Posts tagged ‘Following your passion’

July 5th, 2010

Surefire Ways to Burn Out, Pt.2: A Few Dream Busters

I had such a great time sharing part one of ways to burn out, I’m back again for a another round. So here we go!

  1. Bring your bad attitude wherever you go. Remember my past post about Mike Rowe and his awesome show Dirty Jobs? Those workers could do the dirtiest jobs with enthusiasm because they brought their passion wherever they went. The opposite is true too. Want to burn out and get yourself fired? Bring your unhappiness to your job and it’ll feel a million times worse being there. I once had a Japanese teacher who told us to leave our baggage outside the door so that when we entered we’d be fresh and ready to learn. While it’s not always easy to do so, being present, mindful and showing a good attitude while you’re at work, can potentially propel you into something better. Being angry, disgruntled and negative can make you miserable and eventually lead to a fast track path to burning out.
  2. Be boring. Do the same thing every day all the time. Don’t ever have any fun and be as dull as you can be. Work until you can’t work no more, then work again for good measure. Do that and you’ll need a vacation ASAP!
  3. Stay safe. Stay in your comfort zone too long and spider webs will grow on your dreams. You’ll start losing hope, have less faith and your potential for self-growth and happiness will begin shrinking all around you. Giving up is next and that’s when burnout sets in.
  4. Sit under the sun too long without any protection. The opposite of staying safe is to go out of your comfort zone too much and too often. I once had a job where I was battling my inner fears on a day to day basis. The stress not only attacked my insides, but they didn’t give me a chance to refuel, reboot and recharge either. The result? Well, you can guess what happened next. How do you protect yourself from feeling too stressed? Social support. Breaks. Adequate safety from supervisors, mentors, anyone in a position that can lend a hand. It may also mean a change is necessary, which leads me to this:

Here’s the deal. Sometimes burning out can be a good thing. It can be a sign that it’s time to move on. Maybe you’ve stayed safe too long. Maybe you’ve allowed fear to paralyze you from taking action and burning out is the sign that you’re ready to confront that fear and make a change. It could also just mean you need a break. When you’re feeling overwhelmed, take some time to figure out what it’s telling you. Just like a fever is your body’s way of saying you need to rest, burning out is a signal that something’s not right. An internal and emotional shift may be necessary to put you right back on track.

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CategoryFacing Fears | CommentNo Comments »

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June 24th, 2010

The Nostradamus Effect

What do you think of Nostradamus? Inspiring predictor? Prophet? A guy who caused a big hullabaloo about nothing? Maybe all of the above? Well, I’ve got another confession to make. I’m sort of a believer. Unless it’s just that the History channel’s got power’s of manipulation greater than Luke Skywalker and can make me believe just about anything. It could be. I never believed those signs saying, “The End of the World is Coming” before.

Whatever it is, it’s got me a little freaked. I keep thinking, “Okay I got 2 years! What can I do with 2 years!!” Well actually according to Nostradamus, we actually have until December 21, 2012 so we’ve got little more than that. Time until outer space attacks, we get consumed by volcanoes and tidal waves and some unknown disease gets us all. {Great and I thought the ending of the Oprah show was going to kill me!}

Actually the effect of being scared out of my mind by tonight’s show did wonders to my sense of motivation. Even if you’re not a believer and even if the world won’t end in a few years, we’re still on loan here. I hate to break it to you, but we just don’t know when we’re going to leave this good earth.

Here’s another thing. Maybe being on the threshold of time can work in our favor. Instead of looking at your life as a large, endless playing field, why not shorten the end date and get cracking on all the things you’ve ever wanted to do? Of course, I’m going to help you a little with that.

Here are a few resources to get you in gear. Let the countdown begin!

