Fulfillment comes from concentrated effort

We like to think of our passions as something that we find.

But the reality is that our “passions” emerge as a result of the things we do.

Fulfillment (a word that I encourage my job seekers to use, rather than passion) is found through the actions we take. And the insight emerges in how engrossed we are as we complete the activity.

This is a tough thing for job seekers to consider, and, I believe, for good reason.

When we get to the point that we’re asking the question, “how do I find my passion?” it’s usually because something has taken place that’s created major discontent in our lives.

Our natural response to any form of suffering or discontent is to escape it, push it away, and disengage with it as much as possible. We don’t typically think, “I must work harder and longer at this problem in order to understand it.”

But the longer we choose escape as a solution, the harder it becomes to change the habit - especially to something like deep focus and concentrated effort.

Concentrated effort is hard. I’d even go so far as to say that concentrated effort creates even greater frustrations and discontent, especially as we work to understand our true calling.

If our already built-in response to discontent is escape, I’m sure you can guess what any kind of concentrated effort will make us want to do. ;)

But if our heartfelt desire is to find real fulfillment in our lives, this is the challenge that we get to embrace.

We get to actively participate in the exploration of our talents, gifts, joys, and the things that move us spiritually.

We get to venture into what brings us true meaning and significance.

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The force of career movement

Back when I was learning how to do options trading, my mentor would often talk about market movement by comparing it to a dog chained to an elephant.

The dog could run around all it wants and go in any direction. But it could only go as far as the length of chain would allow, and there was nothing the dog could do to make the elephant budge.

But if the elephant decided to move, it was taking the dog with it. The elephant could walk faster, cover more distance, and the only way the elephant would stop was if it decided to stop.

The dog would be helpless to do anything about it.

The story was told to compare daily and hourly charts versus weekly and monthly charts. Lately, I’ve been thinking about this story as it relates to career movement and the impact our decisions can have on our future.

Decisions about accepting a job offer that guarantees a complete lifestyle change.

Decisions about taking a major pay cut in order to join a new industry.

These are all elephants. They’re big and powerful decisions, and once they’re made, they move with tremendous force.

But I don’t believe we see this at the moment we make the decision.

We’re tired, overworked, and ground down to our core. We need a quick solution to make the hurt and discomfort go away.

Our brains jump at the idea of escaping our situations, and we cling to the first thing that feels good and promises respite.

We don’t realize that we’ve just initiated a major career movement - a complete upheaval of our destinies. In one decision, we’ve shut doors, opened doors, and changed the course of our lives.

It’s very difficult to stop once it’s started moving. And to go back to where you began will take a force equal to the one we’ve just made.

But we think of these movements like a dog on a chain. A small force, easy to control, and easy to move where you want it to move.

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“Follow your passion” isn’t necessarily bad career advice

I’m writing a book around career change - specifically, how to use the skill set you already possess to make a career transition. And I’m not planning on including anything about the idea of following your passion.

However, I bring it up here because it’s a common (and I mean common) question asked by my job seekers - “How do I find my passion?”

I believe there’s nothing wrong with asking this question or thinking about your career from this concept. I also believe that we can have a productive conversation about career change using this as a starting point.

The “follow your bliss” concept (from the PBS series The Power of Myth) is believed to be the reference point for the “follow your passion” movement of the late 2000s. It’s also believed that Joseph Campbell’s interpretation of dharma from the Bhagavad Gita is based on an incomplete translation.

I’m fascinated by all of this - so much so that I’m seeking out commentaries on the Bhagavad Gita and digging into career advice from the 1950s to the 1990s. I’m exploring generational thinking and language patterns across each decade. I’m asking the question, “Were we slowly building our way to the ‘follow your passion’ movement all along?”

I’m becoming convinced that “follow your bliss” was the convenient, easy-to-repeat catchphrase that helped summarize the desires of a lost and despondent generation. I watch interviews with 20-somethings and 30-somethings that were filmed in the 70s and 80s. It’s almost painful to watch them talk about their jobs and careers - as if they’re somehow doomed to misery. (Thank you, David Hoffman, for filming these incredible interviews.)

