Don’t have your dream job yet?

Know what it is or should be?  (Or, think you do?)

Don’t have the time to work on finding what it is?

Know what it is, but don’t have the time to pursue it?

Well, friend-o-mine Dream Jobber, I ain’t buyin’ it.

Here’s why . . .

If I told you I can GIVE YOU 46 days this year to work on finding your dream job, do you think you could begin pursuing it in that timeframe?

I’ll betcha could.

And, here’s how — no real secret, just plain old common sense and a wee bit-o-willpower.

Secret Answer?  Give up one hour of television every day and invest it in yourself and your dream job.

That’s 365 hours this year of mindless TV-watching.  Start by dropping any news programs you watch (oh, yucky-poo — nothing but negativity and depressing stories there).  If you just gotta “know what’s going on in the world,” add the BBC or NY Times to your home page and scan it in 45 seconds every morning.

So, 365 hours is 46 freakin’ work days a year.

Come 31 December, you can either be 46 full days closer to your dream job, or actually in it, or you can have banked 365 hours of god-awful, brain-dead tube viewing.

Your call, your life.

Whaddaya say, Dream Job Seeker?

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I can tell you how to increase your net worth, almost guaranteed, so that you can become financially comfortable and, perhaps, even independent.

It’s really, really, really easy to do and it involves just three steps.

Yet, most people won’t do it, can’t do it, or will deny that it’ll work even if they do do it.

Here’s how:

1.  Spend less than you make.  This may require you to reduce your wants, but you must do whatever it takes to make this step so — spend less than you make.

2.  Religiously, and without exception, every time you have a paycheck or other form of income, set aside half of your excess.

3.  Use half your excess for fun things, and put the other half in fairly conservative investments, such as CDs and broad-based, diversified mutual funds.

If you repeat this process, pay period after pay period and year after year, within a few years, because of the magic of compound interest and the general long-term growth trend of the stock market, you’ll start to notice a nice little nest egg growing.

I guarantee that this will work for you.

So, Dream Jobber, don’t tell me you can’t have your cake and eat it too — you can have a dream job (even if it’s low paying) and increase your financial nest egg.  Simply spend less than you make, and stuff half of the excess into investments that compound over time.

You doing this?  If so, tell me what your results have been and what pitfalls you’ve found along the way.

Over and out.

Popularity: 5% [?]

I’ve Netflixed my life, maybe you can Netflix yours.

I’m a movie nut.

Aside from reading or listening to books-on-tape, I like nothing better than to settle down in the evening with a bowl of popcorn and watch a great movie.

I’m mostly into foreign and independent films, as I’ve grown tired over the years of the typical Hollywood blockbuster.

And, like most movie lovers, when the whole movie-rental business took off 15 or so years ago, I’d found a real way to feed my movie cravings.

But, not much after Blockbuster had gotten a firm foothold on the rental market (at least in North America), it seems that a new type of movie-rental business popped up to supplant the brick-and-mortar rental store businesses.

Think about the movie rental stores for a second, and list out what you like and don’t like about them.

The biggest benefit of a store for the movie lover is that you can watch a movie in your home at the time of your choosing; you don’t have to wait for a re-release in a movie theater nor do you have to comb TV listings trying to find a film that may or may not be running this week on, say, Thursday morning at 4:15 a.m.

So, rental stores offered a huge benefit to those of us who love movies.

But, over time, if you’re like I am, you came to dislike most rental stores for a variety of reasons, including these:

• It is nearly impossible to find a new release.
• You have to physically go to the store.
• You have to deal with return deadlines and overdue payments.
• You have very limited or non-existent choices in specialty genres, such as mine — international, documentary, and independent.

So, it’s not surprising that some enterprising folks came up with a different — and better — way to rent movies.