  1. If you’re not ready for change, do this: Write it down. You don’t have to do anything more than that. Just getting your dreams down on paper starts a weird-I-can’t-really-explain-it process that leads you to your goals. Want evidence? A little less than 10 years ago, I wrote in my journal 10 things I wanted to do before I died (kind of like a bucket list). I was shocked by what I read. I had totally forgotten what I wrote. Maybe my conscious mind forgot I wanted to travel to Europe and live on the mainland, but my subconscious took over and helped me to manifest it into reality.
  2. If you’re ready and willing, do this: Create a plan. As someone who is a lot more right-brain creative than left-brain logical, I have a difficult time with getting down to business. Sure coming up with blog ideas is like taking candy from a baby for me, but give me a puzzle and I’ll stare at it for days and never touch it. Yet, even us right-brainers know the importance of plan making. So I’ve been doing my own research on how to create a business plan. What I’ve come up with is 1) Mind Mapping: That’s something you can do with traditional pen and paper or online. I’ve used both mindmeister and Freemind. They’re both free. If you’re not familiar with mind mapping, basically it’s like clouds of ideas. You start with one then branch out with others. It’s kind of like a free write, free thought, anything goes way to problem solve. A former boss and mentor told me about it and I wished I used it sooner. 2) Google Docs: Create a daily/monthly/yearly task list of things you need to do to get to your goals and find the satisfaction of checking them off when they’re completed.

I just realized that a few of my goals have already came true. Remember when I wrote in this post that a voice in my dream told me, “find your niche. Then follow, find and develop friendships with those who are doing what you want to do and will help support you.” Well, recently I’ve gotten two emails inviting me to a book group and a healthy lifestyle group. Who knows? This may be the people I’ve been hoping for.

Now it’s your turn. What will you do now to meet your dreams halfway?

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CategoryFollowing your dreams, How to | CommentNo Comments »

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May 14th, 2010

What You're Doing Right

I’m a big fan of Twitter for obvious reasons. I’ve got almost 400 kick-butt followers from editors and web designers to small business owners to freelance writers. And I even have a handful of my all-time favorite peeps. (Like Ms. Martha Beck who I’m still blushing in disbelief from her words of humor/wisdom in our recent twitter chats.)

The one thing that I haven’t really enjoyed, however, is the number of tweets and articles out there that tell you what you’re doing wrong. Their provocative, grab you pieces might gain tons more attention that this humble blog does, but I can’t help wonder how helpful they really are.

Maybe in the big scheme of things knowing that I should, for example, have my name as a Twitter handle instead of the name of my blog, is a good thing. It’s also good to know that I shouldn’t be a freelancer if I don’t like sitting at my desk or working alone or doing paperwork or working as a business, etc. But what I see less in the Twitter realm is what we’re doing right.

Why are there so many negative articles and posts out there? Can knowing what we’re doing wrong be more helpful than focusing on what we’re doing right?

Maybe having someone bark orders at some is necessary. Maybe we need the knowledge to come straight and clear for us to get it. But for some, I think a little bit of encouragement would be better.

If you’re on the road to following your passion, would you want someone to berate you for what you’re doing wrong or support you and focus on what you’re doing right?

Maybe it’s a preference thing. But for me, on this journey to freelance freedom, I’d much rather read this.

A top 5 list of what you’re doing right, right now:

  1. If you’re reading this, you’re on your way to an inspiring life. Just taking small steps ends up affecting your life in a big way.
  2. You’ve taken risks. Yesterday, I made a big announcement on Twitter that my dream jobs were as a magazine columnist and a book author. I cringed as I clicked on send. But I did it. It was my way of proclaiming my dream. I took a risk and survived it. Congratulate yourself for even the some bits of discomfort you face!
  3. You’re doing the best you can. Life isn’t about perfection it’s about giving everything you can. Even if you’re sitting in a cubicle dreaming of your dream job, you’re doing what you can with what you have. Not everyone can quit a job they hate right away and that’s okay. Accepting your situation and who you are in the moment may be what you need to get through this moment to the moment of your dreams.
  4. You’ve already come so far. I think it takes a lot to get to a point where you can feel safe and comfortable enough to dream. Even a year ago, I never thought I could write for a living and although I’m still far from my goals, I’m closer than I’ve ever been before. Try to remember where you came from and celebrate your small victories every step of the way. You deserve it!
  5. You’ve kept going. Perseverance is a big thing in life. While others give up with the going gets tough, you’ve stuck through. And aren’t you glad you did? Even if all you’ve ever done is to hold onto that dream. You’ve done more than enough. When the time is right, you’ll have the courage and energy to go for it all! And when you do, let me know. We’ll celebrate that victory together!

