The Occupational Adventure (tm)

Bonehead move, or wisdom seed?

[This is an Occupational Adventure Blast from the Past!]

I learned something early on in my Passion Catalyst experience, and that is...

Wisdom is the fruit of my folly.

In the early days, as I was building my Passion Catalyst work out of the ashes of a crash and burn career, I spent a lot of energy beating myself up for not having exercised better judgment when times were good.

Dissatisfaction with my previous career (as a self-employed marketing consultant) had spun me into a cycle of "earn money - play/travel till the money was gone - earn money again". It might sound like a fun lifestyle choice, but it was really just avoidance. I was on the wrong path.

When the dot com implosion hit, I was at the nadir of the cycle. "Oops, broke again!" I was self-unemployed, with no savings to speak of, no safety net, and not even a whiff of revenue possibility on the horizon.

As the bleakness of my situation dawned on me, I began berating myself for having been such an idiot when times were good and the money had flowed at the snap of my fingers. Why hadn't I worked harder and earned more money? Why hadn't I done a better job of saving for a rainy day? Why? Why?! I was angry with myself.

My self-flagellation was, of course, completely counter-productive. I needed to put that energy to use elsewhere. One day, in talking to a close friend about it, I finally sighed in resignation, and said with a half-grin, "Ah well. Wisdom is the fruit of my folly."

That stuck. I liked it so much that I wrote it down on my whiteboard, where it stayed to serve as a reminder to put my energy toward growth and the future.

So if you find yourself beating yourself up over a bonehead move (hey, we all make them!), just take a deep breath and remind yourself, "Wisdom is the fruit of my folly." Ask yourself what you just learned, and move on. Save your energy for better things.

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Time for a career change? Launch it with...
The Occupational Adventure Guide:
A Travel Guide to the Career of Your Dreams

--

by Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst

 

Weakness or misaligned strength?

[This is an Occupational Adventure Blast from the Past!]

 Are you sure your weaknesses are really weaknesses?

So often, I see people get down on themselves for weaknesses they don't really have. They try to shove their natural talents and inclinations into a box, and when the curves and bumps of their natural shape are at odds with the shape of the box, they say, "Oh, why can't I be more box-like," and call it a weakness.

Often, it's not really a weakness - it's what I call a "misaligned strength."

I used to bemoan the fact that I couldn't just stay on one focused track. I would start anything new like a house afire, but once I got past the initial learning stage, my interest would wane.

It seemed that I needed to be constantly stimulated with newness, preferably coming from multiple directions at once. That seemed at odds with the sustained single-track approach to corporate ladder success that I thought I needed to take. I saw it as a weakness, that I got bored too easily, and couldn't keep my focus on one thing.

Now though, that exact same characteristic is a huge strength. I'm working with multiple clients who are all at different stages in their processes. Add to that my speaking, events, and the book I'm working on, and I've got stimulation coming out my ears. And the juice I get from that feeds me, and gives me energy to dream more and do more than I ever thought possible. But for someone who had a very single-track focus, my work would be a living hell.

Hmmmmm, could it be that the single-track focus I worshipped and aspired to before is a weakness in this case? Nope. Just a misaligned strength.

See how that works?

--

Time for a career change? Launch it with...
The Occupational Adventure Guide:
A Travel Guide to the Career of Your Dreams

--

by Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst

 

Forging the Heart/Head Alliance

[This is an Occupational Adventure Blast from the Past!]

Does your brain stomp on your dreams? Have you ever let a dream out into the light, only to find your mind immediately squelching it with a million reasons why it's not logical, reasonable, or rational.

If so, you're in good company. Many people fall into the trap of making entirely "head-based" decisions about their careers...and in doing so they wind up feeling unfulfilled and stuck.

Their heart is missing from the equation.

Imagine if you took a risk and really gave your heart a voice.And I don't mean throwing “reality” to the side and looking at the future through rose colored glasses.

Giving your heart a voice isn't about sticking your head in the sand. It's about giving equal validity to what your heart has to say, and not letting your brain cut down your dreams when they could have flown given half a chance.

Forging the Heart/Head Alliance doesn't just mean giving your heart a voice, it also entails a shift in the role of your head. When in it comes to your dreams, your brain can play one of two roles.

The all too common role is to provide you with endless reasons why you can't do it (the infamous "I can't because..."). The other possibility is putting that same energy towards asking yourself, "How can I make this happen? What are the pitfalls (because there will *always* be pitfalls)? How can I find my way around them?"

Clearly, there are factors that you need to take into consideration as you pursue your passion. In fact, ignoring the landscape is a great way to fail. Your brain is there to help keep you safe. Let it play its role. But don't let it run out of control.

Next time you find yourself saying, "I can't because," stop a moment and flip it on its head. Start developing a habit of saying instead, "I could, and this is how."

Creating a strong Heart/Head Alliance has the potential to be immensely powerful if you let it. Listening to your heart shows you the path that's right for you. Listening to your head offers you a perspective on the best way to make it happen, and helps you avoid trouble.

Your heart and your head were meant to work in synch, to complement each other. Together they can help you achieve more than you ever thought possible.

Take a look at the decisions you are making right now about your path into the future. Are they lopsided? Is your head running roughshod over your heart?

What would your world look like if your heart got equal play, and your head supported your dreams? The decision is yours. You can choose to make it happen.

--

Time for a career change? Launch it with...
The Occupational Adventure Guide:
A Travel Guide to the Career of Your Dreams

--

by Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst

 

Occupational Adventure Blasts from the Past!

It was nearly nine years ago that I first started blogging with The Occupational Adventure. Looking back through my posts, I realize just how much great content is languishing in the archives, benefiting only those people who randomly stumble across them.

I realized how that content could add more value for you intrepid denizens of the blogosphere if I dusted it off and brought it into the present again. 

With that in mind, I'm going to start posting Occupational Adventure Blasts from the Past, spotlighting some of my favorite posts over the years. I hope you enjoy it!

Curt Rosengren
www.passioncatalyst.com