I found the best book about how to do what you love and get paid for it!

Posted on October 20, 2011 by Kim

A book review on ‘Screw Work Let’s Play,’ by John Williams

Being a bookaholic it takes quite a bit for me to really rave about a book. Not only do I think this book is amazing, I’ve already purchased a copy for a few friends and had it sent to them by Amazon.

If you are in a job you don’t really like OR run/manage a business where you’ve lost your passion, this really is a must read.

I don’t think that I can describe what makes it so fantastic – and I don’t want to come across as a cheese ball, but the author must have written this book from his heart. Every word, sentence, paragraph and chapter seems to fit perfectly.

The great thing is that it’s written with a unique perspective – there’s loads of references to other people following their heart but the content, for once, doesn’t seem like a regurgitation of something else.

An issue I’ve had for years is that I know that I can do anything I want…but what the heck do I want? John starts the reader off with an outline on how to work out what you really really want. Most authors seem to assume that the reader knows that they are passionate about… that the reader has a clue about what they’re really good at and would enjoy doing.

The generations before me (and mine) were told that work is hard…and if you’re not miserable doing what you’re doing, you’re not really working. And if you’re not really working you don’t deserve to get paid. I don’t know where it came from or why it exists but things that come natural to us are pushed down and we’re told to ‘live in the real world’. It’s nuts.

Anyway – if you can’t remember what you’re passionate about or what your next step in life should be, I totally urge you to get this book. It will help you to realise what direction you might want to head in.

And if you do have the luxury of knowing where you’re your talents and passion lay, this book is still worth reading as it tells you how to take that passion and make money from it!

The author also discusses what to do next, how to get stared, how to guarantee success and then he brings together what you’re passionate about and how you can get paid to be passionate! Woooo woo! The book also includes practical information on getting your passion out there – sales and marketing. It’s all good.

Seriously…if you need a kick in the butt to get you to enjoy your journey, get this book. I promise you’ll get a return on your money (and time) invested.

It’s okay to be a starter and not a finisher

Posted on October 11, 2011 by Kim

I’m not sure if you’re like me, but I love to learn new things and sometimes I start something and don’t really want to finish it. Heck, I need to be honest with myself – I love to start things but finishing them causes me misery. And what I mean by finishing…is to use or carry on using a new idea, skill, etc. (Read on as it will make more sense below)

As a kid I was criticized by my family about my inability to want to stick to something. I’d learn knitting and would knit one slipper and then never want to knit again. It’s not like I was going to wear them!

I learned how to crochet, quilt, make a teddy bear, sew an outfit and on and on. I’d learn what I needed to know, then I’d make something and once I totally grasped the main idea I felt I could move on. Once I made something (or even a part of something – like one slipper) I really didn’t want to do it again… It’s as if I just wanted to understand how something works and once that craving was satisfied I needed to find something else.

My behaviour followed on with work. I’d join a company, learn everything I possibly could…and I’d like to believe that I made a difference and then once the challenge was gone, I moved on. I’ve had over 35 jobs in my life – waitressing, telemarketing, cashier, sales clerk, manager, director, managing director. I’ve worked in fashion, IT, finance, publishing, auto parts, basement waterproofing, hoovers, accounting, consultancy, property, web design, ice cream cones, and the list goes on…

Sadly – I did this with boyfriends too, but we won’t go there! (Hubby has been around for 13 years now so I’m proud to announce that I have the ability to stick with my happy marriage!).

Anyway…I’ve recently realised that I’ve always had an immense desire to learn and grow – I like new challenges and I absolutely love to learn something, give it a go and then move on. So – what’s the problem with that? Well…there’s not job that will allow for that kind of behaviour. Nor is there a traditional business that would operate on me being a starter and not someone that wants to carry on for the rest of my life… The idea of a career freaks me out – I’ve always wanted to learn whatever it is that interests me – whether it’s astronomy, reiki, spa treatments, internet marketing or astral projection (whatever that is)!