I’m referring specifically to an outfit called Netflix whereby you purchase a “membership” and receive, via mail, an unlimited supply of movies each month.  You can only have so many DVDs at home at one time (Netflix offers different subscription levels — I go for the three-at-a-time level), but if you view and return your DVDs promptly, you can get your average movie cost down to around $2 or less.  So, a good deal, and the movies come to you in the mail.

Netflix figured all this out, and is creating one heckuva business.

So, how does this apply to your life and your dream job?

Eazy-peezy.  The fit between what Netflix did to the movie-rental business and what you can do for your life is perfect, and it’s this:

If you’re unhappy with your career or your work or even your life in general, you don’t have to run off and create a whole new you.  A lot of us think (including myself, a decade or so ago) we have to remake ourselves in some incredibly different way to be content or to pursue our passions.  And, yup, sometimes you do.

But, that’s not what Netflix did, and that’s not what I’m talking about here.

To Netflix your life, take where you are right now, today, and tweak it.

Netflix it.

Make a few minor, very subtle, changes to that life.

Let me give you an example from my own life, and let’s see if you can relate.

I’d built a software training company (InfoSource, Inc.) in the 1980s and 1990s — and sold it, eventually, to a joint-venture comprised of CompUSA (the big American retail store chain) and Blackwell Publishers (the leading independent book publisher in the United Kingdom).

During those built-it-and-sell-it years, I ate, slept, dreamed, and loved InfoSource inside and out.  I was passionate about the company, it grew, and we prospered . . . and, along the way, we built an organization we were proud of and which employed some really interesting, offbeat, and just plain-old-fun people.  Going to work was a hoot; shoot, it wasn’t work, it was simply a blast — most days I didn’t want to go home!

After the final pieces of the acquisition fell into place, I left InfoSource in 1998 to, as they so often say, pursue some other opportunities.  The departure was my choice and the split was incredibly amicable (the Managing Director of Blackwells, and our Chairman back then is still one of my best pals).  But, the company (per the new owners) was taking a different direction, it was becoming more corporate, and it was simply time for me to move on.

Unfortunately for Blackwell/CompUSA (but, fortunately, for me later, as you’ll see), the whole tech industry and the dot.com world took a real dive in the late 1990s and early 2000s.  So, as big outfits are often apt to do, Blackwell/CompUSA wanted to dump the company when times got lean.

They found a few buyer prospects but, for one reason or another, each deal seemed to fall by the wayside; and, when 9/11 struck, the whole mergers and acquisition scene dried up like a New Mexican desert in June.

And, that’s when I got involved with the company again, in early 2002.

I’d been off having a blast for the prior three years — including starting up the sister company to this blog, Dream Jobs To Go – and was spending loads of time with my wife and daughters, traveling, reading, walking, and just really enjoying life.

But, when Blackwell came knocking on my door and offered me a chance to take back my baby, after a wee bit of haggling and hemming and hawing, I really couldn’t turn it down.

So, after three semi-retired but really active years, I jumped back into the saddle at InfoSource, in 2002.

And . . . within six months, absolutely hated it!

Every minute of it, almost.

Just couldn’t deal with it.

You see, I’d left the comforts of a great portfolio life — part work, a couple of different work ventures, part play, lots of travel, being with my kids — for a company that was deeper in trouble than I’d realized . . . incredibly bad employee morale, cash flowing out the door like a flash flood on a hot day in West Texas, a staff of really good people but which was at least twice the size it needed to be, and products that didn’t fit the market as they once did.

Over time (and I mean some serious time, as in years), my business partner, Thomas W. Warrner, and I plunged ahead and swatted away issues as best we could.  And, although that old love-for-the-business-that-I’d-once-had attitude was no longer there, we began to grow a little and to return to profitability, mostly by refocusing our efforts and energies in new markets and with new products, and by growing an incredibly talented and dedicated senior management team.

As time drifted by, though, I just wasn’t happy in an office setting any longer and I certainly wasn’t enjoying the day-to-day operational side of the business.

