A Follow-Up To “Change The Way You See Work and Change Your Life”
I’ve received so many e-mails and comments about my “Change The Way You See Work and Change Your Life” article that I decided to write a follow-up article to talk more about the specifics of what some call “non-traditional work” but what I call “business in blue jeans”: why do it, how can you do it, and how can it transform your life? You’ll find a few more nuts and bolts here.
Why Do It?
I believe in a life that’s filled with four things: love, joy, passion, and freedom. If your life doesn’t have all four of these things in it, I think something needs to change!
First and foremost, I believe you should love what you do. Confucious said, “Choose a job you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.” Thomas Edison said, “I never did a day’s work in my life, it was all fun.” Steve Jobs said, “You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.” So first, love what you do, be passionate about sharing it with others, and success will come.
Second, I believe that work doesn’t have to consume the majority of your day. If you’re working in the corporate world, you’re spending at least eight hours a day at work, but often more. Figure you’re sleeping seven or eight hours at night, then spending an hour each on things like commuting, household chores, getting ready to leave the house in the morning, exercising, and by the end of the day, you’re lucky if you’ve got three or four hours left for eating meals, enjoying your family, relaxing — and how much of that time do you spend watching TV? I just don’t think this is how life has to be.
Third, I believe that work is what makes the rest of life possible. I love what I do — I’m deeply passionate about helping people design their lives and create a business that makes that life possible. But I’m also deeply passionate about experiencing all that life has to offer. I spend time reading so I can learn about new things. I try new hobbies all the time. I bake bread, I garden, I travel the world. And I do this because my work makes those things possible… because I’ve designed it that way. I determined what I wanted my life to look like and then I designed a business that would support that life. And you can, too.
So let’s get down to some nuts and bolts stuff.
How Can You Do It?
I’m going to put this on the table right now: the lifestyle I describe isn’t for everyone. Working in this fashion requires a certain skill set and a specific mindset. Virtually anyone can learn the skills needed. We’re talking things like self-discipline and a strong work ethic (yes, really!). But not everyone can manage the mindset. Some people feel very guilty when everyone they know is working and they’re not. Some people have been raised to believe in a very specific type of work and anything outside that is “wrong.” And some people are still operating in a mindset that’s focused on a lack of self-worth. These are hard to change. But if you can be open-minded and allow yourself to truly own your life and believe that you are worth it and you deserve it, this kind of lifestyle might be for you.
I’ve received a lot of e-mail from people saying, “That’s great for YOU, but I can’t just go freelance and not work full-time.” Well, that’s probably true. But since I’m not talking about “going freelance,” it’s also probably not very relevant.
First of all, I’m not talking about NOT working. Sometimes I work a very full week. Sometimes I work more than I would ever work in a corporate setting. This is especially true when I’m working with a client to set up a new venture. You almost always work harder in the beginning when you’re building your brand and gaining visibility than you do once you’re more established. For example, I work far less now than I did when I first started. Some days I just work for a few hours and I can take vacations when I want, knowing my business will continue to run. But the point is, you love what you do, so when you are working a lot of hours, you actually enjoy it.
Second, this isn’t taking what you do in a corporate setting and transplanting it to home. Do that and you’ll work just as hard as you did before. Instead, this type of business is centered around taking what you know and love, turning it into a system, and then finding ways to present that system to others.
For example, say you’re a writer. You’re passionate about writing, you’re good at it, and you know how to get freelance writing gigs. In my system, you’d do freelance writing, sure, but you’d also figure out the steps you use to make a living as a writer, turn that into a system and share that system with others in a variety of ways (and of course you’d market to writers looking for gigs that didn’t necessarily compete with the kind of gigs you seek). This is just one example of where you could start. You’d also add a few other types of streams of income as well, all of which would also be similarly passive (what I call “passive(ish)”).
At first, building any business takes time as you get everything set up and start your marketing process. But over time, this type of “business in blue jeans” can grow into a serious, passive(ish) business, especially if you utilize outsourcing to its best postential. You get to do what you love, help others, and experience a great deal of freedom.
How Can This Transform Your Life?
From the start, if you’re doing work you love, your life will be transformed just by that alone. But beyond that, as you build this style of business, you also free up your time to experience the richness of life. How many times have you gone to work when it’s still dark out, worked inside all day, then left after dark, never once seeing the sunlight that day? How many times have you thought about things you’d like to do but don’t have the time for? How tired are you at the end of the day, after working under flourescent lights? How crushed is your spirit after working in a tiny cubicle?
