Get Your FREE Full-Length Audio of
"
How to Work When, Where and How You Want"

Quit your job and find work you love with Valerie Young.
 
 

Enjoyed by 23,000+ people!

Privacy Policy: We will never sell, rent or trade your email. Period.

Click here to return to the Changing Course home page

live life on purpose work at what you love follow your own road

Next Issue Archives Previous Issue

ChangingCourse.com, Find Your Life Mission and Live It

Issue 191

September 3, 2008

About Your Subscription

Prefer the text version? Change Your Subscription

Compass

ChangingCourse.com since 1995 dedicated to helping people like you to:

~Live Life on Purpose ~Work at What You Love ~Follow Your Own Road

Inside Today's Issue

Opportunity Knocks

How to Make Money by Breaking the Rules 

Featured Resource

How to Work When You Want, From Where Ever You Want and Make Excellent Money as a Freelance Copywriter  

Be a Part of Valerie's New Book

Guest Article

Upcoming Workshops and Teleclasses

  • Opportunity Hour Teleclass

  • Mega Speaking Empire

  • Shanghai Photography Exposition

The View From the Other Side

Resources for a Change

This ad-free bimonthly newsletter is brought to you compliments of ChangingCourse.com.

Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun. ~ Mary Lou Cook

Opportunity Knocks: Creative Ways to Make a Living Without A Job

How to Make Money by Breaking the Rules

Valerie and her rescue dog,
"Cokie Roberts"

By Valerie Young

Too many people who want to work at what they love seem to suffer from the misguided notion that there are certain “rules” that must be followed. Let me give you a quick example. At the beginning of every career consultation, I ask clients to describe their ideal life. To prompt their thinking, I pose a series of questions such as what time do you want to get up in the morning, would you like to work at home or outside the home, do you want to work with other people or do you prefer to work alone? The question that gets the biggest reaction is, “Would you like to have summers off?” Invariably someone will say, “Oh, can you do that?”

I’m always tempted to say, “I don’t know, let me consult the official Work-Life Rule Book.” The thing is, I don’t know if you can have summers off or not. But what I do know is this – if the desire to have your summers free is not consciously on your mental radar screen, then the likelihood of it happening is next to nil. If, on the other hand, you were crystal clear that you’d love to take summers off, then you’d be in a better position to make a conscious effort to come up with ways to generate income that would allow for a lengthy work break.

This self-limiting belief that you somehow have to do things a certain way also hampers to a lot of aspiring entrepreneurs. For example, this week alone I’ve spoken with two people who had considered taking the American Writers and Artists Institute course on how to become a freelance copywriter. The reason they decided against it was they didn’t want to have to write promotional copy for products and services they don’t believe in. Who would? I know I certainly wouldn’t want to pitch Dr. Zildo’s amazing watermelon diet or some shady work from home program.

But where is it written that you HAVE to take on clients you don’t like? I once had a client named Donna whose idea of heaven on earth is to have some kind of a portable income so she can spend months at a time with her daughter in England. Donna enjoys writing and even has a background in advertising. She’d considered the copywriting option in the past but again rejected it because she didn’t want to write about products she didn’t believe in.

Instead of letting this values clash be a show stopper, Donna needed to ask herself, “So, what do I believe in enough to promote?” For Donna it’s the whole mind, body, and soul connection. In fact, her dream job is to organize events for motivational speakers. Because it would be difficult living in a relatively rural area to make a full time living organizing events, we had to come up with a supplemental – and portable – income stream.

This meant challenging the idea that to succeed as a copywriter, or for that matter, in any business, you have to do things a certain way. What if Donna intentionally structured her copywriting business to focus entirely on motivational speakers and authors of mind, body, and soul type books? This kind of niche marketing offers a whole host of advantages.

For one, Donna would genuinely enjoy doing the research on topics she finds interesting. She’d also get a great deal of satisfaction from helping spread the word about concepts and practices she believes in.

Another highly practical advantage is that people in the same field tend to talk to one another. In football terms it’s known as going deep and wide. In my small world, I get to talk to like-minded souls like Barbara Winter and Barbara Sher. I’ve recommended good copywriters to them and they’ve steered me in the direction of great web masters and other vendors. In other words, when you niche market, ultimately you’ll have to do less self-marketing because your business becomes primarily referral-based.