In short, I didn’t have my dream job any longer.

Now, here’s where the Netflixing came in, so thanks for hanging with me during the twists and turns.  Over time, Tom had taken on more and more of the daily operational issues as President, which left me to focus on new product ideas, strategic decisions and partnerships, international, and a few select larger customers.

And, as that job role began to gain more focus, it occurred to me — and to Tom — that I could pretty much serve my role and the company from anywhere . . . in the country, or the world for that matter.

So, in the Fall of 2004, I Netflixed my life.  I kept my exact same job and role in InfoSource, but I moved, with my family, from the company’s HQ location (Winter Park [Orlando], Florida) to one of the places Pamela and I had fallen in love with many years earlier, Santa Fe, New Mexico.

So, I scheme (my official title at InfoSource is Chief Schemer), deal with larger customers, work on long-term stuff, and set up new businesses for InfoSource, from my home office that overlooks the Sangre de Cristo mountains about three miles outside of Santa Fe.

Since then, both Tom and I have each figured out how to do our “jobs” in 2-3 days per week, leaving us time to set up our own separate portfolios — Tom spends his time away from ISI in mostly physical pursuits (the guy’s a former marathoner, for cryin’ out loud) and I run other businesses, including Dream Jobs To Go and this blog.

The passion is back, the dream job (for me, and for the way I define success) is here, again.

I’m livin’ large.

You see, it was really just a tweak, a Netflix to my life.

So, how would you Netflix your life?

And, is there something I can do to help?

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I came across Brother David of the Gratefulness Organization on a radio show recently, where he was talking about gratefulness and how it has the power to change lives.

So, I got to thinking about what he said and thought I would experiment with being grateful.  Yeah, I know, I tell myself, I already am grateful.

I’ve been blessed with many wonderful things in my life:  a warm and nurturing childhood, incredible and unforgettable educational experiences — both formal and not, job opportunities that many people would die for, chances to be my own boss and run my own businesses (in areas that align with my own passions and skills), to pursue my own dream jobs, a wife who gives me the space and freedom and support and encouragement to follow those dreams, kids that are just a pure joy to be around (most of the time), the chance to travel all over the world (many times), and the ability to live anywhere I want to.

Whew!  That’s a lot, huh?

But, am I really grateful?  In listening to Brother David, I think perhaps not as much as I should be.

I mean, I’ve lived and traveled in developing countries, and I’ve seen real poverty up close and I’ve been with people who really are seeking nothing more than a shirt or a roof for the night.

So, am I grateful for the water tap that spits out clean water at the touch of a handle?  Or for the electricity that flows into my home (for mere cents per hour) that results in such great and wonderful pleasures — a microwave to zap my favorite popcorn so I can turn on the TV and watch a new foreign film that just came in the mail from Netflix?

Or, what about this country that we live in, huh?  I mean, forget all about politics for a minute and forget, if you can, about these nasty wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for a minute.  The comforts we have here are immense, and am I grateful for those?  Am I really grateful?

I mean, I get up every morning and take a safe community, clean streets, my gassed-up car in the drive, a grocery store down the road with thousands of fresh products, and just about everything else I encounter during my day for granted.

Don’t give most of this stuff a second thought.

So, here’s what Brother David has suggested and what I’m going to do — I’m going to start a Gratefulness Diary and enter the things I’m grateful for therein each day (if I can).

And, what I suggest to you — Dream Jobbers, seekers, and fellow wanderers — is that you might want to try the same thing.

You see, whenever I take the time to be truly grateful, I seem to become filled with ideas and creativity like at no other times.

So, let’s see what happens . . . will a purposeful Gratefulness Experiment lead to a more promising direction in my life?

Will it for you?

Holler at me here and let me know what you think and whether or not you’re participating in your own Gratefulness Experiment.

Adiós,

Michael

PS  If this inspires you at all, you may wish to check out one of the book projects that Brother David was involved with, Words of Gratitude.