Now imagine how alive you’d feel if you could work in the sunlight, or if you could choose and design any workspace you wanted? How alive would you feel if you knew you could work from a cafe in Paris or a bar in Spain? What if you could just relax at home, in front of a cozy fire and work while the bread you made that morning baked in the oven, filling the house with its heavenly scent (that was my day yesterday)?
Just imagine your dream life. Imagine every possibility- what you could do if you had more time, if you had more flexibility. Imagine what each day would look like if you could design it especially for you. You’d have more time to spend with your family. You’d have more energy to give to your work AND your family.
The point I’m making, the point I’m almost always making, is that your life belongs to you. You really do get to choose if you want to work for someone else. You get to choose where you work and when. Most of us just don’t believe it because we can’t see “how.” But this is your life and you can choose. Whether or not you actually do, well, that’s up to you.
WRITER'S BIOGRAPHY
Susan Baroncini-Moe
Susan Baroncini-Moe started her entrepreneurial adventures with a lemonade stand. Now, Susan is the CEO of Business in Blue Jeans, dedicated to helping you design a business you'll love or transform your business into optimized profitability. Learn more at BusinessInBlueJeans.com.Other links: Blue Jeans Web Sites and Susan's No Suits Allowed! E-zine.
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Comments
Kathryn says on February 20th, 2009 at 10:20 am
My problem with the fundamental premise of this idea here and in the previous article–which all seems to hinge on the idea of taking what you love to do and turning it into an income-generating *system* that you can market to others–is this:
It works fine if your passion is business (as it seems to be in your case). Rather than just building a business, you build a business-building system. You’re still doing what you love–business!
But if your passion is writing, or coding software, or translating–then building a system to make money in writing or software development or translation and marketing it to other writers, coders, or translators, you are very likely no longer doing what you love (writing, coding, translating), and quite possibly doing something that you really detest (marketing, or supervising/coordinating outsourcers, for example). Because all this “share your passion” stuff is just code for marketing, right?
elywoot says on February 20th, 2009 at 11:58 am
I really love the spirit and idea behind this article. I have been thinking a lot about ways to change my outlook on work and life. Do you have any ideas about those of us who do not have a passion for anything in particular and just enjoy typical everyday life? What about those of us who are the jack of all trades and master of none? I would be interested to hear your thoughts, because that is where I (as well as some other people I know) get caught up. I don’t have a true passion for one particular thing, and I am not particularly great at anything.
Susan Baroncini-Moe says on February 20th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Kathryn,
Great question! One of the things I enjoy the most about being a LifeHack contributor is the caliber of readers, who really think through the article and ask these fantastic questions that go beyond what I’ve presented. I find it very rewarding, both as a writer and as a business consultant. So thank you very much for your comment.
Now on to your question…You make a valid point. I’ve worked with several clients who have thought the same way at first.
In my case, you’re right- helping people start businesses is my passion. Business in Blue Jeans is my primary business, but I have several other interests and businesses that have nothing to do with business in itself. So I relate to what you’re saying. And in fact, there are MANY tasks in business that I don’t personally enjoy.
I have found that when you surround yourself with the right team, you really don’t have to do the stuff you don’t like to do. You can outsource virtually anything, so in the end, it’s just the supervising and coordinating, and frankly, much of that can be outsourced as well. In fact, if there’s something I want done, I can pretty much just tell my assistant and it gets done. That’s the power of building a strong team that you can trust (and something I’ll talk about in a future article).
For the record, though, I never think of “share your passion” as marketing. Although some might call it that, I’ve never thought of it that way. Look, the way I see it, we’re all given gifts. We’re all given talents and characteristics that make up the uniqueness that is in each of us. And I believe that when you figure out what it is about you that is unique, what your special gift is that you’re meant to share with the world, that’s when you’ve found the “share your passion” thing.
It’s the way I see the world- I have passions that propel me to learn about those areas I’m most passionate about, so I can share what I’ve learned in the form of distilled knowledge with others who want to receive it. And likewise, there are people who have studied and learned things I want to know, so I can learn from them. I just think we’ve missed the boat on sharing what we know and are passionate about with others, and this is a chance for a lot of people to reclaim that opportunity.
