In her January 5 post, Unemployed or Underemployed, Natalia said: ”I fully believe that the next big thing will be cottage industries – especially with the trend to buy locally to alleviate dependence on oil, help conserve resources, and to be greener. People who find ways to help others be green, upcycle old items, organize recycling where it really makes sense – those are the folks who will help re-establish small businesses and therefore create jobs.”
Shifting gears and viewing oneself as an entrepreneur can enrich you. It will change the way you view your job, if you are employed, and the way you perform your job. It will also help you to understand that there are many options available to you. You can write a business plan and use your own funds or secure funding. You can work a full time job and start something part time in the evenings, thanks to the power of the internet, which can attract a global audience. You can experiment inexpensively with blogging, an Etsy store, a Zazzle store, an ebay store, a part-time service, writing skills, cooking skills, handiwork skills, volunteer work – the ideas are unlimited, you just have to find one that works for you. Ideally, you may find several oppportunities that can work for you.
Really — you are never stuck. Stuckness (I know, I’m making up a word) is an illusion. But I do believe that you need to follow your dreams in some fashion, if not in your 9 to 5 job — do something in your spare time that feeds your spirit. Whatever you do that feeds your spirit can only lead you to a better, fuller, happier life.
My background is in recruiting, research and writing – those are key skill areas for me, but like Natalia, I enjoy art, crafts, cooking and other hands-on activities. My daytime work in the non-profit world provides a great deal of satisfaction for me, but I view it as my “base” and use my spare time to explore other areas. Currently I’m editing articles for a national magazine; writing web copy for a client; writing recruitment ads for another client; writing fiction, non-fiction and poetry; and I run an ebay store. I’m toying with the idea of opening an etsy store.
I’m turning my dining room into a factory of sorts. It will be a writing factory, an ebay shipping center, and an etsy crafting room. Thinking about it makes my eyes light up with joy.
In 2009 I took Profiting From Your Passions (PFYP) coaching training from Valerie Young, author of The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women, so I could help people turn their passions — the things they love to do — into profit streams. The reason I did that was because as a recruiter, I could only help a limited number of people find work. I talked to many people who didn’t want to face the truth that their line of work was gone, or diminished to the point that finding a job like the one they once had was going to be an uphill struggle. Some of those people were using up all or most of their savings in a quest to find a job that was turning into long-term unemployment. Things have gotten worse since 2009. I’m not being doom-and-gloom-ish here, I’m just stating the reality that too many bright and talented people are facing.
So, maybe you think this doesn’t apply to you — you’re working right now. Even if you have all the right skills, and you are highly employable — can you depend upon your employer? Will your employer make good decisions? If your company markets globally, will some event halfway across the world like a tsunami, an earthquake, or a war shut down their foreign facilities? Will your work be outsourced? Will you be replaced by a new, disruptive technology that makes your job obsolete? Or — worse yet — do you dislike your work? Do you dread going to work every day?
Americans have always taken pride in being independent. Yet we also know that we are interdependent, not just on each other, but on the rest of the world. America is not isolated from Europe, China, Africa or the Middle East. I think part of thriving in this century will involve taking a good, hard look at your situation — whatever it is — and making adjustments to fit the times. Whether it involves getting rid of debt, saving more, setting up a part-time or full-time business, following your passionate love of a hobby or pastime — if you think about it, you’ll figure out the right direction for you. And when you’re ready — the path will appear, a teacher or mentor will come into your life, you’ll read the right article or see something on television – and you’ll have what you need to start shifting gears.
In future posts I plan to highlight innovative ideas to help stimulate your thinking and help you move forward with your dreams. Some will involve people I know; others will involve business ideas I’ve seen on the web, in the paper, in books I’m reading, or in the news. My goal will be to stimulate your own creative ideas and encourage you to make changes, and I would appreciate your feedback.
