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Issue 171 |
October 11, 2007 |
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ChangingCourse.com since 1995 dedicated to helping people like you to: ~Live Life on Purpose ~Work at What You Love ~Follow Your Own Road | |
Inside Today's Issue A Bit of Pondering on the Journey of Changing Course Work from Home as a Virtual Assistant Upcoming Workshops and Teleclasses
This ad-free bimonthly newsletter is brought to you compliments of ChangingCourse.com. |
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I've never known anyone yet who doesn't suffer a certain restlessness when autumn rolls around.... We're all eight years old again and anything is possible. ~ Sue Grafton |
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Opportunity Knocks Creative Ways to Make a Living Without A Job A Bit of Pondering on the Journey of Changing Course
By Valerie Young I was on a deadline to finish an article. The words weren't coming as quickly or as well as I would have liked, so I decided to take a break to walk my dog Cokie. It was the first fall-like New England day of the season. We walked along a wooded trail not far from my house. While Cokie romped here and there, my eyes were to the ground. Deep in thought, I was busily editing the article in my head. During a pause in the mental action, I happened to look up just in time to see a dazzling display of autumn color across the meadow. "Wow," I thought, "I'd almost missed this." That got me thinking about how much we miss when our minds are "elsewhere." It is not always easy to stay in the here and now. Our minds race ahead to what we need to do, want to do, can't do, should do. When we're not thinking about tomorrow or next week, we are thinking about what happened yesterday, last month, five years ago. We obsess about what we did, what we didn't do, what we wished we'd done, what we were glad we'd done, and on and on. There is, of course, benefit to looking ahead. That's where dreams come from, how goals get set, and our true desires get taken for a test drive. There is also a time to reflect on the past. Thinking about how we might have done something different is often where we learn lessons. But sometimes we spend so much time either three steps ahead or three steps back that we miss the part of the path we are on right now. I heard a quote once by Eleanor Roosevelt that ends with, "Today is a gift. That's why they call it the present." I was reminded of something I had heard from a very wise man named Jim Mendonca. Jim described himself as a life long recovering head injury survivor. Surely his injury was no gift. But from it came some wonderful insight into how his injury has changed his perspective. Here is what he said:
Thanks, Jim. If you are in the process of changing course, dream of a better future - but enjoy the journey as well. After all, it is all we have. About the Author "Turning Interests Into Income" expert, Valerie Young, abandoned her corporate cubicle to become the Dreamer in Residence at ChangingCourse.com offering resources to help you discover your life mission and live it. Her career change tips have been cited in Kiplinger's, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today Weekend, Woman's Day, and elsewhere and on-line at MSN, CareerBuilder, and iVillage.com. An expert on the Impostor Syndrome, Valerie has spoken on the topic of How to Feel as Bright and Capable as Everyone Seems to Think You Are to such diverse organizations as Daimler Chrysler, Bristol-Meyers Squibb, Harvard, and American Women in Radio and Television. To read more articles about how to work at what you love without a job go to ChangingCourse.com/articles.htm |
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Luck has a peculiar habit of favoring those who don't depend on it. ~ Author Unknown |
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Work From Home as a Virtual Assistant Do you have great organizational skills and a burning desire to be your own boss? Consider becoming a Virtual Assistant. Virtual Assistants do anything from creating PowerPoint presentations to sending out holiday cards to organizing events, editing document, setting up appointments or Teleclasses, and more. Your clients can be anywhere in the country (or for that matter the world). And, because you are running your own business, you can work from home and as much or as little as you like.