Susan Baroncini-Moe says on February 20th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
Elywoot, there was a time when I was in the same boat as you. I liked doing lots of different things, but there wasn’t really anything that wowed me enough to wake up excited to do that thing every morning.
Luckily, you’re already ahead of where I was. You’re aware that you’re missing that passion in your life, and that’s light years ahead of where I was. At that time, I didn’t even see that I had become passionless until one day when I was in a seminar and someone asked me, “What really matters to you?” and I realized I didn’t have an answer. Once I recovered from the shock and ensuing “How can nothing matter to me?” panic, suddenly one thing mattered to me: figuring out what mattered to me. So I embarked upon a quest to discover what mattered to me and after a year of soul-searching, meditation, and talking with people who knew me well, I finally discovered (or re-discovered) the things that mattered to me.
I suspect your passion is out there somewhere, you just haven’t stumbled on it yet. Sometimes you just have to keep searching until you find it, or until it finds you. Ask yourself “What really matters to me?” until you have the answers. Look for the signs- when you feel elated, when you feel a rush of joy, when your heart beats a little faster. Try to experience a lot of different things to see what trips your trigger. But remember this, if there’s something in your life that’s suppressing your ability to experience passion, that’s something you’ll want to address before you embark on your own quest.
None of this means you can’t start and run a business, and it doesn’t mean you won’t be successful. However, if your aim is to “live the dream” and build a business that you’ll love, I think finding your passion is a pretty important place to start.
Does that help at all?
elywoot says on February 20th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
Thank you for responding.
Your response is very helpful–particularly your advice to…”look for the signs- when you feel elated, when you feel a rush of joy, when your heart beats a little faster. Try to experience a lot of different things to see what trips your trigger.”
I have asked around, and it seems as though a lot of folks are in the same boat as me, and many are unsure of how proceed. I do feel ahead of the game by actively acknowledging my void and beginning my quest to find out what makes me tick. I agree that if you want to “live the dream,” you have to find your dream first.
Perhaps I will start carrying around a journal and noting those moments of excitement–even those that seem small and insignificant–and reflecting on them later. This could help me find out what makes me the most happy and then think about how I could build my life around those things.
Thanks.
Susan Baroncini-Moe says on February 20th, 2009 at 4:28 pm
Elywoot, I think a journal is a fantastic idea. I’m addressing some of the issues you raise in my e-zine within the next month, so please feel free to sign up (it’s free) and tell the others you’ve talked to as well. And, I look forward to hearing the results of your quest!!!
elywoot says on February 20th, 2009 at 6:45 pm
Thanks, Susan. I will sign up.
I noticed that you lived in Winter Park for a spell. I lived in Breckenridge for two years. Colorado ski towns are beautiful.
Susan Baroncini-Moe says on February 20th, 2009 at 7:50 pm
Elywoot, I loved living in Winter Park. Summer in ski towns is just as amazing as winter, isn’t it? And Breck is one of my favorite places of all time. There’s just something about Colorado ski towns that is incredibly special.
Yes, But Still... says on February 20th, 2009 at 9:57 pm
Nice!
I like these ideas, and I’ve written a little bit about them on my own blog.
http://yesbutstill.blogspot.co.....otion.html
Cheers!
Athul B Nair says on February 21st, 2009 at 10:33 am
You said we have to imagine about our dream life. But whether it will be useful to just imagine the things which we cannot achieve.
How can we improve our business so that everyone get attracted towards it?
Vincent says on February 21st, 2009 at 10:47 am
Hi Susan,
Being able to work in any workplace we want is a definitely great and outsourcing is a must if we want to have our own business and also our life.
Cheers
Vincent
Personal Development Blogger
Susan Baroncini-Moe says on February 21st, 2009 at 2:11 pm
Athul, I don’t know what your business is, but if you want “everyone” to be attracted towards it, it sounds like you need to do some thinking about your target market.
What kinds of things would you imagine about your dream life that you can’t achieve? And, perhaps more importantly, how do you know you can’t achieve those things?
Athul B Nair says on February 21st, 2009 at 3:26 pm
Thank you for your advice,Susan..
Omar says on February 22nd, 2009 at 2:31 pm
This post reminds me of the four hour work week. Why follow everyone else? I can see if everyone is successful. I rather be happy than miserable doing work I detest.