It’s no wonder to me that the movement emerged as it did - and why we still cling to it, using it as a solution to escape an unhappy career.

As I learn more about the roots of these movements - and as I dig more into the original meaning of dharma - I might unearth something that could actually help my job seekers as they work their way to a successful career transition.

But until I do, my notes on following your passion will just hang out on my desktop. ;)

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Book update

It’s been a couple of weeks since I last wrote an update. In the time I’ve been away, I came up with a possible outline for the book.

Title: How to Change Careers
Subtitle: Use the skill set you already possess to make your next career transition

Outcome for job seekers: Appreciation for self, a better understanding of the career/job market landscape, confidence, enthusiasm to get started

The book would consist of three sections.

Section 1: What you already have
- Transferrable skills
- Established network
- Access to potential colleagues
- Career story worth sharing

Section 2: What you need next
- Visibility/online presence
- New positioning
- New network
- Insight into the new industry

Section 3: What you’ll get (the rewards)
- Introductions
- Access to decision-makers
- A foot in the door
- A new job/lateral move
- The beginnings of a professional platform

My ultimate goal is for this book to be as useful and value-adding as possible.

What do you think about the outline so far? Does it feel exciting/engaging? Is there anything that you’d like to see added?

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Leadership

I try to lean into a simple philosophy when it comes to leadership:

Leaders are the ones who go first. Then, having experienced something of value to their communities, leaders report back on what they’ve discovered.

When typed out like this, it makes leadership look simple, methodical, and even straightforward when pursued.

But the reality is that these two actions are some of the most difficult things a person can pursue.

This past year, I’ve been thinking a lot about the people I admire who serve as leaders for their communities. I think about their courage and tenacity as they pursue their life’s work. I also wonder about what goes on in the background as they achieve their goals and explore this particular path on their journey.

It makes me admire them all the more. It also makes me reflect on my own journey.

Could I do a better job of sharing the behind-the-scenes of the work I’m doing? Would it be worthwhile to share some of my work processes and talk about how I get things done?

My gut is telling me yes… But I’m always interested in hearing your thoughts and perspectives on the subject. :)

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Your professional platform

Imagine creating a space where colleagues could go for guidance and mentorship on specific topics within your industry. You could shape your LinkedIn profile to highlight solutions to some of the big problem areas in your field. Your teachings could involve sharing insights from your years of troubleshooting through tough situations.

Or maybe, deep down in your core, you know that you were always meant to be a coach. You’re drawn to the online coaching space, and you want to work with clients in pursuit of a major goal. You could transform your profile into a destination for potential clients. Your call-to-action could be to book a session with you or join one of your programs.

Or maybe you have a special talent or gift that you could share with the world. You’re an amazing writer, graphic designer, or course creator. Maybe you’re an absolute pro in Photoshop. Whatever the skill you’ve mastered, you could easily turn it into a winning and highly-rewarding side hustle.

These are all examples of professional platforms that you could start building today.

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This weekend, I’m running a 2-day experience called THE PLATFORM. We’re getting together over Zoom to explore and map out your professional platform and the steps needed to make it happen.

This course is fully and proudly customized specifically for the participants who sign up.

If you’ve been wanting custom and specific guidance on your professional platform goals, join us today.

Sign up here: https://app.moonclerk.com/pay/3qz2bcu73hul

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How I build my courses

How I build my courses and experiences:

When I design a course, I like to think about it from the perspective of the do-it-yourself person. They often want to get to the core of a solution, and then they want the ability to quickly implement what they’ve learned.

I also add an exploration element to my courses. I purposely create spaces for the people who want a calm and safe atmosphere to dream as big as they like.

We look at answering the “what if” questions - what if I build a side hustle using a skillset I have? What might it look like if I started working with clients?

With 30-day experiences, we raise the stakes a bit higher. We do a little bit of work each day towards a key goal.

We also engage in laser coaching - you can ask me any questions you have, and I’ll give you advice and recommendations that will move the needle forward on your goal.

On my LinkedIn profile, you can find sign-up pages for both an upcoming weekend course and a 30-day experience.

