UPDATE! As I follow where the book is leading me, I’m discovering more venues and formats for engaging folks in reflecting about their lives and the futures they hope to have.  Besides short book “readings”, I now offer a 3-hour program  with an agenda that promotes discussion and clarity about the gifts and talents and passions that attendees want to share with the world. What’s also emerging is my new identity as a catalyst for clarity at life’s turning points, for those over 50 who are struggling to make their later years meaningful and enriching.  I’ll keep you posted on how my journey is going.  And please, feel free to be in touch about yours.  413-532-2579.

ALERT: I’m honored to have been given a mention in Valerie Young’s Changing Course newsletter.  I’ll return the favor by linking readers to her site full of abundant resources for doing what you love and making money from your passions.

DATES: The PERSONAL COMPONENT of this  ”Why Not?” work has most recently been offered in OPEN PROGRAM on Saturday, July 31st. Six wonderful women, enjoyed a beautiful summer day on the lawn, by the meadow, taking a much valued time-out for reflection. We’ll definitely repeat the offering.   Also, the labyrinth, pictured on the book cover, will be open for Drop In on September 12 from 1-5, and will host an even of full moon drumming on September 24.  Call for details 413-532-2579.

The new POLITICAL COMPONENT to my journey also chugs along. I’ve recently become involved in the local council of MoveOn.org which is helping to organize grass roots protests to highlight and limit the influence of corporate money on our democratic political process and on our environmental health.  Bill McKibben’s newest book, Eaarth, is really an eye-opener for those who are beginning to wake up to the current realities which are demanding our attention.

In my book, I featured the work of Eric Schwarz who, 15 years ago, created an experiment of sharing his love of writing with a group of middle schoolers in Boston.  He started somewhere!  His good friend, an EMT, shared his love of first aid with another group of middle schoolers.  Ultimately, their work became Citizen Schools, involving 4,000 adults in 7 states, who share their passions, and provide a way for young people to discover that nurturing their interests are key to their future success. From such a small experiment, a strategy for transforming education in this country has emerged.  Check it out.

Fortunately, I’m still on the Citizen Schools mailing list and I just received a recent video of a young African American particpant of 11 years ago,  now a senior at Boston College, who told his story at a recent Boston Conference on revolutionizing ideas.  Please watch this 12 minute video.  If you are looking for a way to contribute and share what you love in the world, there is no better place than with young people through this program.  The research is starting to affirm the impact on the lives of middle school kids who are given this opportunity by their school districts and by the willing adults in their communities. As we know, our education system is unfortunately busted.  We can await a national policy fix, or we can do what we can.  The research is indicating that doing what we can, with what we already have (our passions and a willingness to share), is making a significant difference.

Once again, web blogs provide ways to look at things differently.  I googled ‘do what you love blogs’ and what I found was an interesting notion that could be considered a contradiction but which I prefer to consider—an illumination.   Denis Basaric felt that ‘do what you love’ advice is much too simplistic and leaves the 95% who “have to work for money” feeling a bit hollow and certainly not inspired. He has a point. To those who feel trapped in a job, he offers this approach:  Figure out a way to do what you do with excellence, at a higher level, and begin to love your accomplishments.  Where we totally agree is that there is always something you can do to improve, change, or, enrich your situation and make it more to your liking.  In addition, I’ll always hold out the possibility that you can create the mindset that you can have…and you deserve… what you really want, and that many people in exactly your circumstances have made it happen.

Hanging from my car mirror is my handicapped parking tag.  In addition, I have a red sticker stuck to the rear bumper. It’s been there forever.  I pretty much forget about it. Until each time that someone notices and says, “That’s one of the best bumper stickers I’ve ever seen.” What surprises me is how often I hear that.

My gimpy leg is just a condition. My cane is my enabler.   My bumper sticker tells it true, “ATTITUDES ARE THE REAL DISABILITY.”

We all have disabling attitudes, just in different areas.  Those who are contemplating doing what they love may encounter a whole bunch:  I don’t know what I love.  I’ll never be able to earn a living at it.  What if I’m still not happy?  Change is hard.  I’m afraid my family won’t support me in following my dreams.  I just can’t….

My enablers are a cane,  a walker, a simple diet, lots of water,  and a nap in the afternoon.  What are yours?  The compelling magnetism of your dream?  The support of a coach/mentor/therapist?  The will to start somewhere even if it is not perfect?  The courage to ask for help?

Dreams are too important.  Your gifts are needed on two fronts.  You need to give them and the world needs to have them. While disabling attitudes can feel like the truth of the matter, they are not. They are only a construct.  And, they certainly do not need to be permanent.

One thing I do enjoy about the internet experience is discovering the abundance of resources, ideas, inspirations, and yes, even wisdom, which one can serendipitously encounter on a daily basis.  They are life’s surprises!  Some are worth sharing.   This provocative  10 minute video talk by Australian Nigel Marsh, was posted by a friend on Facebook.  I am choosing to share it with you.  The “Do What You Love” message is soooo related to  decisions about work life balance and how the “career” you choose really needs to be the vehicle for delivering the kind of sanity and joy in your life that you both deserve and want.  Enjoy his take on it!