And because of my thirst to learn new things and experience new experiences I was told that:

- You’ll never be happy

- You’ll never settle

- You’ll never get anywhere

- You’ll never stick with anything long enough to make it work

Well…I proved them wrong. With my last companies I stuck it out for 8 years – and boy, the last few years were long, boring and very frustrating, to say the least. I forced myself to be someone I’m not and that’s never a good idea. Hindsight really annoys me sometimes!

So – does this mean that there’s no hope for people like me (and perhaps – you)?

I think not…I’ve discovered that:

- There are tonnes of starters out there and they are usually artists, journalists and/or entrepreneurs (and I’m sure there are starters in every profession)

- Those that know they’re starters can play to that strength and focus on projects rather than jobs/building businesses

- As long as starters know who they are, they can create projects and even businesses that allow them to constantly learn, grow and expand

The key wisdom here is that it’s totally possible to be a successful starter

Half the battle is to simply realise that you are, indeed, a starter. The other half is to figure out what your next passion is and apply some commercial sense to it so that you can make money by learning, growing and experiencing!

This has been a total light bulb moment for me. Not only have I realised who I am but I now know that it’s okay to be who I am (yippie)…and what’s even better is that this new knowledge will allow me to happily create a future doing what I want.

Lately I feel as if everything I learned when I was younger needs to be tossed out the window. Life isn’t about working on your weaknesses – it’s all about doing what you’re good at and outsourcing your weaknesses! Life isn’t about being someone your not…It’s about being YOU.

Hey-ho…with all this new knowledge I’m going to start a new project. Let me get it up and running and then I’ll tell you what I’ve done!

Have a great day and enjoy your journey…if you don’t no one is going to do it for you.

Keep asking yourself – does this task, activity or journey feel right?

Posted on August 19, 2011 by Kim

This whole concept about being conscious of my thoughts and feelings is amazing. Rather than getting stuck into something and spending weeks (and dare I say years) on autopilot I’m starting to question the value of my journey each day and sometimes every hour.

When I get a funny feeling that things aren’t right, I’ve started to contemplate what’s causing the feeling. I tell myself that the feelings are an internal reaction to something. Rather than blame someone or something for the funny feeling I investigate and often find that I’m doing something that doesn’t match up with my values.

For example, yesterday I was requested to attend a meeting where I would have to pretend to be committed, enthusiastic and even visionary. After the request came through I felt a knot in my stomach, my shoulders started to tense and I felt ‘funny’. At first, I blamed the person who asked me to attend the meeting.

But after sleeping on it things I realised that the issue was inside me – pretending to be someone I’m not goes against my values. Once I realised what the real issue was, I simply told the guy running the meeting that I’m happy to do it but I’m not going to be committed, enthusiastic or visionary. He can then make the decision if he wants me there or not.

And lately…while I’m working on a project I’ll ask myself, ‘Kim – are you enjoying this?’ The answer isn’t always yes – the task may not be enjoyable, but there’s often value in it and I can make a conscious decision to carry on doing it (or not).

Again – I keep coming back to the same conclusion. Enjoying the journey doesn’t mean that I’m happy every second of the day. It means that I’m conscious of what I’m doing and I am choosing to do or not do tasks according to my feelings and values.

I once read in a book that feelings are a guidance system – they tell you if you’re going off-course. I finally understand this concept! If you can pay attention to how you feel…and if you’re not feeling right…there’s something going on that needs to be looked at.

Anyhooooooo, do you periodically ask yourself if you’re enjoying your journey throughout the day?

Is it possible to be the same person in all situations – to be authentic all the time?

Posted on August 15, 2011 by Kim

I’m conscious of the fact that my website is about enjoying the journey of life and the subject matter is very general. The site is not about enjoying work or enjoying your family or any other segment (in isolation). It’s about enjoying as much as you can in every area of life as much as possible.

Writing on such a wide topic is however somewhat difficult. Perhaps I need to recreate my menu structure into family, friends, work, health, wealth and spiritual? But that defeats the purpose of my site…

The website is suppose to be about integrating fulfilment into every area of my life and if I start to segment it I fear I’ll end up where I was in the past – having a great social life and bad love life or a fantastic day at work and terrible time with the family. Segmentation caused me to differentiating my life whereas my new aim (I think) is to have them all to flow together.

