What Would You Do?

If money was no object and you didn’t have to work for a living, what would you do for a living? Understand, sitting under palm trees sipping fruity drinks with umbrellas in them is not an option. Staying home and taking care of families – young kids, no kids or parents – is.

The ancient Chinese philosopher, Confucius, said “Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.”

For a 20-year time period, from 1960 to 1980, researcher Srully Blotnick conducted a study of 1,500 middle-class Americans. They were divided into two groups – the first group consisted of people whose primary goal was the acquisition of money and then use that money to do what they wanted. The second, significantly smaller, group consisted of people whose primary goal was to do what they enjoyed and wait for the money to materialize – thus a smaller group indeed.

During the study about 30% of the participants dropped out and of the nearly 1,100 members remaining in the study, 83 had become millionaires. Only one of the 83 came from the larger group – the group with a money-driven focus.

In speaking about our small group, Blotnick says “The fact remains that the overwhelming majority of people who have become wealthy have become so thanks to work they found profoundly absorbing. The long term study of people who eventually become wealthy clearly reveals that their ‘Luck’ arose from the accidental dedication they had to an area they enjoyed.” He continues, “In the long run, it was their work which made them rich.”

It has been reported that people who enjoy their jobs earn up to 25% more than those who don’t. Their enjoyment of work makes them positive, upbeat, hard workers who are generally seen as more promotable.

On the other hand, blogger and career counselor Marty Nemko writes in his posting “Do What You Love and Starve?” that very few people actually make money following their bliss. His suggestions to career contentment are to choose a job that:

•     isn’t too hard or too easy

•     has a boss who’s kind and helpful

•     involves an ethical product or service

•     requires a reasonable commute

•     pays reasonably well and offers benefits

•     doesn’t require 70 hour work weeks

•     and offers opportunities to learn and grow.

All of us would quit our jobs tomorrow to follow our dream if it would make us rich. But the reality is it won’t. My purpose for this talk today is to MAKE YOU THINK! What are my talents and how can I use them to have, if not a wealthy life, a more fulfilling life?

When I was a kid I wanted to be an actress. I wanted my life to be dramatic and I really enjoyed being on stage in front of an audience. Even though I was encouraged by family and friends to pursue my desire in college, by the time I finished high school, though, I’d had enough.

I basically fell into the legal secretarial field and quickly became adjusted to working.

I still wanted to make a big splash and moved to Los Angeles where I hoped being in the midst of the entertainment capital of the world I would take advantage of opportunities. I was in a couple of movies as an extra and did some community theater. Participating in church plays and programs and all of that was fun and exciting, but I couldn’t figure out how to make any money at it.

And then, an epiphany! I realized that as a stagehand it was my job to be supportive – to make the actors look good and the production seem magical and effortless. Nobody in the audience saw me, yet I was still filled with the same joy and happiness as if I’d been the star of the show. As an extra it was again my job to support the actors and make the movie or tv show look good.

I saw that I used that same skill to make my attorneys’ jobs easier and help the company profit. I could then take the money I earned and use it to do something I loved. Maybe this kind of wisdom comes with maturity, but just maybe sometimes we achieve our dreams in unexpected ways.

When I started working at my present job, I became a member of Toastmasters and found I could put all of this together – I could be in front of an audience and, hopefully, entertain them and as a bonus, help others realize their dreams.

How do you find out what you love? One place to start is to ask the following questions:

•     What would I do if my doctor told me I only had two more years to live?

•     What would I do for free – anytime?

•     What do I enjoy doing when I have nothing I need to do?

Albert Schweitzer, noted philosopher and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952 said: “Success isn’t the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”

In other words, if you didn’t have to work for a living, what would you do? Now, do it!

Resolutions

Do you know what the three most popular resolutions each year are? (Answers below.) Do you make resolutions? Did you know that almost 50% of the people who actually make resolutions drop them by the end of the first week? Maybe they’re going about it the wrong way.

