  
 |  | | Issue 194 | October 14, 2008 |
| | | | About Your Subscription Prefer the text version? Change Your Subscription  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 Why Wish Upon a Star When You Can Reach for One? Featured Resource Break Into Print As a Freelance Author or Writer Be a Part of Valerie's New Book In the Garden Upcoming Workshops and Teleclasses The View From the Other Side Resources for a Change This ad-free bimonthly newsletter is brought to you compliments of ChangingCourse.com. |
| | | You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great. ~ Zig Ziglar | |
| Opportunity Knocks: Creative Ways to Make a Living Without A Job Why Wish Upon a Star When You Can Reach for One? |  | | Valerie and her rescue dog,
"Cokie Roberts" | By Valerie Young It's been over thirty years since Pulitzer Prize-winning author Studs Terkel traveled the country conducting interviews for his book, Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do. In it is an insightful quote from Nora Watson who says, "I think most of us are looking for a calling, not a job. Most of us, like the assembly line worker, have jobs that are too small for our spirit." The same can be said of dreams. So many of my clients have jobs that are too small for their dreams. Take Jerry, a 50-year-old airline employee who writes to tell me he "dreads going to work." His real life's pleasure, he says, is carpentry. "Whether it's building a house, cabinets or whatever, I get lost in the project. I can sit for hours and watch [the popular PBS television show] This Old House." So what's stopping him? Jerry explained the problem this way: "So many people are trapped in jobs they only tolerate. I guess the fear of failure is our biggest problem. I know it is mine." I could practically hear the sigh on the other end of the modem as Jerry signed off with a wistful, "Wish I could get the courage to make the change." My advice to Jerry was this: 1) Get Perspective As career challenges go, Jerry needed to know that he was actually pretty lucky. Most people don't have a clue as to their true calling. "Yet here you are," I wrote, "letting something as natural – and manageable – as fear stand between you and vocational heaven." If this wasn't enough to shift Jerry's thinking, I reminded him of what he should really be afraid of: the prospect of spending the next 15 years doing something he dreads. 2) Get Beyond the Obvious Sure, Jerry could always become a carpenter. Or, he could think outside the box by experimenting with some creative ways to dabble in his passion. For example, he might start out by teaching a carpentry class through an adult learning center or writing a how-to column for the local newspaper. Neither of these ideas would require Jerry to quit his airline job. At least not right away. Both, though, have the potential of jumpstarting some creative thinking about all the different ways there are to satisfy a calling. 3) Stop Wishing and Start Dreaming Before Jerry could make any kind of change, he'd first have to get to the heart of his problem – the clue to which lay in his own parting words. "The real reason you're stuck," I said, "isn't fear. It's that you have beenwishing when you should be dreaming." What's the difference? Wishing is passive. We wish for things over which we are powerless. We wish we'd win the lottery. We wish we were taller or thinner. We wish the waiter would hurry up. Many wishes are tinged with regrets about past decisions. We wish we'd ordered the fish instead of the chicken. That we'd taken the other job. That we hadn't let the love of our lives get away. Dreaming, though, is different. A dream is active. It's positive. And it speaks to the future. But that's not all. Unlike "wishful thinking" – which has everything to do with hopelessness and the supposed impracticality of achieving a goal – "dreamful thinking" speaks to exciting prospect of a goal realized. Dreamful thinking invites possibilities into our life. Still not convinced? Close your eyes and imagine the voice of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as he thunders the words, "I have a wish!" Not exactly inspiring is it? That's because unlike a wish, you can see a dream. And as the U.S. Civil Rights Movement reminds us, when others share a common vision of a dream, the motivation it inspires is contagious. If Jerry really wanted to pursue his love of carpentry, he'd have to first stop wishing and start dreaming. "Fear is natural," I told him, "it goes with the change territory. That's why you need to fortify yourself. Let your dream of doing what you love be the "soul fuel" that propels you to act despite your fears. Once you take those first bold steps on behalf of your dream, the courage will come." 4) Think BigThere are dreams and then there are Big Dreams. I closed by tossing out a Big Dream idea. Why didn't he approach his local television station about producing a weekly home improvement spot? To satisfy that ever-important local angle, offer to feature improvements made to local viewers' homes. I even jokingly suggested Jerry turn his age to his advantage by calling the segment This ‘Old' Carpenter. "Hey, if you're going to think big," I told him, "then think big. Who knows, you may eventually land a spot as the featured carpentry expert on the Today Show!" Reach for the StarsApparently, something I said worked. A week later Jerry wrote to say he was totally pumped about the prospect being an on-air carpentry guru. He'd even set up a potential collaboration between himself and an old friend with a passion for video production. (I told you dreams were contagious!) This time Jerry closed on an upbeat note: "I'm ready to start following my dreams," adding, "I sure want to go out of this world doing something I truly enjoy!" So, what's your Big Dream? Maybe all you really know for sure is that you're ready for a change. That's a start. Now you need to take the goal, "make a change," and bump it up a few notches by dreaming big! -
If you have multiple interests, picture being able to earn a living enjoying them all. -
If you like the idea of working at home, imagine doing it on an island or maybe working only nine months a year. -
If you're just making ends meet in an unfulfilling job, imagine doing something you love and doubling your income at the same time.
