So. You have finally reached that point; you’re done with school, you’ve managed to find a job that is more or less related to your field, you’re getting paid, you’re safe…
But, between you and me, this job doesn’t really get you excited in the morning. You actually think it kinda sucks, but you can’t seem to see what are your other options…
What else could I do ? Where do I start if I wanna start doing something better?
I am tempted to answer this:
Quit this freaking job tomorrow morning.
But I can already hear you:
“Ya, ya… easy to say Erika! My bills are still going to come in, I still need an income!”
Yes. I understand and being broke as f*ck is definitely not a desirable position.
But someone once told me something that always stuck with me: “When you’ll start being hungry, you’ll be surprised at how many awesome and creative ways you’ll find to start making money.”
It must have something to do with survival instinct…
But since this first option might scare the shit out of a lot of people, you can skip this first step for now. You don’t have to quit your job right this second.
But keep in mind this move will still have to be done at some point. So start processing it.
You must also keep in mind that having a day job while working on a side project/dream is totally doable! BUT, it will require discipline, and it will require you to choose wisely how you spend your time.
As Mr. Gary Vaynerchuk says : “How badly do you want to crush it? Is it an all-consuming feeling? Do you stay awake at night, your brain swimming with ideas and dreams? Are you willing to do whatever it takes for the chance to live entirely on your own terms?”
Yes? Then, Let’s go:
HOW DO I FIND A JOB THAT I ACTUALLY LOVE ?
#1 – Ask Yourself what are the 3-4 things that you love doing, that excites you most in life.
It seems like a simple question right? Well, not always. I’m pretty damn sure not a lot of you ever took the time to put these things on paper… we’ve been conditioned to do things in such a linear way, we’ve been raised to follow a precise curriculum, and somehow we never got to do this simple exercise.
What gets me excited in life?
Don’t limit yourself. It can be ANYTHING! Yes! Because you can become ANYTHING you want my friend.
So for me, it would be
1- Travelling / playing outside / getting sweaty
2- Designing / creating / playing with images
3- Learning and empowering others (getting my brain sparked by new perspectives and seeing other people’s minds spark too)
You are totally allowed to put down things like : food, snowboard, talking about sex, riding my bike, taking and editing pictures with my iphone, going to the flea market and decorating my apartment…
Try to put a bit more details about why or what you like about this activity.
If you take food for example: do you like cooking and creating nice food combinations? Eating food / trying new restaurants? Taking pictures of food? Marketing /selling a consumable product ? Expand the concept.
#2 – Define What You Are Good At.
What do you have experience in?
What sports or activity are you confident doing?
What have you studied?
What are you naturally gifted at?
What are you not so good at, but you are super willing to learn / practice more?
#3 – Create a Cloud of Possibilities.
For each of those categories, identify brands, blogs, people, or places that relate to it.
You LOVE going hiking / camping on the week-ends. Cool!
Poler Stuff, The North Face, Chris Burkard, Live Unbound, Mountain Co-op, Alpine Modern, Salomon, MEC, Tourism Québec, Norway, Iceland, Colorado, Yellowstone national park, Cliff bars… BOOM !
Follow those brands, explore their website, study those people, engage with communities, read their blogs, subscribe to their newsletters, read the 3 most popular books on the subject…
Feed yourself with more of this content that makes you vibe.
Learn learn learn and apply what you learn.
Let your mind get fired up.
Let your vision open up to the possibilities of working with/for those people or creating your own dream if you feel a piece is missing on this market.
Let your imagination run wild…
Knowing what you love to do, and knowing what you are good at, now ask yourself how could you help those people?
How could you collaborate?
What role could you play in the organisation?
What kind of company could you start yourself?
Take note of ALL those ideas! When you set your intentions on paper, it becomes tangible. It passes from the dream status, to the project status.
Now, it’s time to make it happen.
HOW CAN I LAND MY DREAM JOB ?
#4- Talk about your ideas and intentions.
Share your situation with your surroundings; the people that believe in you, and the ones you admire. If you don’t talk about your project, no one is going to help you.
So tell them you are looking for a way to enter this industry, to move to this country, to connect with these people.They will undoubtedly come up with more ideas for you, and there is 80% chance they will say: “Oh yes, I know somebody that works for XYZ / Has just started his company in that field, I could put you in contact with them!”
BOOM! you are one step closer. Spread the word and brainstorm with people who believe in the beauty of your dreams.
Nowadays, we are like 3 or 4 Facebook friends away from pretty much anyone in the world! Use this power.
And ask yourself: who could help in the direction of my dreams?
There’s nothing like being surrounded by a community of fired up women with ambitions just as big as your own. Joining a Salty Souls Experience is a great way to expand your circle, share your vision, and get closer to making your dream life a reality. Over the course of 8 days in either El Salvador or Ecuador, you will push your boundaries, expand your mind and connect with other women who are here to leave their mark on the world. If this has you saying HELL, YEAH! Learn more HERE !!
#5- Reach out. Contact people. Offer your services. — And be willing to work for free.
Put things in motion! I always have this analogy in my head, that unfolding a project is really much like creating a snowball. If you want it to become big and eventually make a snowman, you have to create that first little ball and start pushing it down the hill. As soon as you initiate the movement, it will start rolling and rolling, gather more snow, become bigger and you will make your mark. But you have to create a motion first, if not, this surface full of possibilities, will remain totally flat.
So start sending messages. Even better… send a video! Think outside the box. Make yourself different. Interactive. Attractive.
The best example I’ve come across so far is this guy @hirethecaptain . What a genius and very well executed idea! When you click on the pictures, every square reveals a part of his resume. But then again at this point, nobody will even care about his diplomas, because just the way he has reinvented the presentation of something as standard as a resume is amazing! He stood out, he made himself noticeable, and everybody wants somebody like him on their team.
And that is exactly the point; don’t look for a job title that fits, you. Create your own title.
Use this list of places, people, brands, you’ve wrote before and what you could do for them… and go get it. Offer your services.
And, let me be honest, get ready to be turned down. Not everybody will need you. Some people will say thanks, but no thanks. Who cares? Move on, that probably wasn’t meant for you anyway. The universe probably has other plans for you. Keep digging.
You love taking photos ? Come up to those brands/people you like and offer to shoot for free! If they love your work, there is 80% of chance they will hire you for their next project and there are super good chances that they will talk about you to somebody else that might require your services.
You are super good at drawing, painting, designing? Offer people to create their book cover, their wedding invitation, the brand identity of your friend’s start-up.
The thing you enjoy the most is to do crossfit, or yoga, or scuba diving, or doing jiu-jitsu or juggling with fire… get your certification my friend and start teaching !
Create a crowdfunding campaign. Start a blog. Build a very nice and curated profile on social medias. Go to events. Talk to people. Get SEEN and get HEARD.
I promise you, motion creates motion. Things will start moving. You project will start to unfold.
And most of all: believe in yourself! Believe that you are good enough, that you are worth it, and that what you can imagine, you can create! Believe that doing what you love for less money will feel a million times better than doing what you hate for a good amount of money you never get the time to enjoy.
I know that you can!
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