Okay, so what misguided rules are you operating by? Do you think you have to come up with just one way to make a living? Think again. Think you can’t turn your hobby into your career, get paid to work with animals, or that changing course means having to choose between money and happiness? If so, check my ever-increasing list of Cool Jobs at ChangingCourse.com/cooljobs.htm

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. once said, “Man’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.” How can you stretch your mind today? Once you realize that some misguided rules about work and life can, and should, be broken, a whole new world of opportunity can open up.

Add Your Two Cents

Want to comment on this article? Click here to hop over to the Changing Course Blog!

About the Author

"Profiting From Your Passions" 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

He who cannot change the very fabric of his thought will never be able to change reality, and will never, therefore, make any progress.~ Anwar Sadat

Featured Resource

Risk-Free Test Drive Ends Today!

How to Work When You Want, From Where Ever You Want and Make Excellent Money as a Freelance Copywriter 

You don't have to be a professional writer - or a writer at all - to learn how to be a top notch copywriter. In fact, if you can write a simple letter, you can learn to be a well-paid copywriter earning a great living, from anywhere in the world you choose: a log cabin in the mountains, a London flat, a tropical island or the comfort and convenience of your own home office. 

And, if you sign up for a special risk-free test drive of American Writers and Artists Institute's popular Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting before 5:00p.m. Eastern tonight:No Bosses... No Commute

  • You get FREE shipping and handling.

  • You can get started for as little as $39.

  • PLUS, you'll also receive a $39 gift certificate toward AWAI's eBookstore that can be used at any time.

It's that simple.

To take advantage of this deal, go here:

ChangingCourse.com/recommends/trialcopywriting  

Or to learn more about the program, you can read the following letter from Paul Hollingshead, a copywriter who went from earning $6.50 or so an hour stocking cans in a grocery store to earning well over $400,000 a year writing copy.

You can read his letter here:

ChangingCourse.com/recommends/copywritinginfo

 

The only safe thing is to take a chance. ~ Mike Nichols

Compass

The Changing Course Newsletter
Copyright 2008
Lisa Tarrant, Editor
Valerie Young, Publisher info@ChangingCourse.com www.ChangingCourse.com 7 Ripley Road
Montague, MA 01351

Compass

All About Your Subscription

You're welcome to forward this newsletter in its entirety to other dreamers.

If someone sent this to you, don't depend on your friend for this great information. Get your complimentary subscription at ChangingCourse.com/ezine.htm

Please do not reply to this message.

Subscribe or Change Your Address: ChangingCourse.com/ezine.htm

Previous Issues:
changingcoursenewsletter.com

There is no great achievement that is not the result of patient working and waiting.
~ J. G. Holland


Be a Part of Valerie’s New Book

Impostors, Fakes & Frauds!

Do you dismiss your accomplishments as a “fluke” or “no big deal”? Are you crushed by even constructive criticism?  Do you feel like you’ve “fooled” others into thinking that you’re more intelligent than you “know yourself to be.” If so, join the club!

In the past few issues, I’ve been posing a series of questions that in some way relate to my new book on the Impostor Syndrome. Thanks to everyone who took the time to respond.

I’d like to continue the conversation. But instead of another question here, I’ve put up a special Impostor Syndrome blog at ImpostorSyndrome.com/blog. In this blog, I’ll be sharing information and articulating themes related to my book in progress on how to feel as bright and capable as everyone seems to think you are.

It’s my first main-stream book and will be published by Crown Publishing, a division of Random House hopefully in 2010.
 

The jump is so frightening between where I am and where I want to be...because of all I may become I will close my eyes and leap! ~ Mary Anne Radmacher

Guest Article

A Career As A Lifestyle Entrepreneur

By Tony Jacowski

What is a Lifestyle Entrepreneur?

All work and no play are making too many entrepreneurs a rather dull bunch in this day and age. With their careers taking up a major part of their time, they have very little time and energy left for their friends and family, and even their personal well being.