You may not get everything you want, but two things are certain:
1) It takes not one ounce of energy more to dream big than it does to settle, and you've got a lot more to gain by shooting high than by shooting low. 2) Carl Sandburg once said, "Nothing happens unless first a dream." So reach for the stars and catch hold of a Big Dream. Then, one day at a time, honor your dream with action. 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, a career change website for people who want be their own boss and work at what they love. Her career 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 to over 30k people at such diverse organizations as Chrysler, Boeing, Intel, Harvard University, and American Women in Radio and Television and is the author of an upcoming book on the subject with Crown Publishing. Go to ChangingCourse.com to get your free report at Changing Course on how you can make a career change that lets you work from home or wherever you like. To read more articles about how to work at what you love without a job go to ChangingCourse.com/articles Follow Valerie Online  - www.Twitter.com/valerieyoung  - www.new.facebook.com/addfriend.php?id=1281101423 |
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| Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?
~ Robert Browning | |
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| Featured Resource Break into Print as a Freelance Author or Writer Do you love to write but have never really honed your craft? Do you want to enjoy the freedom and flexibility of a freelance author or writer? Do you find it hard to discipline yourself to complete one of the many articles or books you have floating around in your head? What if there was a writing program that has such a track record of success that it actually promises graduates they will complete at least two manuscripts suitable for submission to an editor by the time they finish the program? A program that not only taught you technique and matched you with a writing tutor who gave you line-by-line feedback of your writing but also handed you the tools and the know-how you need to break into print? Interested? I was. When the developers of a course called Breaking Into Print asked me to review their writing course, I was unprepared for the quality and depth of what they had to offer. For over 30 years The Long Ridge Writer's Group has been helping people with a passion for writing to break into print authoring books or writing for magazines or both. This affordable, instructor-assisted self-study program has a truly impressive track record of graduating published writers To read my complete review of this hands-on writing program, including the “10 Reasons Why I Recommend Breaking Into Print,” visit ChangingCourse.com/longridge.htm Tip from Valerie: If you are serious about advancing your dream of being a freelance writer or author to be sure to check out the Resources for a Change section for a number of writers resources. | Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.~ William Shakespeare |
| | | | | Wherever we look upon this earth, the opportunities take shape within the problems.
~ Nelson A. Rockefeller | |
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! Are Some People Just "Phony Phonies"? Anyone who has ever felt like an impostor knows what it's like to secretly worry that someone is going to “find out” that you are really not as bright and capable as everyone seems to think you are. Believing that “I don’t know enough,” or “I’m not expert enough” or “I’m not qualified enough,” are huge – and unnecessary – barriers to starting your own business. Deep down, though, you know there is another story here…deep down you know there is another secret you are keeping from the world and perhaps even from yourself. Please include as much information as you feel comfortable sharing – first name, current occupation, age, racial/ethnic background, state/province/country. Share as much or as little as you like. No matter what you share, I think just reading other people's stories will be enlightening to all. Thank you in advance for your input and support. I couldn't do this without you! Share Your Response Click here to share your response Valerie Young
Recovering Impostor
ImpostorSyndrome.com
| Commitment leads to action. Action brings your dream closer. ~ Marcia Wieder | In the Garden Planting Seeds and Watching Dreams Grow From time to time I like to feature the progress of other readers who are actively pursuing their dream of self-bossing. In past issues I've talked about how growing a dream is a lot like growing a garden. It starts with the desire for growth. Then, just as you would ready the soil for planting, you must prepare your mind. You may, for example, need to work on believing that you deserve to be happy, that it's okay to want to both make good money and find your work enjoyable too, and that it really is possible to live life on your own terms. If you have any doubt that you can turn really any passion into your income than you haven't met the following two dreamers. Bump Up Your Dream! Some of you may have met Dyan deNapoli at one of ChangingCourse.com's big Work at What You Love workshops. In 2005 she attended as a participant. At the time, her goal was to transition from her job at the Boston Aquarium to being a self-employed penguin expert. From there, Dyan set up a Web site and began bringing her penguin education program to schools and libraries, making so much progress that two years later I invited her to be a guest on my Inspired Entrepreneurs panel. Most people set their sights too low. We go for what we think is doable and not what is possible. Don't get me wrong. Dyan's progress was truly impressive. But still, throughout the workshop I