For seven years, Valerie Young commuted 90 miles every day to
and from a corporate job. She did lots of "water-cooler
whining" and fantasizing about what she really wanted
to do . . . someday. When her mother died
unexpectedly, just five months before retirement, Young
realized "someday" doesn't always come. Today,
she's happily self-employed publishing Changing Course,
a newsletter to help people follow their dreams. Here, the
Northampton, Massachusetts, entrepreneur shares her 10 steps to
escaping your job and creating the life you really want.
Step 1: Get the point-of life, that is. Life is short and
precious; when it's over, few of us will wish we'd gone to
more meetings. And on the off chance you don't win the lottery,
it's up to you to create the life you want. It's not going
to drop in your lap.
Step 2: Get the picture. People spend so much energy focusing on
what's wrong with their lives, they have no energy left to
envision what they do want. Start from a positive place.
Five minutes a day imagining your ideal life is better than 30
minutes spent complaining.
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Don't get hung up on the kind of work you want; start
by envisioning the life you want. Are you spending time
indoors or outdoors? Where do you live? What kind of people are you
with? Visualize your ideal day as often as you can.
Step 3: Get passionate. Just because you're [good at
something] doesn't mean you like to do it. To find your
passion, look back to what you loved to do in childhood. I know of
a guy who loved to build sandcastles as a child. Now he has a
business building sand sculptures for seaside events. What inspires
you?
Step 4: Get a grip on IT. IT is what scares you; it's
different for everyone. People often think, "I'm scared;
that means I shouldn't do this." Change, by its nature, is
scary. Recognize that a certain amount of fear goes with the
territory.
In my seminars, I have people indulge in their worst-case
fantasies, and I ask them, "How realistic is that?" and
"What steps can you take to prevent it from
happening?"
Step 5: Get real. Ask yourself, "How much do I want this
vision I've created? What am I willing to do to get it?"
Expect a short-term drop in income. It also takes time. If
you're already putting in long hours [at work], are you willing
to spend time at night and on weekends to get [your business]
going?
Step 6: Get informed. Talk to people who do what you think
you'd like to do, to get a realistic picture of what it's
like. Join associations. Read trade publications. Take advantage of
the SBA.
Step 7: Get ready. Set a target date and put your goal in
writing: "I will be running my own bed and breakfast by the
ocean by March 2000," for instance. Then work backwards and
create a realistic plan for getting there.
Step 8: Get support. If you have a network of supportive people,
meet once a week to generate ideas. Don't have a network?
Create one. Find other people [who want to start businesses]. Have
lunch once a week to keep each other on track. Take a course on
starting a business-you'll meet a room full of people who share
your vision.
Step 9: Get going. If you can't call the school to send you
literature about the business class, at least look up the phone
number. Doing one thing a day, no matter how small, keeps the
momentum going.
Step 10: Get gratitude. Visualize the future, but also be
mindful of the abundance in your life right now. These 10 steps are
a journey. Savor the journey, because all you really have is
now.
For more information about Changing Course ($29 per
year), visit http://www.making-waves.com or
call (800) 267-6388.