The term "lifestyle entrepreneur" is given to anyone who starts a business not for financial gains, but for lifestyle rewards. The biggest motivation for all lifestyle entrepreneurs is an overwhelming desire for independence. They dream of working for themselves, and running a business that is in tune with their lifestyle. Therefore, practically anyone with an independent bent of mind can take up lifestyle entrepreneurship.

Running Your Business

Most lifestyle entrepreneurs start businesses that they are passionate about. Any business, even if it is in pursuit of a passion or interest, still requires all the essential elements of a successful set-up, like a plan, a service or product, funding, and a market to sell the service or product. To start a successful business, lifestyle entrepreneurs have to pay attention to four main factors:

  • Choosing suitable people to work with

  • Selecting and managing technology to keep up with competition

  • Attaining the perfect blend of control and growth

  • Gaining profits

Whether it is closed, passed on to a family member or sold, every business has an end. Lifestyle entrepreneurs need to make sure their business is profitable. By maintaining good financial records, and using good business tactics, the business can generate a good income and profits.

Ways to Create Success as a Lifestyle Entrepreneur

The success of a rewarding lifestyle is by far one of the greatest achievements you can attain. Lifestyle entrepreneurs strive to achieve such a success. Here are some ways to become a successful entrepreneur:

  • Define Your Values - To become a successful lifestyle entrepreneur, you must define certain values and principles and honor them in both your personal as well as business life. Successful lifestyle entrepreneurs are required to know exactly what is important for their business.

  • Create A Vision - Visualize what you will be doing three years down the line. Realistic conceptualization is one of the key factors of becoming a successful lifestyle entrepreneur. Not only will this provide a goal, but it can also be useful in formulating methods of achieving it.

  • Make A Plan Of Action - Knowledge is not enough, application is more important. Top performers will tell you that lasting success can only come through hard work. The more you work, the better results you reap. Create a plan of action that is result oriented. Your plan must work within a specific period of time.

  • Hire Support - It is advisable to hire support in areas that do not fall under your expertise. Hiring people to do your work will provide you with more freedom and time to focus on gaining profits for your business. This way, your business will be your main concern, and not other lesser tasks that form an intrinsic part of any business.

  • Generate Passive Income - Generating a stream of passive income will build your brand name. Passive income involves referral programs, affiliate programs, and pay-for-inclusion committees.

Whether you are a lifestyle entrepreneur, or dream of becoming one, following these guidelines will prove useful. Lifestyle entrepreneurship eliminates the usual drawbacks that apply to traditional entrepreneurship, which will provide the motivation and scope for growth to achieve success. Therefore, if you are ready to live a more meaningful and interesting life, becoming a lifestyle entrepreneur could be the right choice for you.

About the Author

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solutions - Six Sigma Online (SixSigmaOnline.org) offers online six sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

 

Take chances, make mistakes. That's how you grow. Pain nourishes your courage. You have to fail in order to practice being brave. ~ Mary Tyler Moore

Upcoming Workshops and Teleclasses

Turning Your Interests into Income:
The Opportunity Hour Teleclass With
"Opportunity Analyst" Valerie Young

Valerie Young

There really is no shortage of creative ways to get paid to do work you truly love. The problem is most people don't know how to profit from their passions.

Viable and fascinating business ideas are literally all around you. You just need to know where to look!

Listen in as serial "Opportunity Analyst" Valerie Young delves into her vast Opportunity Files to reveal some fascinating ways that regular people – just like you – have turned their interests into income!

You don't even need a lot of money. All it takes is a little creative thinking, which is a good thing because Real Success Without a Real Job author Ernie Zelinski calls creative thinking "the poor man's wealth." Ernie was spot on when he said, "There is nothing quite as exhilarating as coming up with a brilliant idea, putting it to good use, and eventually being rewarded handsomely for my efforts by the marketplace."

So join a community of dreamers and dream doers for an exhilarating hour of creative thinking, opportunity angling, and possibility-provoking fun! The rewards could be enormous!

Do you have ideas ideas or interests but you're just not sure if and how you can turn them into income? Post your ideas at Fast Track Headquarters on the Q & A Discussion Forum and they could be selected for the Hot Seat at the next Opportunity Hour Teleclass!