encouraged her to think bigger, "After all," I told her, "you are THE Penguin Lady!" Guess what? Since then Dyan has been the guest expert on a cruise to the Galapagos Islands and another to Antarctica and was interviewed by CNN. But, by continuing to put herself out there and to reach higher, the news just keeps getting better. Last week Dyan emailed Barbara Winter, my frequent guest presenter at Work at What You Love, and me with another exciting update. But I’ll let Dyan tell you in her own words…. I have a very exciting update to share with you both regarding the book I'm writing about my experiences working as a rehabilitation manager during the rescue of 40,000 penguins from an oil spill. Free Press recently bought the North American rights to the book for - hold onto your hats - six figures!! I'm still in shock, and still trying to take it all in. I could never have dreamed this when I sat in that Northampton Hotel at your wonderful workshop just three years ago. But, once I believed I was ready to take on this new challenge, I focused all of my energy on making it happen....on writing the best damn book proposal I could, finding the best damn agent I could, and then trusting her to do the best damn job selling it that she could. And she certainly did! Now I just need to focus on writing the best damn book that I can. You both kept saying to me, "Think Bigger!", and I've finally become comfortable with that notion for myself. It wasn't easy - since as a young person I thought so little of myself - and it's been a life-long process getting to the point where I can see the true potential for doing things on a much larger scale than I would have attempted in the past. (I think I've finally integrated that beautiful Marianne Williamson quote about our deepest fear not being that we are inadequate, but that we are powerful beyond measure - and how our playing small does not serve the world.) And Valerie, you and others have said to me on many occasions that I'll be on Oprah (one of my sheroes) one day with this book. For the longest time I scoffed at the idea, thinking my book wouldn't be the right fit for her show. But, having heard it now so many times, and seeing how much excitement there was from the many publishing houses interested in this book, I now believe I will sit on her couch one day and have the opportunity to share this remarkable story with her and the world. And the story is about so much more than just the penguins - they are merely the 'canary in the coal mine' alerting us to the precarious health of our oceans and the environment. In the end, this book is a story about the remarkable power of teamwork and international cooperation, and it's a call to action for each of us to take responsibility for the roles we play in either polluting or protecting our planet. So again, thank you for your belief in me and for all of your encouragement along the way! Dyan deNapoli
www.ThePenguinLady.com To be a successful entrepreneur, you must be intensely curious. Always the entrepreneurial detective, I immediately wrote Dyan back asking how she landed her book deal. (I knew some of you would be interested in the "how" part as well.) Note: you do not need to be an aspiring author to learn from Dyan's story... ...I had attended two writer's conferences in April - The International Women's Writing Guild Big Apple conference in New York City and Grub Street's Muse & the Marketplace conference in Boston (which is fantastic). At the former conference, there was an open pitch session during which I pitched my book to four agents, all of whom asked for a proposal and sample chapter. Then at Grub, I paid an extra $50 to have lunch at a table with a publisher, two agents, an author and a few other writers. (That was the best $50 I've ever spent!)... The upshot was that four of the six agents I met and pitched to offered representation.... I ultimately picked one and I couldn't be happier with my decision. Dyan's story reminded me of another Changing Course subscriber who recently wrote me about her journey of progressing from frustrated writer to publisher... I've been reading your newsletter for at least three years. I was a stay at home mom and a frustrated writer. I wasn't finishing my work and I was very timid when it came to sending out freelance work, even though I'd been a newspaper editor for a community weekly before my kids were born in the early 90's. But I kept reading your advice and ideas kept brewing, I started a novel which isn't finished but is at least in its third draft, I started a scrapbooking business, but it morphed into making handmade cards. Both those attempts were me backing into what I really love to do, be creative and connect women and tell stories. My card business got me out of the house and back in touch with working women, which led to a writing job editing someone's newsletter. I started getting great feedback and decided that I would start my own online magazine. I thought of a million reasons why it wouldn't work, and who did I think I was anyway starting my own publication, but I just did it anyway! My first bi-weekly edition came out September 12, 2007 and as of this week, my 6th edition, it's weekly. I started with a handful of readers, under 70, and in the last seven days I had 996 page views! Subscription is free and growing, I make money from advertisers, which is growing slowly, I'm certainly not getting rich, but it feels so right, I'm excited to work each morning and I get such great letters, and support and I've met some great women. I just wanted to thank you, you were the person who kept showing me examples of what could be done, what was possible. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Kim Reynolds
publisher (I love writing that!)
