Circles of Change: Conversations with Dr. Zara Larsen
on Change Leadership and Career Fulfillment
July 27, 2008
“Building a Rewarding Career without Paying Your Dues”
Guest: Laura Vanderkam
Anchoring Points:
- As a freelance writer one day I had everything go wrong that could, and took a deep breath, glass of wine on the patio, and thought about how I am in control of my own choices, and need to hop out of the grind. “Someone should write a book about that!”
- Over 100 interviews with primarily young “lifestyle entrepreneurs” who created what they are doing to keep control of their time, balance, live comfortably and happily. It is easier to work hard if you are doing something that you would do for free.
- “How can I get people to pay me to do what I LOVE to do?”, compared with “What is there out there that people will pay me to do?”
- No one is going to set up a path for you, and there are times when it may not be clear that you are getting anywhere, let along “there”.
- No one really has put barriers to prevent you from moving forward
- Develop that 5 or 10 year goal, then break it down into pieces
- Put your head down and start going after the pieces
- Keep setting goals, making lists, ratcheting and bracketing
- You will develop your path by walking on it
- Life upsets make it easier to take a risk, as you have nothing to loose. Just the nudge the universe gave you to move forward.
- It is harder to stay in an uncomfortable place.
- You need to recalculate risk based on circumstances, for perhaps you have a LOT to loose by NOT taking a risk to get to your dream career.
- I always knew I would be a writer, yet I am still trying to shift to write more of what I want to write about vs. write what pays the bills. I have such varied interests and always wondered if I made a mistake in not pursuing math and science; yet today, I am writing about science and math for Scientific American. The key: How to combine your interests!
- Think about cascading to get where you want to do, moonlighting before jumping, and making a course correction when necessary.
- Think “projects not jobs”: tap multiple passions, balance the income stream and cycles, include non-profit work to grow skills, build a portfolio of projects.
- This career approach changes our perspectives then on loyalty and identity, status anxiety, mentors and networking.
- Self-discipline is critical, something you have to practice regularly with being clear on your goals, setting priorities, considering breaking the ten mile run into ten separate miles.
A career is not something you find; it is something you make.
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