I missed them cause I was busy getting ready for the teleclinc and the new gig.

Oh, and I was also preparing to teach an Unsticking(TM) workshop to the writers who hang out at the Alberta Romance Writers Association. That one was called “Break Free … and Write!” It was yesterday and was the best!

We had a great session for the teleclinic on “How to Find Work That Doesn’t Suck” I aplogize if you weren’t on the notification list.

If you haven’t already subscribed to the mailing list for my Unsticking(TM) Teleclinics (I run 1 a month for FREE) … and if you want to get the free resources I offered after the call then …

Send a blank email to unstick-clinic@aweber.com

The audio of the April 23rd call will be posted today … provided I master the intricacies of WordPress.

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!

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!

However, financial shit is happening … folks is losing jobs … maybe YOU .. so what are you to do?

Well actually this is the BEST TIME to rethink your career. Nothing like a little anxiety / stress to get you going; and get you focused. I know where of I speak: I would not have ever worked for myself if my former employer hadn’t given me the boot!

During tough times like these, it’s best to go back to basics.

So, if you know your Type Preferences, ala the Myers Briggs Type Indicator(R), here’s a great article from Psychometrics on making Career Decisions.

If you don’t know your Type Preference, I’d be happy to help you determine it. Just scoot on over to my Contact page and send me an message.

The 1st 5 people who contact me and BOOK a Career Assessment will get $ 50.00 OFF the regular price! In the comment box, write Want MBTI Assessment.

I was struck by Job’s comment that one could only connect the dots of one’s life when looking backwards. I agree.

Those of us who guide our lives at least partially by intuition, by our ‘guts’, are never really sure where we are going. Our paths look senseless to others. Yet, responding to the call of our Callings we wind up in the right places for us. And, the dots connect.

There’s a clear, simple
way to think about Your Ideal Creative Career. Here are the Top 3 components of
your Ideal Creative Career:

Your Ideal Career = The Right Work + With The Right
People + With The Right Working Conditions

There are other
factors. And, when I do career coaching with you, you and I will examine them
in depth. Curious about these other factors? Watch this blog, I’ll be writing
about them. For now, I want to take a brief look at the Top 3.

#1 The Right Work

Nothing brings more
satisfaction and happiness than doing
the work you love. That’s why I’ve listed “The Right Work” as the number
one factor in your Ideal Creative Career. How can I help you identify The Right
Work? I primarily use 2 industry standard career instruments: the Myers-Briggs
Type Indicator® (MBTI®) and the Career Direction Inventory (CDI). Sometimes, I
will have clients complete the Career Values Scale. Additionally, I would have
you work through exercises to identify your Vision, Life Purpose, and Gift(s).

#2 The Right People

Doing the right work is
critical to your satisfaction and success. But, if you’re working with toxic
coworkers or clients work won’t work. So, when I work with clients we focus on
identifying the kind of people they want/need to be with.

Here’s an example. I
coached a colleague who is a communications and IT professional, writer, and
aspiring novelist. She needed to return to ‘real’ work and was looking for a
part-time job. I had her complete the CDI to identify her top 3 interest areas.
And, we did some careful work to specify the kind of people she wanted to work
with. These factors focused and shaped her work search and she found just the
job she wanted! She loves the work and the people in her work group – oh, and
hubby loves her having a steady pay cheque.

#3 The Right Working Conditions

You love your work. You
love your coworkers and clients. But, you hate the conditions at work. There
goes happiness out the door. I’ll give you an example. I have a brother-in-law
who loved being a mechanic in the Canadian Navy. But, he’s over 6 feet tall and
work sucked every time he was assigned to submarine duty. Small bunks, low
doors, and tight workspaces did a lot to make his tours of duty less than
satisfying.

Here’s some homework you can do, if you choose.
Spend some time thinking about the 3 factors I’ve outlined and what they are
for your Ideal Creative Career. Then share your Ideal Creative Career here at my
Blog.  

Decisions, decisions!
We make dozens everyday. Little ones like whether to put PB or jam on our
bagel. And, less frequently big ones like should I break up with my significant
other?

Here are a couple of thoughts
to help with the “bigger” decisions.

Make Sure Your Deciding at the Right “Level”

Frequently we narrow
our decision possibilities. For example, we pose questions like “what car should I buy?” Notice how that
narrows our thinking, so we’re only focused on cars. What about doing what we
call moving up a level. So, we move from a focus on a specific kind of
transportation device to the more general category of transportation. The
question then becomes “what’s the best
transportation for me?” Doing that opens possibilities. Possibilities like
taking the bus, buying a scooter. So, when you have a big decision to make see
if changing the level from general to more specific or from specific to general
makes the decision better.

Untangle Related Decisions

Sometimes, two or more
decisions are tangled together because they’re ‘related’. For example, suppose
you and your significant other have been living together and now have to move.
You’re struggling with whether to move with her or move alone. You’ve really
got two decision mashed together which makes it really hard to decide. Pull
them apart. Focus on the relationship decision first. Making that decision will
then make the choice of home a lot clearer and easier. Why focus on the
relationship decision first? Because the other decision is ‘dependent’ on it. So,
make it first. By the way, relationship decisions ARE tough to make. I’m not
sure I have any wisdom to share in that area, so please chime in!

What’s helped you make better decisions? Add
your comments at my blog.

Ideas are easy, fun, exciting, enervating. Bringing them to fruition is hard, bloody work.

And, when faced with challenges, bumps in the road, we have a tendency to "throw the baby out with the bath water!" Interestingly, I just learned this expression was originally a German proverb.

Back to the point.

I think that as creatives we have this optimistic hope that we can find the Ideal Solution that will magically solve all our problems. That ONE thing, one Big Idea will fix it all.

Probably not. Hasn’t happened yet for me in 59+ years.

So, when we start implementing a new idea and run up against challenges. We CHUCK the whole thing. And, out goes ‘the baby with the bath water!’

What I’ve been trying to do is resist this temptation. When I feel the urge to chuck it and look for a Big New Idea… I take a breath. Look to see exactly what’s not working. What IS the problem? And, then see if i can TWEAK something.

That way the dirty water gets chucked and my baby, my great idea, gets saved!

Exploring his site for the book I was lead to his "Life Coach 101" Tool. Gave it a try.

Revealing!

What I like is the fact that it gently forces you to create an ‘advisory board’ to help you with your goals. The idea is based on a principle in his book, Chapter 29 in fact. And, the system automatically creates a set of ‘contracts’ you can share with your advisors.

Now, to put the thing into action.

I’m hooked.

But, then that’s not surprizing I’ve been interested in the question of Life Purpose for decades. Sometimes I think I emerged from the womb thinking, "Why AM I here?" I know I sure as heck wondered that when I was a kid. That and, "Who ARE these people?"

Ackerman is an identity and brand consultant and bills himself as a leading authority on organizational and personal identity. My reading of the books suggests he’s been consumed by the question of identity for decades.

Rather than reveal the 8 questions, I’ll point you to TheIdentityCode.com where you can discover the questions and read excerpts of the book.

If you are a dreamer, an artist, a creative, or anyone who cares about understanding your Life Purpose I’d recommend you give the book a read.

Check it out here at Amazon: