Imagine Saying, “I Love My Job!” For A Moment!

Not many people work at a place they love!

In fact, most people don’t! I would even care to wager that not many people even partially like their jobs. They work for the weekend, or their next vacation … not for the thrill of the 9-to-5 stuff! I, personally, have a unique work situation: not only do I absolutely love writing, but I can also do it from almost anywhere in the world. With a phone, an internet connection, and a laptop, I am a portable problem-solving, project-managing studio on legs (note: it’s incredibly sweet!). Ok, I actually rely on routine of some sort, but have found that a change in scenery from time to time is needed to keep me depression-free (even a brief walk in the park can really clear my head and revive me for the rest of the day).

So, you want to do what you love too, huh? That’s a serious question, my friend … and right now it’s more relevant than ever. With this stupid recession looming over everyone’s mind, and jobs getting cut left and right, people’s spirits are really being put through the ringer. So why not ask yourself now, “What it is that I can do, and hopefully enjoy, which could possible help others and bring in a profit at the same time?” Hey, this is the only life you or I have, after all. On the other hand, if you’re going to make a living doing what you love, you have to find a way to market yourself at the same time. As for me and my personal situation, I’ve learned that helping others while increasing my own knowledge and skills at the same time is at least MY key to success!

Now, while there’s no easy way to figure out where you belong in life, you can start by making time to do it while giving yourself space to fail (we all get lost in this leg of the race for a little while … don’t worry). You’re not going to get it right the first time, so don’t try and convince yourself that something is right when it’s not, because you’ll wake up one day, hating your life because you suppressed your deepest desires with constant lies to yourself (am I right?). So let me guess: Now you want to avoid that outcome, right? Good! Well, here’s how:

Figure out what you love to do! Bad situations bring on our most creative solutions, and this may be one of those times! So asked yourself, “What do I want to do most in the world, if I could do anything?” Sure, sometimes you won’t be able to pay the rent, and sometimes you’ll have to put yourself on a Ramen Noodles diet … who cares? The truth is: you really don’t need much money to figure out what you love to do … you just need time, space and a willingness to keep yourself busy until something clicks.

Find out how to get paid for it! The truth about professional writing is that it is a really tough life. The eight hours a day on the computer starts getting old, and so does the random articles I’ve scraped together to earn enough money to support myself. Then, one day I thought to myself, “Who will pay me to use my awesome writing skills?” which brought me into a career in marketing. And now I have a kick a@# job, at a kick a@# company, with a kick a@# paycheck … and I also get to help others! Woo hoo … my problem solved! See how this works now? Good!

Find a happy mentor! Before you start though, take off your rose-colored glasses … adult life is really hard, no matter what field you’re in. Finding out who we are, while finding someone to share our life with, and having kids at the same time, AND being able to pay for all of that is almost impossible (I’m not kidding). So find someone who is doing what part of that well … then pick the sacrifices that they made! NO life is perfect (but ALL lives have some good things to offer) so you better know what you’ll be giving up (note: don’t listen to fools who CLAIM they have everything, because they’re lying. Seriously!).

This is the question that everyone out there has had to face at one point or another, and the truth is always the same: it’s never easy! It’s true: remaining true to yourself, while at the same time trying to market yourself, is a tricky business. First of all, you have to drop the preconceived notion that selling yourself is evil. Sure, in a perfect world you could go out there right now and show people what you know, and have it sell itself on the spot, but this isn’t OZ, Dorothy (in reality this is very, very far from the truth)!

In the real world, you have to give people a reason to want what you have to offer. You need to market yourself effectively by communicating in an interesting way … you need to tell them WHY they need you, and what you have to offer! Maybe you’re a kick a@# author (like yours truly) or maybe you’re actually good at something that makes money instead (LOL … but not too much. It hurts sometimes). Hey, you know that you possess something “they” don’t, but you also need to show them that you can solve their problems (without being sleazy though … the truth is that freaking know-it-alls irritate everyone). Also, never, ever sell yourself short (moneywise … you’re worth way more than you think. Trust me).

In summary: if you can focus on providing massive value to others, and then figure out an engaging way to communicate that value, everything else will fall into place nicely. Sure, you’ll still have to work hard to get where you need to be (we all do) but you won’t have to worry about sacrificing your soul in the process. Which is a pretty cool thing to think about, am I right? Yes I am … to answer that question, if you were confused!