Thinking vs Doing (...65)

I am going to read the book Poke the Box by Seth Godin.  I will. Tomorrow...or soon after.  Guess what this book is about?  It's about getting unstuck from the mode of thinking about and planning to do stuff and just doing it.  Basically, it's about taking action instead of contemplating it.  And I am going to read this book, just as soon as I get an email from my local library telling me it's available through interlibrary loan.

The reason the book's subject caught my eye is because in this layoff period I'm thinking about doing A LOT OF DIFFERENT STUFF.  I want to do every single thing I think of doing.  That can be a problem.  Simetimes this thinking of doing gets in the way of doing.  My sister and I talk often of working together on a business project, something we could enjoy doing together and possibly make money from.  But it's tough to get momentum on our plans.  Recently, after we'd discussed yet another business idea, my sister said to me along these lines:  "Let's just start doing this and not plan it because otherwise we'll never start."  That's the kind of mindset Seth Godin is talking about!  I'd like to apply this idea to all of the stuff I think of doing.  It speaks to my recent feeling that I'd rather fail at trying something I want to do than being successful spending time on things I don't enjoy. 

Here's a short excerpt from the book, via the "Look Inside" feature on Amazon:

"This is a manifesto about starting.

Starting a project, making a ruckus, taking what feels like a risk.

Not just "I'm starting to think about it," or "We're going to meet on this," or even "I filed a patent application..."

No, starting.

Going beond the point of no return.

Leaping.

Committing.

Making something happen."

I imagine "Leaping" is a matter of getting some practice at thinking less and doing more.  I think most people are good at leaping into some things but not everything.  For example, I know when it comes to sports, I dive right in.  Literally, I dive in with about 2000 people to start the Ironman triathlon and don't think twice about what's in store for me: elevated heart rate, packed and chaotic swim, being blind sided by other athletes...many people are apprehensive about the 2.4 mile swim.  I ignore my fears and just go.  This approach serves me well in sports and that's the approach I'd like to bring to every one of my projects, work and personal.

Want to Work from Home? YES (...67)

Recently my mother sent me this article:  "Want to Work from Home?  Find Your Element." by Tsh Oxenreider.   My mom sends me several a week (hi mom!).  Reading this one was good timing for me because it's exactly what's on my mind.  I'm enjoying doing my own projects enough that I'm wishing for some way (any way!) to work from home, for myself, on my own business.  But how to earn a living doing this? I don't know.

The article's message is simple:  Find your element, and you can make money doing it.  It's also a familiar message:  "Do What you Love, Money will Follow" is a two decades old book about harnessing your talents and desires to create your vocation.  But it's not an easy concept to put into action.

Your element, according to Oxenreider, is the area where what you enjoy doing and what you are skilled at doing come together.  Of course, these things have to come together in a productive way...earning a living is the goal after all.  If committing to your own interests and talents can turn into a career why is it such a struggle to do?  Can it also get me a 401K, health insurance plan, and job security?  I think it's possible, but it's hard to feel confident in this idea just yet.

I'm still exploring what I'm interested in pursuing most, of all my interests.  Perhaps one will stand out that I'd like to master.  Or, maybe it's a matter of doing many of the things I'm interested in to create a distinct occupation for myself.  When there is so much pressure to get a job it is a challenge to feel like this type of self-exploration, especially in my mid thirties, is valuable, or even acceptable.  In moments I feel like the best action would be to take a job in my field as soon as possible.  But in other moments, I feel sure I'm interested in failing miserably at trying to create a career out of what I love to do, than doing work I can't put myself into.

Balancing Actions (...72)

I haven't been targeted in my career path thus far.  Actually, I was targeted early on.  Around age 24 I decided I wanted to work as a digital video editor.  I taught myself the software, interned, freelanced, and started working full time.  Then I changed my mind and moved into a related field, broadcast post production.  It was a good shift for me.  I liked the work, learned a lot, committed myself to the job, and got promoted.  But then a big health scare, a brain tumor, shifted my direction, or, better put, my concerns.  Work felt insignificant to me.  The product, a television show, lost its luster.  I couldn't see my work goals anymore but my personal goals came into focus.  Personal goals got most of my energy, effort, emotions, and thoughts.  Career goals suffered.  But now I want to shift my efforts.  I don't intend to drop personal goals, but I want a better balance.  I want my personal and professional goals to coincide.  So, with that in mind, this evening I  went to the Marsh’s Women’s Executive Business to Business (WEBB) Women and Wine Reception.  It was held at Brix on Broad, an impressively well stocked boutique wine shop, owned by two women in Boston.  The intent of these events is to provide networking opportunities for women in the form of interesting and educational social events.  The combo of a wine tasting, networking, and author talk is brilliant.  Talk about a good balance! 

The speaker, Pam Lassiter, gave us all a copy of her book The New Job Security.  Rather than read from her book, she offered a few bite size career questions for us to think about as we consider our future.  Her ideas were easy to swallow along with our glasses of wine, cheese, and charcuterie!

My favorites of the ideas she presented were these two:  "What do people seek you out for?" She suggested we ask ourselves.  I like this approach to thinking about career direction because everybody can come up with an answer to this.  Another tip from Pam:  "Be a jack of all trades, master of two."  This suggests that we need not neglect any of our interests. We should pursue all of them but make a few our focus.  Helpful advice for me right now as I find myself skipping around from one thing I like to do after another.  Which do I want to focus on and incorporate into my next job?  And why is this question so tough for me?

Should I Read These books? (...81)

I'm looking at this stack of books that at one time were recommended to help explore career questions.  Should I read these books? If not, what should I read?!  I have little confidence any book will give me the clarity I wish for but I'm going to give each of them a chance anyway.  I've read #2 already. I'm starting a 2nd book today, not sure yet which one.  Probably "Drive" because I think it will be the most tolerable and because it has the least intolerable title.

1. What Color is Your Parachute?  by Bolles 
2. Creating a Life Worth Living  by Carol Lloyd 
3. The Adventures of Johnny Bunko  by Daniel Pink 
4. Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us  by Daniel Pink
5. Secrets of the Young and Successful  by Jennifer Kushell with Scott Kaufman

Book reports available soon.