Bruce Kasanoff says on February 23rd, 2009 at 11:16 am
Susan, I love the way you think. One challenge people face is that they don’t actually know what they want. Even in blue jeans, they are still unhappy. We wrote this little story to show how to get past this: http://www.thegoalmine.com/shhh.htm
badedukation says on February 23rd, 2009 at 1:28 pm
“So first, love what you do, be passionate about sharing it with others, and success will come.”
There is a darker side to this message that I’m not sure is really being addressed. I ended up employed doing something I loved outside of work and enthusiastically tried to share it with others and found that after ten years of it I no longer loved it at all. No one in my work place was remotely interested in my enthusiasm for it either. I have completely lost my taste for something I once was enthusiastic about. The details are long and winding, but the environment you work in can easily turn something you love doing into something you just end up doing for a living. If you really love doing something, consider very carefully the possible consequences of losing that feeling for it if things do not go well.
I do not believe in false enthusiasm. I see it every day where I work and I can tell immediately the difference between someone who does like what they are doing and someone who is “learning to love” what they are doing. They are the kind of people that use variations of the words “happy” and “success” in their password for logging in. True enthusiasm for something is markedly different than false enthusiasm, and if you honestly do not care for what you are doing then I do not believe that putting on a pretend love for it is going to change your true feelings for it.
While you are better off simply getting out of what you are doing if you do not care for it, the fact of the matter is that sometimes you end up keeping a job because you have to survive and get to a point where you can more easily find something better for yourself. In that case, as is my own case now, you sometimes must just adopt a philosophy of getting to the end of the day intact. In fact, a recent blog entry by Roger Ebert underscores a more important point about sometimes getting through things you may have to do to survive but not necessarily enjoy doing: ” ‘A person has to participate,’ Studs Terkel liked to say. That’s how I feel. Meditating on futility–that’s no way to live. One of the most useful pieces of advice ever given me, at a time when I despaired, was: Act as if. Act as if you make a difference. If infinity is too big for you, live in the day. Shakespeare as usual expressed this better than anyone else, and it took him six words: To be, or not to be.”
When you look at a job you don’t like but keep to survive, infinity is always too big. I only act like it matters until the end of the day.
louisa says on February 25th, 2009 at 10:06 am
hi i m always wanna set up a few blogs about architecture, interior design and networking.
working in this era, in the shaking econmic era. Everyone is trying to get a steady income from a regular job, no matter who you are. Starting something new and live in a newway of life is really exciting and risky. What to deal with the bills and rents for each month. IT is really risky though i will give it a try.
I will start doing that at my free time now, as i don’t want to work for others. Hopefully, I will have my own enterprenure and get my first client through the networking and build them a new home or renovate for them.
Thanks for your enlightenment.
Susan Baroncini-Moe says on February 25th, 2009 at 4:11 pm
Thanks, everyone, for the great comments!
badedukation, false enthusiasm can be unhealthy, especially when it’s drawn out over an extended period of time. However, I firmly believe in “fake it till you make it” in the short term. If I wake up feeling crummy or out of sorts, I’m not going to let that ruin an entire day of my life! So I take a moment to allow myself to wallow a bit in the crumminess, then decide that when I get out of bed, it’s a great day from that point forward. And if it doesn’t FEEL great, I act as if it does, and without fail, I always end up feeling much better and having a good day.
I don’t think there’s a “darker side” to my message, as that seems to imply something sinister. I don’t think that everyone is suited to this lifestyle, nor do I think everyone should turn what they love into a business. But if someone is looking for a business to start, why NOT look for something they’ll love doing and wake up excited about?
I’m not sure I understand what you mean about “meditating on futility,” but it does sound like you’re not happy where you are. I don’t know anything about your situation, but I’m not sure why you can’t start making plans now to transition into something that you enjoy more. At the least, within the paradigm I suggest, you could start something great in your free time, then build it to the point where you can transition. That way you’d be moving toward a goal.
Louisa, setting up a few blogs is not at ALL risky. Unless you’re talking about emotional risk, I can’t see what you’d be risking setting up a blog. There’s little to no financial investment in that — you can set one up for free or use a host like The Domain Name Company that offers the WordPress software for free (that’s how I do mine). So, exciting, absolutely! But risky? Not so much. :)