Do What You Love (or your work life will totally suck)

Do What You Love (or your work life will totally suck) presented by Denise R. Jacobs

Who is Denise? <ul><li>Denise was recently laid off from a stint as Project Manager at a local software company, which she took as an act of divine intervention since she hates doing Project management anyway! </li></ul><ul><li>Currently, Denise is a Web Solutions Consultant, helping individuals and businesses increase their web knowledge, transform their web presence, and bring their websites into the 21st century with standards-based markup, web 2.0 tools, and the use of Social Media. She is an organizing member of Social Media Club South Florida, and she is on the Education Task Force for the Web Standards Project (WaSP). She is also working on writing a CSS book as well as a prescriptive memoir as part of her nefarious plan to be a full-time author, and international speaker/presenter. </li></ul>

<ul><li>“ Sometimes…tough times are the best times to make a change in our life. Sometimes the adversity that we face is the catalyst that we need to do it.” </li></ul><ul><li>-- Erik Weihenmayer </li></ul>

Just got laid off? <ul><li>Great! Now you can do what you really want to do! </li></ul>

<ul><li>Start down a new path! </li></ul>Now is the time to…

Enroute to doing what you love <ul><li>Step 1: Recognize what you are up against “out there” </li></ul>

<ul><li>You’re familiar with the “norm”, right? </li></ul><ul><li>being unhappy with your job </li></ul><ul><li>being unhappy with how much money you make </li></ul><ul><li>feeling "stuck" </li></ul><ul><li>turning yourself off when you go to work, and then turning yourself on in the evenings and on the weekends </li></ul><ul><li>the belief that people who actually enjoy their work are the exception and not the rule </li></ul><ul><li>being jealous of people who seem happy in their work </li></ul>Enroute to doing what you love

Enroute to doing what you love <ul><li>Step 2: Recognize what you are up against “in here” </li></ul>

<ul><li>Eliminate the evil puppet master of Fear*. </li></ul><ul><li>*Acronyms for fear: “False Evidence Appearing Real”, or even “Face Everything And Recover [get over it]” (not “F*ck Everything And Run”) </li></ul>Enroute to doing what you love

<ul><li>Exorcise the voices in your head that say: </li></ul><ul><li>"You can't make money doing what I want to do" or "The job I want doesn't exist" </li></ul><ul><li>"Doing what I want is selfish. I should just find any job that will take me..." </li></ul><ul><li>"I don't know if I can do it" </li></ul><ul><li>"I can't because...“ </li></ul><ul><ul><li>"I've never done this before </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>"I just don't know enough" </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>"I just don't want to make any mistakes </li></ul></ul><ul><li>"It just not a good (enough) idea" </li></ul><ul><li>"I just need the security of a job" </li></ul><ul><li>"This just isn't the right time" </li></ul>Enroute to doing what you love

<ul><li>Step 3: Initiate a paradigm shift </li></ul>Enroute to doing what you love

<ul><li>Focus on e xactly what you want to do (instead of on what you don’t want to do, what you think you have to do, or only of what you "can" do) </li></ul>Enroute to doing what you love

<ul><li>Become internally referential instead of externally referential </li></ul>Enroute to doing what you love

<ul><li>Let go of the "single path to an outcome" thinking – all paths lead to Rome </li></ul>Enroute to doing what you love

<ul><li>Step 4: Work with your beliefs around money and success </li></ul><ul><li>You? You? </li></ul>Enroute to doing what you love

Enroute to doing what you love Employment Enjoyment Quadrant Like work, Make a little money Don’t like work, Make a little money Like work, Make lotsa money Don’t like work, Make lotsa money

<ul><li>“When people are doing something they enjoy, they figure things out more easily. They challenge themselves more. They’re more curious. They remember information better. They make social connections more easily. These things tend to make success more likely, and therefore, they make money more likely.” </li></ul>Enroute to doing what you love

