part-time jobs, contract positions, or freelance assignments that a) suck every ounce of physical, intellectual, &/or creative energy out of you; b) get you involved with parasitic, psychotic, or pain-in-the-ass clients; &/or c) pay sh*t wages.

Step 1: Know what you’d Love (or at least like) To Do

If you don’t know what you would love to do for work, then there is no better time than NOW to find out! How?

Do some Career Testing. <= ASK me I can help YOU with this!

Read and work through the exercises in What Color Is Your Parachute? The 2009 edition of this classic by Richard Nelson Bolles is aptly subtitled “JOB-HUNTING IN HARD TIMES”. I’ve used this book to guide my own career since 1984.

Let me give you a recent example from my own life of how to figure out what kind of work would make you happy.

Even though I’ve been working and reworking and re-reworking my career plans since 1984, there are some clear themes in my career dreams. And, that’s what you want to look for in your career planning: the common themes.

But, where do you get the data and information to tease out those themes? You get it by examining 5 key elements: Your Interests, Your Skills, Your Experiences, Your Personality, and Your Values.

When I work with clients who want to re-examine their careers and figure out what they want to be when they grow up, the first thing I do is to get them to complete several Career “Tests”. These assessments include: Career Directions Inventory (Interests), MBTI® (Personality), and the Career Values Scale (Values). Then, I use paper and pencil exercises to help you identify your Skills and Experiences.

I KNOW all the gory details of all 5 key Career factors. I’ve used them to help me find contracts and clients. And, even though I’ve had superb clients and extremely interesting work: something was missing. This year, when I did my annual Life & Career Goal Setting I became very aware of my NEED (more like burning desire, lust) to TRAVEL. So, when thinking about finding part-time work to supplement my coaching income, I decided to focus on my Travel theme. I began to think about how I might find work in the Travel industry. AND, I GOT IT!

YES, last week I signed on board Expedia® CruiseShipCenters as a contract Cruise & Vacation Consultant. And, you can benefit.

Next issue I will tell you HOW I found and secured this great ‘job’. And, how on earth being a Travel Consultant fits with the rest of my career aspirations.

NEXT ISSUE: Step 2: Use Your Theme(s) to Find the Work You Love

I love to hear from you. So, let me know what you think. Send me an e-mail or add your comment here at the blog!

Technorati Tags: Career Conundrums, Career Dreams, Career Plans, Creative Careers

In a word … NO!

Why not?

There are, at least, 2 excellent reasons:

1. Desperation is not the mother of success

When you are drowning it may make sense to grab at anything floating by. But, when looking for work it’s a BAD idea. When desperate we tend to turn off our internal warning signals. Thus thousands of people have been seduced, and scammed, into accepting jobs that offered “Make $50 an hour working at home!” Remember: if it looks too good to be true … it probably is.

2. It could suck up every ounce of your energy

A friend of mine shut down her consulting practice and took a 3-day a week job in order to help keep the household afloat. Oh, and the plan was that on those 2 days off she’d write her novel. That was 22 months ago and I think she’s written maybe 20 pages of her novel. Why? Because the demands of her 3 day a week job could, and frequently have, filled 5 days. She has almost no energy to do any writing on her days off and is also frequently ill. Will your interim job solution take everything you have and leave nothing for your dreams?

So, if you don’t take just any job, what do you do?

I’ll share some ideas with you next time.

This weekend I will be attending the 2^nd annual conference of the Calgary Association of Professional Coaches. I’m presenting a 1-hour break out session called “Get Your Inner A.C.T. Together and Create The Practice of Your Dreams”.

I thought it would be interesting to give you a sneak peek at this “Inner A.C.T.” But, before I get into the “A.C.T.”, I want to set the stage …

I’ve been interested in what makes people tick for a long time. I particularly became interested in psychology when I struggled with Clinical Depression and then Manic Depressive Illness. I’ve read, and collected, hundreds of books on psychology, self-help, and neuroscience.

My passion as a coach and consultant is to use my learnings about the inner workings of the brain and mind to help my clients. I want to help you learn from my mistakes and from my successes and thereby have a less stressful, more successful, less painful life at home and in your business.

I titled this presentation “Your Inner A.C.T.” because I’ve learned over the years, and keep learning, that I and you need to pay closer attention to what’s going on inside us. We get bajillions of messages from “Out There” telling us what to do - “Buy Me”, “Wear Me”, and you’ll be happy and have success. So, my goal in my presentation is to reinforce the notion that we need to “look inside for answers”.

So, what then is this “Inner A.C.T.”? The acronym A.C.T. stands for 3 qualities that together form our Essence. Let’s take a look at them …

A - Authenticity

When you know the answer to the question “Who am I?” and act in a way that is fully congruent with that, then you display the quality Authenticity.

But, you ask, “how could I not know who I am?” Remember those external messages I talked about. From the time we are born, well meaning people tell us who they think we are, or should be. So, over time we forget what I call the Essential Self, the part of us that is our Soul. We forget “Who I Am”. Not only do we forget we often become afraid to express that true self.

I’m willing to bet that if I asked you who you are you’d respond automatically with a job title, with what you do. You might tell me “I’m a coach”. Or, “I’m a Doctor”.

I’m reading a wonderful book by my favourite Jungian analyst, Robert A. Johnson, called “Living Your Unlived Life”. Here’s the essence of an exercise he suggests to help us discover the answer to the question, “Who am I”. Find a supportive partner. Sit facing each other. Get relaxed and centered. Have your partner ask, “Who are you?” Respond with whatever comes to mind. When you run out of responses, take a moment to recoup. Then have your partner ask again, “Who are you?” Keep repeating these steps till you reach a sense of being, of essence.”

When you know your Authentic Self and when you are able to express that self in an Authentic way, you have the first key to the Essence of you.

C - Courage

The word Courage derives from the Latin word for Heart. For me it is in and through dialogue with our Heart that we answer the 2^nd essential question, “Why Am I Here”.

It is the Heart that is the centre of our Purpose. And, it is to the Heart that we need to look both to get clear on our Purpose and to restore, rejuvenate our Courage.

Why do we need Courage? Because it is a challenge to be Authentic, to walk our talk, to FULLY express our Essence.

So, we need to turn to our Hearts regularly.

Later this month (as soon as I master Scanning 101) I will make a PDF copy of an article I wrote on Courage called “Finding and Nurturing The Courage To Change.” I’ll let you know when it’s available.

Also, if you really want to do business from the Heart I (pardon the pun) heartily recommend you cruise on over to Mark Silver’s Heart of Business website (www.HeartOfBusiness.com) and get your self on his newsletter list. I know of no better source for Heart-centred business wisdom.

T - Talent

            When I first started thinking about this notion the T-word Tenacity came to mind. And, while I do know form my own experience that it will take Tenacity to live a life of Authenticity, Tenacity didn’t quite fit with what I was trying to convey.

I believe that fully understanding what makes us unique is about knowing the answer to 3 questions. We’ve already addressed 2: “Who am I” and “Why am I here?”

          The 3^rd question is “What am I Given?” and relates to the Mind and to the inborn gifts or Talents we receive.

It seems easy to recognize Talent in others, particularly when it’s obvious like Mozart’s or Tiger Wood’s. But, often we deny our own Talent. How often when praised for being exceptionally good at something, have you said, “Oh. That’s nothing. Anybody can do that!”

Knowing your God given Talent is important. But, even more important is employing it - Authentically.

There you have it. My notion of the 3 keys to Essence.

Let me know what you think. Send me an e-mail or comment here on my blog!