PPS I find some of Brother David’s work, world view, and outlook on life somewhat reminiscent of Rob Brezsny, my favorite astrologer, if I believed in astrology, of course.  Check out Rob’s book on Pronoia, and another article I wrote about Rob awhile back in The 3:00 a.m. Willies Gotcha?

 

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As you know, I’m a Guy Kawasaki fan.  Click here for an earlier piece about Guy.

Guy simply flat-out puts things in an easy-to-understand format and he has a no-nonsense perspective on all sorts of things that get others all hosed up.

In a recent blog post, Guy laments the state of affairs in education and discusses what he wishes he’d learned in school.

He’s nailed some of the biggies, and I especially relate to his section on how to leave proper voicemails, as I receive numerous calls a week (many from sales people who are hoping I’ll call back) from folks who can’t state their names and telephone numbers clearly.

Here’s the list of things Guy wishes were taught in school, so see his site for the details.

1. How to talk to your boss.
2. How to run a meeting.
3. How to figure out anything on your own.
4. How to negotiate.
5. How to have a conversation.
6. How to explain something in thirty seconds.
7. How to write a one-page report.
8. How to write a five-sentence email.
9. How to get along with co-workers.
10. What about freeloaders?
11. How to use PowerPoint.
12. How to leave a voicemail.

Check him out; good stuff.

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Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spok in Star Trek said,
 ”I find the question, “Why are we here?” typically human.  I suggest,  ”ARE we here?” would be the more logical choice.”

Are you here, Dream Jobber?

Have you defined success (see this post)?

Are you working toward that?

Does success, for you, include a mission here on this mortal coil that involves work?  (All missions or reasons for living don’t have to include a work component, you know.)

If it does, are you pursuing that path?

If not, then what are you doing here?

Tell me what’s keeping you from your path and your mission.  Tell me, and let’s see if we can swat it away.

Are you here, Dream Jobber?

Reply here on the forum, or send me an email if you’d like to keep your questions or concerns private.

Popularity: 4% [?]

I think I’m as guilty as anyone of wanting things to happen faster than they normally do.  Stuff (whether personal or business) that I’ve succeeded in always take longer than I think it will or plan on, and it never happens in the sequence I’d counted on.

These just might be Laws 1 and 2 on the road to success, if there is such a list someplace — takes longer and never goes down the road you thought it would.

And, these laws are probably true, no matter what you do, whether it’s trying to figure out your life’s work or just sitting down at your desk for a day of writing and trying to getting something done.

I’ve been participating recently in an online forum about writing articles for online distribution at Ezine Articles, a nifty site that hooks up writers with online publishing outlets and resources.  (Damn good service by the way — check ‘em out.)

From my own and many years of experience, it takes consistent and steady progress toward your goals, day after day after day, and year after year, before you’ll start to see any meaningful results.

I remember in the early years of starting my software company, InfoSource Learning, we always seemed to expect immediate results, whether it was developing a new product or conducting a new marketing campaign.  We wanted stuff to happen so badly overnight that we were often disappointed when it didn’t.

I recall one occasion when talking to a competitor and he told me, “I’ve been trying to become an overnight sensation for the last 15 years.”

That comment has stuck with me for the last 20 years, and it even kept me going during some lean years when I thought I’d never make it.

And, I think that really sums up what we all need to be doing and thinking about, regardless of our specific roles or goals in life . . .

You want to be thinking you’ll become that overnight wonder, but you’ve got to keep carrying on with your work or your mission as if it’s a lifetime’s worth of work.

Which, I guess, it really is.

Over and out,

Michael

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Earlier I wrote about how important it is to learn to go along with your internal senses . . . trusting your gut.  Click here for that short post.

Now, for those in business or thinking about same . . .

Everybody thinks that being successful in developing and running their own business is all about having enough start-up and working capital, or the proper image that fits your market, or the right employees.