Tuesday, September 23
10:00-11:00 a.m. Eastern Time
Free for Fast Track Members*
$19.00 for Non Members**

Click Here to Register

Tuesday, October 14
7:30-8:30 p.m. Eastern Time
Free for Fast Track Members*
$19.00 for Non Members
**
Click Here to Register

*This series is free to current members of theFast Track Your Dream Community. **100 percent of Non-Members registration fees go to the non-profit micro-grant organization TrickleUp.org**

Mega Speaking Empire 2008

Over the past 30 years, Mark Victor Hansen has built an international speaking career and information marketing business, allowing him to speak to millions of people on nearly every continent on Earth.Mark Victor Hansen

He's worked with the industry's most respected and successful speakers, strategists,
coaches and marketing mavens including:

  • acclaimed marine life artist and conservation advocate Wyland

  • top speaker and best-selling author Denis Waitley

  • motivational speaker and best selling author Dr. Barbara De Angelis

  • master coach and financial strategist Loral Langemeier

  • and many more...

And he's hand-selected the best of them to join him on the faculty of Mega Speaking Empire 2008.

You'll get a comprehensive education on what it takes to become a speaking superstar - with the income and success to prove it.

Mega Speaking Empire 2008
November 7th, 8th, and 9th, 2008
Los Angeles, California
Click to Learn More

Shanghai Photography Expedition

Join professional photographer Shelly Perry on American Writer's and Artists Institute’s first-ever trip to China… And find out just how easy it is to turn your snapshots into cash - and enjoy the fun, freedom, independence, and travel opportunities that freelance and stock photography deliver. Shanghai Photography Expedition

You’ll…

  • Have fun exploring one of the fastest-changing cities in the world - while you get hands-on practice applying new photography skills…

  • Experience Shanghai in the company of like-minded travelers without worrying about whether or not you speak the language or know the city…

  • Learn from a professional photographer the best techniques for shooting pictures that sell for $50, $150, $250 - and even higher…

  • Return home with the most amazing pictures to hang on your wall and show your friends…

Shanghai, China
October 23 - 28, 2008

Seats are limited. Go here for more details:
ChangingCourse.com/recommends/shanghaiphotography

 

Striving for success without hard work is like trying to harvest where you haven't planted.” ~ David Bly

Compass

The View From theOther Side

"The entrepreneur is our visionary, the creator in each of us. We're born with that quality and it defines our lives as we respond to what we see, hear, feel, and experience. It is developed, nurtured, and given space to flourish or is squelched, thwarted, without air or stimulation, and dies."

~ Michael Gerber, Entrepreneur and author of several books including The E-Myth Revisited

Compass

 

Resources for a Change

Train to become a Certified Canine Aquatic Therapist La Paw Spa, founded by Cindy Horsfall in 1996, offers aquatic physical therapy and massage therapy for dogs with injuries, or ongoing medical conditions such as arthritis. If you love the idea of starting your own canine spa, Cindy has developed a three-part training program. You'll be introduced to the world of aquatic therapy, discover techniques to assist in animal recovery, and delve into the mental and physical benefits of aquatic therapy for canines. This unique business would be a perfect fit for anyone interested in assisting the healing process for injured dogs. For more information, visit the La Paw Spa atLaPawSpa.com.

Toy Contest With A TwistWant to channel your passion for science or engineering and kids into a good cause and perhaps be a part of winning toy design? The Sally Ride Science club (founded by America's first woman astronaut) has created a national toy design competition for 5th-8th graders aimed at getting boys and girls to learn more about science, engineering, and the design process! As girls and boys create a toy or game, they experience engineering as a fun, creative, collaborative process, relevant to everyday life.
Learn more at ToyChallenge.com

The Humane Society University Lots of great information for people who have, or would like to have, careers working with animals. You'll find job descriptions and fact sheets, information on education and training, and a list of professional associations and organizations like the American Dog Trainers Network or the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters. You'll also find a variety of online courses as well as on-site workshops on everything from animal behavior to humane law enforcement. Learn more at HumaneSocietyU.org

 

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!