As this elder person gets more in tune with the technology, I’ve learned one short cut which allows me to see what others choose to share on the topic I care about.  My Google Alert is set to “do what you love.”  It finds the blogs or articles on the topic and deposits them in my email box.  From one recent blog (the source of which I misplaced) I extracted some individuals who are becoming known for  simplifying their lives down to what’s important to them  And, they record their journey. I thought you would enjoy reading about these  four who are playing around with living with less “stuff” and more of the intangible essentials.   They are:  Everett Bogue from Far Beyond the Stars, Karol Gayda of Ridiculously Extraordinary, Leo Babauta of Zen Habits and Colin Beaven (already referenced in my book) of No Impact Man.

The models exist for us to change our ways. We face increasing problems  living on a planet that cannot support our addiction to consumption. Our aversion to limiting ourselves to “enough,” is a consequence of that addiction.  The above people “get it” and live it.  With their examples, the rest of us don’t have to feel alone, or out of sync,  as we pursue our dreams for a “downsized”, happier, simpler, and  saner, life–doing what we love.

This is a new kind of post for me.  I recently surrendered to some coaching for myself as I find myself entering a new phase for me.  Here’s what I wrote to my peers in the group as a way of a brief introduction.

Hi everyone,

I’m very glad to be here.  I had a training and coaching business for 25 years, which I totally loved, but it was bereft of balance. Part of the consequence was that I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis 13 years ago. So….as my energy and stamina begin to return, I am sort of starting over at 70, wanting at this point in time, to be crystal clear as to how I will use my remaining years, energy and gifts, to do what I have always loved…bringing clarity out of confusion to those who want their lives to be meaningful and fulfilling and who are willing to engage in inquiries, reflections and actions that will achieve it.

Probably the best way to get to know who I am is Read the rest of this entry »

When raising the title question of the book Why Not Do What You Love? in conversations, I have continually been amazed to hear this Frequently Stated Reaction (FSR) over and over.  It is simply:  “But I don’t know what I love!”

Why would this be true for so many?  What do my blog readers think?  Here are some of my conclusions and I hope to have some comments as responses.

1.One reason might be that members of your family of origin never noticed or applauded your natural tendencies to engage in certain activities which you did love.  Bereft of encouragement to do things differently than what your family may have valued, you may have buried your awareness of your preferences and instead sought approval in the activities that generated their attentions.

2. If you, like me,  are of a certain age, the culturally conforming 50’s  taught  that only certain professions were OK for men and for women.  Typically women were expected to stay home and manage the home life and the family, and men were expected to get a job that brought home the bacon.  That’s pretty much the way it was.  And the residue of that early expectation still exists Read the rest of this entry »

Creating a new life means doing some things differently, and thinking about things differently.  Having received a book order from far away Utah, I inquired how the buyer had come to hear about Why Not?  That led to an online conversation about how she was starting to do more of what she loves, even with a full time job.  She loves to write and is passionate about staying healthy and helping others do the same.   Her latest blog topic, 5/31/01, about developing the habits to stay healthy–something all ‘do what you lovers’ need to attend to–intrigued me.  “Suck less,” is her advice, laced with her special brand of humor and inspiration.  Yes, she herself is experimenting her way through to a new existence by doing more of what she loves, and she doesn’t have to be perfect at it. Nor do any of the rest of us.  My takeaway from the read was that being part of the game, on a regular basis, without the need to “win”, is what can move us along our path to the health and happiness we desire and deserve.

P.S.  I note that this elder’s life  is being enriched by my serendipitous internet connections.  It’s fun to be able to share the ones that touch me.

In order to do what you love, you need to know what you love.  And so the basic question of the day is always,  “What do you love to do?”  For many,  “I like to help people,”  is the first answer that comes to mind.    “What else do you love to do?” I might ask.  Let’s say you reply that “I like to write.”   Going deeper, I might ask:  “ What is it that most satisfies you in your writing life?”

Pulling together the puzzle pieces surfaced by these three simple questions is an intriguing process and not always so simple. But here’s the idea… A writing life can be expressed in so very many ways. There’s a myriad of possibilities once you get clear on what you love about writing.

If you scan the world around you what might you see?   My radar has just picked up a man who has created an income stream by writing sales copy for people leaving the corporate cubicle and starting out in business for themselves–people just like himself. There’s a woman who is running classes for young people who seek to write authentic essays as part of their college admission packets.  There’s an elder who provides encouraging space for other elders to write their life legacies for their children and grandchildren.     And there is a 10 year old in California who has written and illustrated an award winning book which shows young people how to create friendships—a helpful antidote to bullying.  And that’s the short list!   Each is employing his or her own particular gifts with a particular niche of the population to whom their voice and their passion really connects. Now it is up to you.  Where, how, and with whom do you want do what you love?