A few words about this photo: I have extraordinarily long arms and no I’m not selling an ad for deodorant. I just finished a monstrous of a hike in Santorini and as you can see I was pretty excited.

CategoryFollowing your dreams | Comment1 Comment »

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August 11th, 2009

Just Say No: How Saying No Can Help You Say Yes to What You Really Want

On the well worn path toward the gold at the end of the rainbow, there will be many sidesteps along the way. Sometimes the road is unpaved and hard and there are no signs along the way to alert you where to go. And then you see a temporary haven, an easy way out, a shortcut towards your dreams. The question is do you take it?

Well if you have been reading my blog for a few weeks now, you know that I’ve favored saying yes in the past. That’s why you might be surprised to now read that I’ve had a change of heart. Maybe it is not always good to say yes to every opportunity.  In fact, recently I have relearned the value of saying no.

Sometimes when we’re on our way to fulfilling our dreams it can seem like forever and the gap between where we are now until where we want to be can feel overwhelming. But oftentimes we can’t see how close we are to the end.  We’re on our final lap and we don’t even know it but in our frustration we may give up too easily.  

When we are feeling desperate, we start desiring anything and everything.  You know the feeling you get when you’ve been dieting for too long and EVERYTHING starts to look good!  Well that’s what happens when you feel like you’ll never get the relationship, the job, or that plum writing assignment you are dreaming of.  Out of desperation you begin thinking of giving up.  You might think to yourself, “I might as well just ___ (fill in the blank with your chosen act of desperation) because I won’t ever get to ______ (fill in the blank with your dream).”

Well I’m hear to tell you, “Just Say No!” Although the temptation may be great, taking that low paying job or that high paying job you hate just because you are worried you won’t ever get there will only get you even farther from your dreams.  Stick to your goals.  Remember why you came here in the first place.  And don’t ever let your feelings of insecurites, self-doubt and desperation talk you into saying yes to living a life that’s less than the one that you deserve.  You will get there with time, patience, hard work and the belief that you can really succeed.  Trust me.  Saying yes to opportunities you don’t believe in and that doesn’t fulfill you is less of an opportunity and more of a temporary shortcut, one that will undermine your hardwork and prevent you from living the life of your dreams.

Path

CategoryFacing Fears, Following your dreams, How to | Comment1 Comment »

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July 28th, 2009

Follow the Beat of Your Own Drum

“Walk away from the 97% crowd. Don’t use their excuses. Take charge of your own life.” — Jim Rohn

I’ve never been one to follow the crowd. I remember being in elementary school arguing with my classmates that their crayon drawing of green grass was incorrect because it did not have the brown dirt under it. Anal, I know!

And while my need to follow the beat of my own drum still stays with me today, I now see how doing so can be beneficial in the long run. Great people are the ones that makes waves and are not always the ones who passively ride them. It made me think, maybe being stubborn has its advantages after all. 

In fact, whenever I decide to do something that makes people cringe and cry out, “Why are you doing that?” I kind of think I might be on the right track. I’m not saying of course that I like to be different just for the sake of rebelling. But there is something to be said about the road less travelled. If everyone is doing it, maybe you should ask yourself not why aren’t I doing it too but what else can I do?

If we spend our lives being like everyone else, walking in their shoes, we never get the chance to be the person we were meant to be. We may live a safe life. We may have the support of the majority. But we will always wonder what if. So the next time you are hesitant to stand out from the crowd, remember this. You not only have every right to follow the beat of your own drum but you were born to.

CategoryFreelance writing, Inspirational Stories, job | CommentNo Comments »

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