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Connecting with people who share the same
passions affirms that you're not alone;
that there are others like you and that
while many might not understand your passion, some do.
~ Ken Robinson
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| Buon Viaggio Blog |
The theme this month is Get Connected.
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WITHOUT REGRETS
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 Last Saturday, I was teaching Making
a Living Without a Job at UNLV. Although it wasn't going to be a large
class, I always have a sense of anticipation on seminar days and this was no
exception.
After I had finished the first part of the
program, I asked if there were any questions or comments. A woman raised her
hand and asked a good question which I did my best to answer. I noticed a man
named Rich on the other side of the room suddenly sitting up straighter. As
soon as I'd handled the first question, his hand went up.
"I've been listening to what you've had to say,"
he said and paused. I thought a disagreement was coming. I was wrong. "And I'm
happy to learn than I'm doing a lot of things right, " he said.
Without any prompting, he went on to share his
story. "I did everything possible to keep from losing my job," he said. "I took
a pay cut, I worked longer hours, I hung on for dear life. A few months ago, I
was laid off anyway. When I left, my employer said they hoped to hire me back
as soon as possible and wanted me to leave my office just as it was with my
wife's picture and other personal things. I agreed."
Then he went on to tell us that he'd spent a
couple of weeks licking his wounds and then decided it was time for a new plan.
This new plan included starting a service business as a handyman and junk
remover. Rich told us a bit about his what his days are like now. "My wife
says," he laughed, "that she's never seen me so relaxed and happy."
The longer he talked, the more enthusiastic he
became. "Last week," he went on, "I decided to go back and visit my old
employer. I had only been gone a few months, but everyone looked like they'd
aged two years. I looked at my old office and thought, 'I'm never coming
back.'"
As often as I hear stories like Rich's, I never
fail to be moved by them. Discovering our right livelihood is often a turning
point, after all, one that introduces us to more joy, more adventure, and more
extraordinary people than we ever realized was possible.
When he finished his story, I said, "Do you
know what the number one regret is of people who become self-employed?" Without
hesitation Rich said, "That they didn't start sooner."
He is absolutely right. That's a regret that can
be avoided, of course, but only if you go after your dreams sooner.
Psychologist Alfred Adler concurs. "There is only one danger I find in life,"
warned Adler, "you may take too many
precautions."
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CONNECTING WITH ENTREPRENEURS
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One of the overlooked obstacles that start-ups
often face is simply not knowing anyone else who is self-employed. If you'd
like some ideas on how to connect with more self- bossers, check out A Field
Guide to Genus Entrepreneurs on my Web site.
A Field Guide to Genus Entrepreneurs
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EXCELLENT ADVENTURES
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 Although Flat Stanley has been delighting
children since 1964, I didn't make his acquaintance until my granddaughter Zoe
sent me a Flat Sarah shortly before Easter. The instructions were simple
enough: take this large paper doll on adventures, photograph where you've gone
and send them back with a story.
The project turned out to be even more fun than
I'd anticipated. I gathered all my photos, put them together in a book I titled
Grandma
Vegas and Flat Sarah's Excellent Adventures and sent them off for Zoe to share with
her kindergarten class.
I mentioned the Flat Sarah project at the Inspired Livelihood seminar in Sedona and
someone suggested I make a Flat Barbara. I promptly commissioned Zoe to create
her. Flat Barbara was then cloned and sent out to the members of the Joyfully
Jobless Jamboree Posse with instructions to show her their joyfully jobless
life.
A few of adventures Flat Barbara has enjoyed
include a business lunch in Winnipeg, a trip to buy cowboy boots in Ohio, and
spending time at a writer's conference in New Jersey.
We're gathering the pictures and will be posting
them on the Jamboree site, but you don't have to wait until that happens to see
Flat Barbara's YouTube debut. Last weekend, Sandy Dempsey spent an evening
making a charming video of her early outings with Flat Barbara.
Take a look.
Flat Barbara
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POSSE PROFILE
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Several weeks ago, we sent out an invitation for
folks to join the Posse to help design and facilitate the upcoming Joyfully
Jobless Jamboree. Of course, interesting people stepped up. They're a
wonderfully diverse group, scattered around the US and Canada, running their
own creative businesses.
The other day, I sent out a profile called
Telling Your Story and asked them to fill it out and send it back. Here's what
Liz de Nesnera, the first person to join the Posse, sent.
Name: Liz de Nesnera
World Headquarters: My studio in Pompton Lakes NJ
Web Address: www.HireLiz.com
Business Name: Reservoir Road Productions
Business Purpose: Provide Native/Bilingual
English & French voiceover services to wonderful clients worldwide
Current project I'm working on: Message on Hold
greetings, Website audio and a long form narration. I'm never working on only
one project.
Person I'd most like to meet for a chat at
Starbucks: Richard Branson
Movie every entrepreneur should see:
The Big Chill because it's one of my favorite
movies about relationships, friendship and ultimately being yourself.
Book every entrepreneur should read: A
Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller
People who knew me in high school thought I was:
I'm not sure; I was pretty much everyone's friend.
I'd like to see my picture on: Success magazine
Worst idea I ever had: Thinking that I could be a
family caregiver and also make my living in that field. Although I still speak
to caregivers groups and am involved in the Family Caregiving world, my
voiceover career has kept me centered and sane.
My motto is: Depending on the day it's "One
day at a time and a glass of wine with dinner" OR "Screw it! Let's do
it."
A favorite quote is: There are many, but one of
my favorites is from Richard Branson:
"Screw it! Let's do it."
I can talk for hours about: Being passionate
about what you do, voiceover, the effects of family caregiving on a person
The one thing everyone has tried but me is: iPhone and iPad
The best thing about being joyfully jobless is:
Working with great clients, making them happy and being able to live the life I
want-and to be able to take few hours off in the middle of the week to go
skiing.
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INDEPENDENCE DAY
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 Many countries around the world celebrate the day
when they earned their own independence.
Certainly, it's a milestone when a
country begins to carve its own identity and exercise their own power and
decision-making. Rightly so. Independence is heady stuff and brings with it
both responsibility and new opportunity.
It's not just nations, of course, who experience
this. It seems to me that those of us who have declared our independence from
employers, have special freedoms we celebrate every day. Make it even more
festive when your country celebrates its independence.
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Buona fortuna,
Barbara Winter
P.S. On occasion, I may receive a commission or compensation when you participate or purchase a product or service I recommend. That being said, I strive to always offer useful content and resources in each issue of Joyfully Jobless News.
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