Think of it like this: How can you get to where you’re going if you don’t know how to get there? Once upon a time there was a young man who had just graduated college and wanted to start his new life in a new town. He walked down to the bus station, went up to the ticket window and asked the Ticket Master for a bus ticket. The Ticket Master said “Where would you like to go, son?” The young man said “I don’t know. Just give me a ticket to somewhere.” Needless to say, he didn’t get a bus ticket.

I know a handy-dandy method of getting your bus ticket for your new future.

Have you ever heard of SMART goal setting? SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Action Oriented, Rewards, Timely and Tangible.

Specific is the What, Why, and How of your goal. WHAT are you going to do? WHY is this important to do at this time? What do you want to ultimately accomplish? HOW are you going to do it? Use action words, write it in the positive and be precise.

Steven R. Covey suggests you ask “What one or two things could I change that would significantly increase my happiness?” Be honest with yourself and examine your intent, motive and desire. Make sure it taps into one of your most important values or relationships in life. If it isn’t something you are really passionate about you won’t have the motivation to follow through later. Limit yourself to just one or two New Year’s resolutions.

If you can measure it, you can manage it! There is an old saying that says “what gets measured gets done.” It is vitally important that your goal is measurable, otherwise how will you know you’ve achieved it? Keep track of each small success you make toward reaching your larger goal. Short-term goals are easier to keep, and small accomplishments will help keep you motivated. Instead of focusing on losing 30 pounds, say, focus on losing that first 5. Keeping a food diary or a symptom journal may help you stay on track.

Your goal is action-oriented when you focus on actions that are in your direct control. It’s OK to have goals whose outcome you can’t directly control, as long as you are clear about the actions you need to take to do your part in the process.

Ask yourself why you want to achieve it. Break your goal down into smaller steps that stre-e-e-etch you just a bit. Too difficult and you set the stage for failure, but too easy gives no boost to your feeling of self-worth. Set the bar high enough for a satisfying achievement! For instance, resolving to never eat your favorite food again because it bothers your IBD could be a bad choice. Strive for a goal that is attainable, such as avoiding it more often than you do now.

Give yourself a reward as you meet the steps to achieving your goal. This doesn’t mean that you can eat an entire box of chocolates if your resolution is to diet. Instead, celebrate your success by treating yourself to something that you enjoy that does not contradict your resolution. If you’ve been sticking to your promise to eat better, for example, perhaps your reward could be going to a movie with a friend.

Set a time for the goal to be completed. Without setting a time you don’t really have a clear destination in mind. Giving yourself a deadline keeps you motivated to continue the steps.

A goal is tangible when you can experience it with one of the senses, that is, taste, touch, smell, sight or hearing. Sometimes it helps to see a list of items on paper to keep your motivation strong. Develop this list over time, and ask others to contribute to it. Keep your list with you and refer to it when you need help keeping your resolve.

Why is it so important to set goals? “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Jim Cathcart, a noted professional speaker, once said, “Most people aim at nothing in life and hit it with amazing accuracy.” We do what we want to do, don’t we? I know I do.

When we set a goal for something we want we expect a certain outcome. This changes our brains. Researchers have long been aware that if you expect a medicine to work, it often will, even when it’s a sugar pill. Jim Fannin makes a living teaching people how to achieve their goals. His clients have included Alex Rodriguez and Tiger Woods. He has them visualize doing exactly what they want to be doing.

Imagine what it will be like to achieve your New Year’s resolution. What will you feel like? How will this affect other people in your life? Visualizing these answers will help keep you from giving up on your goals when the demands of your life intrude.

So, before you buy that ticket for your journey to success, Specifically identify your goal. Measure your success along the way. Create Action by meaningful statements. Reward success. Give yourself Time to achieve your goal. Make it Tangible by writing it down

Get SMART!

The three most common New Year’s resolutions are 1. Lose weight; 2. Save money or get out of debt; and 3. Develop healthier habits.

My goals for 2011 are: to lose weight, save money and become a public speaker. I do have them written down SMART-style, and will be reporting on them throughout the year.

Where are you going to go this year?