I have a fun track record for creating exciting and impactful experiences for you guys. If you’ve been thinking about what it might be like to build your own course or experience, go check them out. :)

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Sunday musings

I’ve had an interesting week. On Fiverr Pro, I made changes to my gig where I raised my rates across each tier. I also made a few updates to the metadata. After saving the changes, I noticed that I was bumped up to the top bar on the page. I’m curious to see how long I get to stay up there.

Here on LinkedIn, I added my courses and programs to the Featured section on my profile. I thought about using Clickfunnels to create the sales pages, but I opted to go with Moonclerk. It’s the more elegant option in terms of how the pages are designed. I also really like how simple it is to set up a Moonclerk form.

I’m holding both days of THE PLATFORM on 03-July and 04-July. MOMENTUM is available for purchase at any time, and we start our 30 days together on the first of each month.

These are some of the most personal, in-depth offers I’ve ever created. I’m excited to see how they perform in July.

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Writing a little book

I still can’t believe that I’m writing a book.

It’s going to be a little book, but still. Just the thought of assembling this thing and shipping it out into the world makes me feel deeply happy. :)

All of the content that I’ve written over the years has been excellent practice. ;) I have a plethora of career-related topics that I could expand on to create this book.

Is there a particular topic or question that you’d like to see tackled in a short book?

Let me know in the comments. Your response could be the very thing that helps shape its creation. :)

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Professional platforms

I advocate a simple approach to building your professional platform.

1. You become a teacher. Your teachings make your community and industry better.

2. Engaging with you feels like an experience. Your community and industry like to return to repeat that experience.

3. Your exposure and visibility grow through word-of-mouth.

Both 1 and 2 create your platform. 3 is how you obtain your spotlight.

The result? Rather than you needing to chase down the leaders in your space, those leaders end up coming to you.

This is a path to consulting opportunities and guest speaking. I’ve even used this with my clients to help them achieve their desired career transitions.

It’s about being brave enough to showcase your expertise to the people that you want to get in front of.

If you want to become sought after by your industry, give them a reason to seek you out. :)

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Make it easy to work with you

Let’s say that you want to make some side cash off of your talents or expertise. Maybe you want to start a freelancing side-hustle or set yourself up as a coach or consultant.

There are two steps to making this happen.

1. You need to be visible to the people you want to get in front of.
2. Those people must desire to work with you.

A great way to be visible is to become a teacher. Write posts and articles that make your industry better. Teach them ways to tackle some of the bigger problem areas within the space.

Then, make it easy to work with you. Better yet, make it easy to make a decision about working with you.

You could make the assumption that if someone wants to work with you, they’ll just reach out to ask about your services.

Alternatively, you could share a list of your services and the expected outcomes of those services. Then put the purchase button or link to your calendar in an easy-to-access place.

Here’s the thing:

A person can love your posts. They can love the value that you bring through your teachings.

But they will never desire to work with you unless your services exist for them to desire.

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What are you here to teach?

Let’s say you want to work on special projects with the movers and shakers of your industry. Or you want to be considered for a coveted promotion at your company. Or, maybe, you’re just thinking about what a higher salary could mean for your life.

The inevitable, inescapable first step to making this happen? You must feel comfortable standing out from the crowd.

The brilliant, sought-after professionals who work at the cutting edge of their industries didn’t get there just because they were hard-working or talented.

They took deliberate steps to make sure that they were visible. They set themselves up so that their contributions would be recognized and their ideas would be heard.

They understood the importance of being value-adding and being in service to their industry. And then they took it one step further.

They made themselves the solution for some of the biggest problem areas within their space.

You could do the same thing. And, not only that, you could start down this path today.

Grab pen and paper, and jot down responses to the following questions:

• What were some of the big fires across your career that you were called upon to put out?

• What problems or concerns do your colleagues regularly seek you out for?

• What are you here to teach? What could you teach your industry today?

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I’m writing a book

It’s surprising, even to me. And I’m the one that’s going to be writing the thing. ;)

I’ve done a number of interviews this past month with people who self-identify as career changers. Across each interview, I wanted to know:

• Why the person made the career change?

• What were the challenges that they had to overcome?

• What were the lessons learned along the way?