I don’t want different values and behaviours for different life segments. I don’t want to be one person at work and then switch to another person at home…I want to be the same authentic person towards everyone. But I’ve worn so many hats for so long – is there a Kim that is the same across the board? Is there a Kim that is capable of flowing rather than segmenting life?

Interesting question. I just don’t know. I’ve spent so many years acting…(not on purpose – of course!). I also have held this belief that work is crap but you need to get on with it so that you can enjoy other things. My issue is that by the time work is over I’m too tired to enjoy anything.

So…is it possible to be authentic all the time?

What if I could care about everyone like I care about my daughter? What if I could smile at everyone as if they were my best friend? What if I could give to people in need as if they were in my immediate family?

And how about having a great time at work, going home and having a nice evening with the family and then out with friends for a nice meal? In the past, I had a hectic, stressful day at work, went home to a glass of wine to numb my anxieties and hit my bed by 8pm ignoring invites from my friends.

Hmmmm, I really like the idea of enjoying each segment of my day in addition to being the same person throughout. I wonder if it’s possible to live life this way?

Is it possible to niche yourself in a role that you enjoy?

Posted on August 11, 2011 by Kim

My head is still digesting all the great information in the book, “The Business You Were Born to Create”, authored by Nick Williams. I’ve been mulling over what my strengths are and thinking hard about what I really enjoy doing (work-wise).

(Read my book review on Nick Williams book here)

I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t fit into a specific box – I can’t just say I enjoy marketing because that could mean a whole host of things. Some people think ‘marketing’ is all about advertising, brand awareness and spending lots of money and not knowing if it’s working!

That’s definitely not the kind of marketing that I enjoy.

What I do enjoy is the ability to create lead generation systems (or in other words, ‘cash-flow’ systems). I love to set up the technology, write the sales copy, create lead magnets (free educational ebooks/guides, video’s, presentations), craft compelling landing pages, set up or improve the website, create communication elements (autoresponders & broadcasts) and then turn the system on by using pay-per-click, PR, social media, email marketing and on and on.

I really enjoy going into companies and saying ‘hey – I can help you to set up a system that will allow potential clients to come to you. And the best thing about the system is that if it’s maintained, the amount of leads you get will increase exponentially.’ Furthermore, the way that I set things up is totally geared to adding massive value to the end client. It’s a win-win. The company gets more clients and the client gets and even better service. And I suppose there’s one more ‘win’ – I enjoy what I do while making money! Woooooo woooooo wo!

Geez – I sound like a walking sales pitch, don’t I?

For some reason I kept thinking that I needed to fit into a box, but one thing in Nick Williams book really stood out. He was at a networking event and asked a woman what she did for a living. The woman replied that her job was to get massaged. Can you believe that? What a dream job. It just so happens that this woman grades masseurs before they get licenced (or whatever they get to achieve some certificate).

If someone can make money getting massaged, I can surely make an income focusing on creating bespoke lead generation systems. Or perhaps narrow it down even further?

But let’s pause for reflection here. Kim – do you really enjoy setting up these systems? Or is it something you want to do because you know how to do it well?

Good question – eh?

[I’m pausing to think]

Yep – I’m certain that I not only like to set up these systems…I know I’m really good at it too. One of my companies turns over 1/2 a billion GBP/year and one of the biggest problems we have is too many leads! When you get too many leads it’s often difficult to qualify or priorities them…but that’s more of an operational issue. I’m sure that many companies would like to have the problem of too many leads!

So…what would be my ideal line of work as my head stands now? I think I’d enjoy consulting for a handful of companies to set up systems and then help to maintain them. It would give me variety, enjoyable work, new connections and an income.

Let me digest all this.

What about you? If you could niche is something that you really love to do, what would it be?

Enjoying The Journey

To demonstrate that it’s possible to make your journey through life more enjoyable

Tag Archives: Fulfillment with work