Archive for June, 2010

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?

Today, I  borrow and share from a source  you will likely want to visit yourself.  Linchpin is a new book  by Seth Godin in which he invites us to take charge of our destiny in so many ways.  Some of his self-designated “linchpins” from all over  the world are gathering for Meet-Ups on June 14, and a London group  is starting a new magazine which will surely have great ideas for the ‘why not do what you love’ crowd.  In fact I was surprised and pleased that my recent communication to them on June 11th was posted on their blog site .  Exploring further, I found some wonderful inspiration (from Sir Ken Robinson and others) on creating—in this case writing— inspiration which actually describes my own process in writing Why Not?  It both reminds me and suggests to all of us to pay attention to those little voices within that are whispering from the depths of our soul.  Are you taking time to  listen to those messages?  What are those whispers saying about what is yours to do in the world?

Boy, how time passes when you are having fun…

What’s up for today’s blog is what I learned from an attendee at  my recent reunion mini–presentation on the theme of Why Not?  One woman, facing imminent retirement, was afraid to actually set her retirement date as she didn’t know who she would be without that job. And since the task of reinventing her identity so that she could jump full on into her “new” seemed so daunting, she hadn’t done anything but worry about it.   I’m so glad she raised that dilemma. She’s likely not the only one to have it.  Fortunately, she walked away from our meeting with a commitment to look at her choices in a new way….starting small!

“What will be my new identity, new activities, and new schedule when I retire?” is far too big of a question to handle all at once, particularly when you feel bereft of ideas.  How about a smaller one?  For daily use!

“What did I particularly enjoy doing today? Read the rest of this entry »