www.WednesdayWoman.com Whether you want to write a book or create an online magazine or manufacture your own cosmetic line or stage homes or start an online business – the steps are always the same. Set a goal, take small steps and invest in your dream. That means "showing up" both literally and figuratively at places that will move your goal along. For example, if you want to make it on eBay go to the annual eBay Live convention, if you want to start an organic farm go to World Wide Opportunities for Organic Farms. Brian Tracy says, "You are always free to choose what you do first, what you do second, and what you do not do at all." What will you do today to advance your dream of being your own boss "tomorrow"? | |
| The power of imagination makes us infinite. ~ John Muir | |
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| Upcoming Workshops and Teleclasses Turning Your Interests into Income:
The Opportunity Hour Teleclass With
"Opportunity Analyst" 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! **TONIGHT**
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 |
Monday, November 10
10:30-11:30 a.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**  Travel Secrets Designed to Fund Your Vacations as You Explore the World Like a VIP! Whether you’re ready to quit a job and start over, or just want to work things so that when you travel you can do it free, you’ll want to sign up for this Teleclass. The call will be hosted by Jennifer Stevens, author of American Writers and Artists Institute’s The Ultimate Travel Writer’s Program. Jen will explain what it really takes to succeed as a travel writer... how you can get started right from home... and how easy it really can be to turn notes about what you see and do on a trip into income that can more than cover your travel costs.  You’ll also hear from:
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Rich Wagner who will tell you his tricks for turning your local landmarks (and everyday sights) into photos that sell
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Reece Guth who runs a $100,000-a-year pottery import business and is a master at finding great bargains overseas and selling them for big profits
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Cynthia Morris who combined her passion for travel with her “once-useless” French degree into a lucrative income stream - Leading Tours for Fun and Profit And, Barbara Winter and I will both be on the call as well. We'll be talking about what you'll need to do to turn your dreams of a travel career into reality. If you have a passion for travel I urge you to join us on October 28, 2008 at 8:00 p.m. ET (audio recordings will be available for download if you miss the call). When you sign up today you also receive as a free bonus the abridged version of International Living Magazine’s Secrets of the Untourist. Tuesday, October 28
8:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Go here for details: ChangingCourse.com/recommends/travelcall | Far away in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead.
~ Louisa May Alcott |
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The View From theOther Side "...sometimes, quitting is the smartest, bravest thing you can do. If you're beating your head against a wall, are you really that much of a hero if you just keep on doing it as your cranium turns into a pulpy mess? If quitting means taking a bigger risk
than hanging in there, which action takes more courage?" ~ Krista Scott-Dixon, Ph.D who walked away from her position as a college professor to compete in the North American Grappling Association World Championships and become the editor-in-chief of a unique food magazine called Spezzatino http://Spezzatino.com
| | Resources for a Change The theme of much of this week’s newsletter is on getting paid to write. If you are not personally interested in writing then I encourage you to share these resources with someone who is. More importantly though, use what you learn here to jumpstart your thinking about what resources might be available to help you turn your own interests into income! National Novel Writing Month is a fun approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1st with the goal of writing a 175-page novel by midnight, November 30th. If you've ever thought fleetingly about writing a novel but have been intimidated, this may just be the kick-start you need to get going.NaNoWriMo.org The International Women's Writing Guild is a network for the personal and professional empowerment of women through writing. As such, it has established a remarkable record of achievement in the publishing world, as well as in circles where lifelong learning and personal transformation are valued for their own sake. Their Semi-Annual Big Apple Writing Workshop and Open House will be held Saturday and Sunday, October 18-19, but they hold conferences often and all over the country. Learn more atIWWG.com Script For Sale is the best resource I've come across for script writers. Not only do they have a huge amount of resources at no charge, their Professional Screenwriting Series is the most comprehensive program I've seen. Course instructor and writer/producer Hal Croasmun has taken his 18 years of designing training programs to create a powerful series that will take your idea from conception to marketing.ScriptForSale.com Authonomy is a new site founded by HarperCollins. Designed for writers and for readers, unpublished and self-published authors are invited to post at least 10,000 words of a fiction or non-fiction manuscript for visitors to read online. Readers are encouraged to build a profile reflecting their own personal tastes, opinions and talent-spotting skills. Then, once a month, the top five books are matched up with an editor who manages an appropriate list for advice and critique. Authonomy.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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