| Why is this important? | | | | Meet Jennifer Wright of New Zealand |
| Making your passions WORK for you is important | | | | At age 47, Jennifer moved halfway around the world |
| because your happiness MATTERS and makes a | | | | to make her passion WORK. On another recent |
| difference in your life. | | | | show, Jennifer told me that her move, while very |
| Waking up to a day you really look forward to can | | | | risky, proved to be the most magical thing she ever |
| make all the difference in your world. | | | | did. It was just the perfect recipe for her, and today |
| It can be even better: Imagine waking up day after | | | | she works with mid-life women to help them find |
| day to the work you love to do. After we turn | | | | meaning in their own lives. How appropriate! |
| forty, things change. If we admit it to ourselves, | | | | As I interviewed Jennifer, it reminded me that when |
| deep inside we wish we could do more with our lives. | | | | a person makes their passion WORK, they gain a |
| Our concerns usually center around our work. At this | | | | new perspective of their lives and what is possible. |
| stage of life, we tend to give up our dreams and | | | | Jennifer like Joe, had that extra kick in her voice, |
| settle on doing just a job and hope one day to finally | | | | that little giggle when describing what she does. |
| do what we love when we retire. | | | | Yes, making your passion WORK can make you a bit |
| But will that day ever come? | | | | giddy. |
| Where do you stand? | | | | The first steps |
| Do you know what you are passionate about? | | | | Evaluate what you want. This is always the easiest |
| Are you working at what you are passionate about? | | | | and yet the most difficult. This takes an honest self |
| If you didn't answer "yes" to both questions, you | | | | assessment. Find out who else shares your passion |
| have more to do. Many people over forty just | | | | and actually makes an income doing what you love. |
| assume it's too late. They feel society's pressure to | | | | You'll be surprised what you discover. For example, |
| slow down, conserve and save. | | | | let's say you love building model airplanes but you |
| Are you saving too much? | | | | need to make $ 75,000 a year. Not enough people to |
| Recent research by a small group research institution | | | | sell airplanes to? No problem. |
| suggests that Americans are currently saving too | | | | You could start your own store and call it, "Model |
| much. The report suggests that we should get more | | | | Planes for You". You could work for a model plan |
| out of our money while we are young. | | | | manufacturer as a sales rep to get started. You |
| Otherwise, we risk losing opportunities to enjoy what | | | | could start an internet site as a place for model plane |
| we have vs. saving for when we're older. | | | | hobbyists to gather, getting revenue from ads and |
| Of course this advice would be frowned on by | | | | other means. You could start a business organizing |
| almost every financial firm-they have great ideas for | | | | model airplane parties for kids. You could offer team |
| using your money! Most of these firms suggest the | | | | building events to corporate America that involve |
| average person will need an annual income equal to | | | | building paper airplanes. Attendees would see which |
| 75 to 86% of what he or she earned in their final | | | | group's paper airplane flies the farthest. Corporate |
| year of employment! | | | | America loves to spend money on this kind of event! |
| When you do what you love and have a lighter | | | | [I can remember once going to a team building event |
| backpack, you never need to retire! | | | | where we worked on building trust by being forced |
| What these firms don't understand is that with a | | | | to fall off a ten-foot ledge with a blindfold on so that |
| lighter backpack, we can, in fact, work forever doing | | | | our teammates could catch us as we fell. When my |
| what we love and come pretty close to the income | | | | teammates failed to catch me, I realized it was time |
| we require. With vocation, there is no final year of | | | | to go, but that's another story!] |
| employment until one stops breathing! | | | | You might have several income-producing activities |
| What happens if you wait too long? | | | | along with perhaps working a couple of days a week |
| Your quality of life decreases. Life feels mundane, | | | | at a local hobby store to make ends meet in the |
| and your goals no longer seem interesting. Your loved | | | | short term. |
| ones suddenly become your scapegoats. You start | | | | Prepare to downscale |
| to feel sluggish and you end up spending too many | | | | Sorry to disappoint you but I have seldom seen a |
| hours on the couch watching mindless television. | | | | person make their passion WORK without some initial |
| Meet Joe Kasper of New York City | | | | downscaling. This doesn't mean forever, just initially. |
| I recently interviewed Joe on my regular show, "How | | | | This might scare many baby boomers to run in the |
| to make meaning and money in mid-life". Joe calls | | | | other direction-fast. After all, what would we do |
| himself "American's diet coach". Joe describes health | | | | without our SUV's (and their lease payments), our |
| as his passion, and it shows! Joe walks his talk and it's | | | | large mortgages and our retirement nest eggs? |
| catching. It is hard to listen to Joe and not feel | | | | Well, I guarantee we would be freer and lighter and |
| anxious and wanting to do something with your own | | | | better able to explore new possibilities for making our |
| life. Joe explains that he was fired from 14 traditional | | | | passions WORK. |
| jobs until he finally figured out that he was better | | | | There is a difference |
| working for himself than for other people. | | | | There is a difference between working hard so that |
| Joe's excitement was so contagious that he could | | | | one day you can live your passions vs. making your |
| probably have had me believing in the Pet Rock again! | | | | passion WORK for you right now. |
| This is what happens when you surround yourself | | | | Taking the next steps are, as always, up to you. |
| with people who have made their passions WORK. | | | | I'll be cheering you on each step of the way! |