Yup, being successful in running your own show does require a significant dose of all of those things.

But, what I see missing most of all – and it just jumps out at me when I see people, either in their own businesses or as employees – is a willingness by that person to be themselves,  and to trust their own instincts.

I fight with this constantly in my own businesses, and indirectly with my own employees.

They want themselves – and our company, by extension – to be something else.

And, this just absolutely drives me nuts-o.

We have whatever success we do by being who we are, not by trying to be something or someone else.

I have one employee, Brad (real guy, name changed), who’s always trying to portray us as bigger – much bigger – than we are.  “Well, Michael,” he’ll tell me, “I just want to make sure that the customer takes us seriously.”

Hey, Brads of the world.  The customer already does take us seriously – they buy products and services from us. They do that because they like who we are, how we act, and how we look.

We are who we are and, if we’re any good – and in the case of the real-world Brad I’m talking about, we’re damned good; been in business over 23 years, lots of growth spurts, plenty of industry innovations along the way – we don’t need to make up anything about ourselves.  They like us, they really do like us.

The corollary to this is a feeling by lots of people that “well, we better do it that way because that’s how Microsoft [substitute your own name here] does it.”

Well, poop. We’re not Microsoft, we don’t wanna be Microsoft (really), and if we were really trying to be more like Microsoft, they’d eat our lunch before we even got past breakfast.

Be yourself, trust your gut.  After all, what in the hell are you doing here if you can’t be yourself?

Popularity: 8% [?]

A friend and book-writer wannabe asked me the other day whether she should go the traditional publisher route or try her hand at self-publishing.

Whew! That’s a tough question. Traditional publishing is filled with the pitfalls that have always been associated with that business.

Unless you are a known name in your field, on the road doing tours and speaking/seminars or other public presentations, it’s unlikely your book will attract a publisher’s attention or, even if it does, it’s nearly impossible to get the publisher to put any dough or interest behind your book.

Self-publishing is easy (technically — there are sooooo many good services/choices these days), but harder than hell from a marketing standpoint.

Let me repeat that — self-publishing is eazy-peezy from a technical standpoint (if you can write a Word or other word-processed file, you can self-publish a book), but you’ll need to market the bejezus out of same if you’re looking to sell more than just a handful of copies.

Most people don’t realize that book selling (even for just one book) is a full-time business. Unfortunately, a lot of newbie authors think all they have to do is put a book online and the world will beat a path to its door.

If your objective is to gain notoriety for yourself/business/cause and you don’t care too much about the revenue from the book, I’d go with a traditional publisher. They can add a little glitz to you and your book that a self-published volumn can’t provide. 

A “real” publisher also carries a bit of snob appeal to the whole process, so you’ll get to drop cocktail-party comments such as “Oh, well, my last book was published by Random House,” of course leaving off the fact that it only sold 423 copies.

However, if you view the book as a real money-maker or if it’s part of your overall business model, I would try self-publishing. That said, you’d better be prepared for months of real, heavy-duty marketing.

You’ll need a website devoted to your topic, a blog, an electronic newsletter, and a PR campaign (print) to hit the off-Web sites and publications. And, you’ll need to do work on these things day after day after day.  Yes, day after day.

Neither route is easy, but both are rewarding — if you have a passion for your topic and for writing.

For me, I can’t imagine a life without writing and publishing.

Hey, you published writers out there, what’s your take on this?

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Well, some people believe — myself included — that if you’re still passionate about something, yet you’re so damned tired that you can’t possibly go on and you want nothing more than to quit, or money’s seeping out of your pocket like a faulty faucet, or your spouse or family is driving you nuts because you’re not providing for their needs . . . this is the time, when if you put your head down and motor on, this, this time right now, is the when you’re about to succeed.

Tell me if that’s ever been true for you?

Tell me if you’ve ever quit on something you believed in?

You know, right, that you never fail if you never quit?

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