I have not yet had an opportunity to personally review the course materials. But, based on what I saw, it looks pretty comprehensive. The course teaches you all about setting up your operating systems, pricing your services, finding clients, marketing, setting up a website, bookkeeping, managing client relationships, and much more. The other reason I like this program is that it is a relatively inexpensive alternative to the instructor-led training provided by AssistU. Plus, if you are a self-starter who is eager to learn and to get going fast, Tanya guarantees that this program will show you how to get your Virtual Assistant business up and running in as little as 30 days. To learn more about the Virtual Business Startup System go to ChangingCourse.com/recommends/virtualassist |
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I have learned, as a rule of thumb, never to ask whether you can do something. Say, instead, that you are doing it. Then fasten your seat belt. The most remarkable things follow. ~ Julia Cameron |
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The Changing Course Newsletter Copyright 2007 Lisa Tarrant, Editor Valerie Young, Publisher info@ChangingCourse.com www.ChangingCourse.com 7 Ripley Road Montague, MA 01351
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All About Your Subscription You're welcome to forward this newsletter in its entirety to other dreamers. If someone sent this to you, don't depend on your friend for this great information. Get your complimentary subscription at ChangingCourse.com/ezine.htm Please do not reply to this message. Subscribe or Change Your Address: ChangingCourse.com/ezine.htm Previous Issues: ChangingCourse.com/archives |
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How to Search for a New
Career Before By Kathy Swann Are you thinking about changing careers but scared to blindly jump into something new? Are you not sure where to start? Most people are unhappy and frustrated with their current job, but don’t know how to create a plan to move into a new career. If you are lost about where to start, and not sure what career would interest you right now, think about your hobbies. What did you love to do when you were a kid? If you love books, maybe you would like to work in a library or bookstore. If you are good at math, consider an accounting position. Think about how you would spend your time if you didn’t have to work to earn a living. Taking a class to learn a new skill is now easier than ever. Most colleges offer online courses that will allow you to work at a time convenient for you. You will have specific deadlines to meet just as if you were in a classroom, but you are able to work at your own pace and within your own weekly schedule. Try something new, even if you’re not sure if you would like it. Learn photography, update your computer skills, or take a yoga class. Even if you wind up hating it, you won’t know if you don’t try. If you have an idea about what you would like to do, why not work at it part-time? Suppose you work in the medical field now but think you now want to work with animals. You could get a part-time job working in a veterinarian’s office or a kennel. There are plenty of part-time gigs you can do at night or on the weekend. Of course, you’re giving up some of your free time, but isn’t this a small price to pay to test the waters before making the plunge to full-time? Starting out part-time for an employer is one of the best ways to work into a full-time position later. Volunteering is always an option. While you are helping others, you are also finding out if something is right for you. How about coaching a sports team at your kid’s school? Could you tutor someone who doesn’t know how to read? Maybe you won’t wind up changing careers after all, but instead build a part-time business that allows you to be creative and express yourself. If you play the piano, could you give personal lessons? If you are good at crafts, why not sell yours online? If you love dogs, maybe you could be a pet sitter for your friends and neighbors. The possibilities are endless if you just use your imagination. As long as you are doing something that feeds your soul, you are spending your time on a worthwhile cause- yourself! About the AuthorKathy Swann has worked as the Human Resource Manager for a consulting company in Baltimore. She freelances as a bookkeeper for several clients and is the author of the “How to Win" series of e-books available at SuncatcherPress.com.
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Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn. ~ Elizabeth Lawrence |
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Upcoming Workshops and Teleclasses Here are a few featured workshops and Teleclasses, you'll find a complete listing at ChangingCourse.com/courses.htm
Ali's LIVE, closed-door event is like no other seminar in history. She designed it specifically for coaches, consultants, authors, speakers, and similar solo-preneurs. It's just Ali and us in a conference room for 3 full days, during which she bares ALL her secrets... ...SECRETS on how she turned her own consulting/professional service business around into one that now gives her more MONEY, TIME, and FREEDOM than we ever imagined.
Thursday,
Friday, & Saturday, November
8,
9, & 10, 2007
Click Here to
Read Valerie's Experience at Learn More About Alexandria Brown's Online Success Blueprint Workshop
Monthly Dream Maker Teleclass
If you’ve bought into the
old myth about the "struggling artist" than you haven’t
met an extraordinary bead artist named
Valerie Hector.