Do what you love, but be smart <ul><li>Initial Steps </li></ul>

<ul><li>Distinguish between passion and drive. </li></ul><ul><li>Tap into your creativity </li></ul><ul><li>Get support </li></ul><ul><li>Develop a “help habit” </li></ul>Do what you love, but be smart

<ul><li>Gaining momentum </li></ul>Enroute to doing what you love

<ul><li>Develop a Unique Selling Proposition </li></ul><ul><li>Become an expert </li></ul><ul><li>Forge your own path </li></ul>Enroute to doing what you love

<ul><li>Full Steam Ahead </li></ul>Do what you love, but be smart

<ul><li>Turn your ideas into actions to bring them into reality </li></ul><ul><li>Make reaching out and connecting a regular habit </li></ul><ul><li>Think Progress, Not Completion </li></ul><ul><li>Reframe "rejection" </li></ul>Do what you love, but be smart

Achtung!

<ul><li>Confusing activity with accomplishment </li></ul><ul><li>Resource depletion </li></ul><ul><li>Focus distraction </li></ul><ul><li>Naysayers </li></ul>Things to watch out for

Take-aways

<ul><li>It’s all about you </li></ul>Take-aways

<ul><li>Become self-referential – figure out who you are and then be that </li></ul><ul><li>Find something that fits: instead of trying to fit yourself into a job, or just do something that makes money but is not enjoyable, find something that fits you and makes use of what you have to offer </li></ul><ul><li>Quell fears, exhibit courage, and build self-esteem in the process </li></ul><ul><li>Jump to the work enjoyment quadrant that you want to be in </li></ul>Take-aways

<ul><li>It’s all about you…and other people </li></ul>Take-aways

<ul><li>Your example gives other people permission and inspiration to do the same </li></ul><ul><li>Your being satisfied will spill over to the relationships that you already have </li></ul><ul><li>You will get connected with more like-minded folk working in your area of interest </li></ul>Take-aways

<ul><li>It’s all about you…and the world </li></ul>Take-aways

<ul><li>You will start to be the change that you want to see in the world </li></ul><ul><li>You will provide a desired service and will be helping people in some way </li></ul><ul><li>You will have more of everything to give </li></ul><ul><li>Happiness and contentment are contagious and inspiring </li></ul>Take-aways

Action steps

3-5 things you can do… <ul><li>This week </li></ul><ul><li>Brainstorm on what you want to do/ideas for business, etc. and write it all down (even if it seems far-fetched) </li></ul><ul><li>Go through your contacts and connect with 3 people who are doing what you want to be doing </li></ul><ul><li>Find one company that is doing the kind of work that you are doing and find a contact there through your personal network </li></ul>

<ul><li>This month </li></ul><ul><li>Figure out how in your new position/career/company you will be of service to people/help/fill a niche/solve a problem </li></ul><ul><li>Join one new organization directly related to the thing you want to be doing </li></ul><ul><li>Find a mentor in the area that you want to work in </li></ul>3-5 things you can do…

<ul><li>Until you achieve your goal </li></ul><ul><li>Limit access to naysayers </li></ul><ul><li>Regularly take time to visualize doing what you want </li></ul><ul><li>Focus on progress, not completion – you’ll get there faster by focusing on the small things you can do each day </li></ul><ul><li>Fake it until you make it - become a expert by getting business cards printed that state that you are what you want to be, tell new people that this is what you do </li></ul>3-5 things you can do…

Almost done… <ul><li>Questions? </li></ul><ul><li>Comments? </li></ul><ul><li>Stories to share? </li></ul>

The End - <ul><li>- which is just the beginning! </li></ul><ul><li>Contact me: </li></ul><ul><li>[email_address] </li></ul><ul><li>Connect: </li></ul><ul><li>www.twitter.com/denisejacobs </li></ul><ul><li>http://profile.to/denisejacobs <Facebook> </li></ul><ul><li>Slides online at: </li></ul><ul><li>www.slideshare.net/denisejacobs </li></ul>