From these interviews, I heard stories of loneliness and grief leading up to the decision to change careers. For one person, the driver was curiosity. For another person, the driver was destiny.

But for each person I interviewed, the end result was always a sense of triumph. I detected a deep-seated pride in their accomplishment of joining a new profession or pursuing a new path in life.

I think that however this book ends up being shaped, I want that to be the final message.

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Reflecting on the journey

Becoming a resume writer began with a strong fascination with entrepreneurship. The idea of being your own boss was deeply attractive to me.

I didn’t originally envision fulfilling this dream through resume writing. The very first sketches had me as a copywriter for life coaches. I also thought about becoming a ghostwriter for authors in the self-help world.

I fell into resume writing gradually. It started with me helping colleagues with their resumes. Then, I turned the work into a side-hustle and supplemented my income with occasional client work.

There came a point in the journey where I felt ready to leave my 9-to-5, so that’s what I did. I kept up with resume writing because it both paid the bills and allowed me to pursue a freer, less hectic lifestyle.

I support myself through the LinkedIn platform and through occasional projects on Fiverr Pro. I write content on a regular basis, and, as a result, potential clients message me here to see if I’m available for new work. This, combined with kind referrals from happy clients, is how I’m able to keep going.

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Thank you

These past couple of weeks, I’ve been interviewing the most incredible professionals about their career journey. If you were someone that I had an opportunity to speak to, I just want to say thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

You’re helping to shape the future of my tiny company by sharing your challenges, triumphs, and lessons learned as you’ve navigated your careers. You’re helping me decide the direction of future research and ways that I can better serve my job seekers.

All of you are so talented and brilliant and inspiring. I want you to know that I’ll always be your cheerleader and I’ll always be here to root for you and your continued success.

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Did you change careers?

I'm working on a pretty exciting project - I'm looking at professionals who had successful career changes within the past couple of years.

I want to learn more about how they achieved their transition - what they did, what challenges they had to overcome, and what lessons they learned along the way.

Did you change careers in the past two years? Hit reply and let me know. I’d love to talk with you about your experience. :)

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Exciting times are on their way

Exciting times are on their way. ;) I'm getting ready for a transition. I'm slowly going into full-time professional branding - helping the most incredible professionals build their presence within their industry.

I'll always be here to help my job seekers with their resumes and LinkedIn profiles. But this new path is more aligned with the real value I bring to my clients - getting them on the path to building their platforms and showcasing their talents, skills, and expertise.

If you bring tremendous value to your organizations, and if you want to make a showstopping impression that continuously impresses your industry - I'm the person to call. ;)

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Optimize your resume for trust

Optimize your resume for trust.

I don’t need an endless sea of awards, titles, and accomplishments documented on your resume. I don’t need you to be the superhero of your organization.

What I need is to feel like you know what you’re doing. What I need is assurance that you could do the job well.

I need to get the sense that you’re steady, reliable, and sure of yourself when I read your resume.

This is how you create the foundation for trust.

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The Great Resignation

I wrote in a previous email that there would be an interesting power dynamic that would unfold between the employer and the employees that refuse to go back into the office.

I’m slowly beginning to see it take place.

LinkedIn is calling it the “Great Resignation.” The community is writing about it with gusto. I’m watching hiring managers openly talk about how they would fight back if they were called to go back into the office.

It makes me want to go back to my notes and older posts on promotions for remote workers.

Remote employees have a much tougher time landing promotions of any kind, (even, surprisingly, performance-based promotions).

And, when given the choice, we have evidence that remote-based employees will return to the workplace to stay positioned for promotion opportunities.

It makes me wonder - what’s going to happen in a few years when those refusing to go back into the office start getting that itch to move up the corporate ladder?

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Leaders go first

I was reminded today that leaders go first.

We go scared. We go unsure. There will be times when we go boldly, especially when our confidence just isn’t there.

But we go first. We ask the questions first. We explore the unknown, and we come back with our report of the experience.

It’s just one of the many, many things we sign up for when we decide to pursue leadership.

"People can become leaders through the process of teaching, learning, and observation. Leadership is a set of skills that can be learned by training, perception, practice, and experience over time." ⏤ Brigette Hyacinth

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