Valerie’s artistry can be found in top juried shows like the Smithsonian Craft Show. I learned about Valerie through a client who was fascinated that anyone could actually make a living traveling around the world (most recently Turkey and China) researching beads. Even if you are not a beader, artist, or craftsperson of any sort, there is much learn from how people like Valerie who have very successfully turned their passion into their livelihood. So mark your calendars for October 31st for 8:00 – 9:00 p.m. Eastern. (My apologies to all of you "trick or treaters" but with Valerie’s busy travel schedule this was the only date I could get. But as always we’ll be sure to record every word.) If you can’t make the session email your questions in advance to Ask@ChangingCourse.com and I’ll try my best to get them in. This Teleclass is free to current members of the Fast Track Your Dream Community members. Non-members are welcome to attend for $19 with all proceeds going to the non-profit micro-grant organization TrickleUp.org
Wednesday, October 31st
8:00-9:00pm
"How to Become Joyfully Jobless" 2007 Teleclass Series hosted by Barbara Winter
Learn what it takes to live the joyfully jobless life from the master − Barbara Winter, author of Making a Living Without a Job. A vivacious and wildly popular speaker, Barbara will address such topics as the power of multiple income streams… how to stop thinking like an employee and start thinking like an entrepreneur… why starting small is the smartest (and most profitable) way to launch your new enterprise… and much more. Like mini-workshops, these monthly Joyfully Jobless Teleclasses are interactive, which means you get to ask questions and benefit from firsthand feedback from the woman I call the "Muse of Self-Bossing." This series is free to current members of the Fast Track Your Dream Community members. Non-members are welcome to attend for $19 with all proceeds going to the non-profit micro-grant organization TrickleUp.org
Wednesday,
October 11th
Wednesday,
November 14th
*To learn more about how you can fast track your dream of working at what you love - and get a two month membership FREE - go to ChangingCourse.com/fasttrackyourdream.htm **A portion of all revenue from this Teleclass will go to support the entrepreneurial aspirations of impoverished people in the US and internationally via the micro-grant organization TrickleUp.org | ||
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Make the
most of today. Translate your good intentions into actual deeds.
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"The critical ingredient is getting off your butt and doing something. It's as simple as that. A lot of people have ideas, but there are few who decide to do something about them now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. But today. The true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer." ~ Nolan Bushnell, founder of the video game company Atari and Chuck E. Cheese's chain of pizza restaurants
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Work From Home By Running Your Own Home Repair Referral Network There are over 200 Homeowner Referral Networks (HRN) operating in the U.S., Canada, and abroad. Basically, the business involves matching homeowners with reputable independent home repair contractors who in turn pay you a percentage of their fee. A range of business start-up kits are available all of which include The Complete Guide to Owning and Operating a Successful Homeowner Referral Network and unlimited leads from the HRN website. You can read my complete review of Deb's program at ChangingCourse.com/hrn.htm or learn more about this interesting opportunity at ChangingCourse.com/recommends/hrn Fund Your Overseas Dream Listen in as full-time travel writer Steenie Harvey, former International Living magazine editor turned freelance copy writer Jennifer Stevens, fine pottery importer Reece Guth, and International Living's Latin America Editorial Director Suzan Haskins (with a few comments by myself) talk about ways to live and work overseas. The recording costs $29.95 and comes with a free special report called Your Dream Job Overseas as well as a $300 coupon off of the November Global Business Opportunity workshop. With five people from three countries trying to get on the line, there were a few glitches starting out but still lots of valuable information from a team experts who really know their stuff. (TinyURL.com/yvorsz) Start Up Money Contest for Women Entrepreneurs Since obtaining capital is the No. 1 obstacle women face in starting their own businesses, Mirassou Winery created the "Make Your Dreams Come True with Mirassou" contest which provides $50,000 in seed money to help start a "Dream" business. The contest is open to women who aspire to open a new business. To enter, applicants must submit a personal essay of 500 words or less describing themselves and why they think they would make a successful entrepreneur. A preliminary business plan will also be required and should include: 1) a description of the new business, 2) the consumer appeal to the new business, and 3) a plan to implement the new business. Submit your application by December 15, 2007 for the chance to win $50,000 or a Talbots Shopping Spree. (TinyURL.com/3xcsz4) Note: Changing Course does not accept paid advertisements from any of the resources listed here. This list is provided to expand your thinking about just how many interesting ways there are to make a living without a job! | |
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