Comments on: Profit from Experience: The Key to Your Right Livelihood May Be Right in Your Own Backyard

By: Valerie Young

Valerie Young — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 20:56:06 +0000

Wow — there are SO MANY talented people here who have wonderful gifts and ideas. As some of you have already discovered, once you start taking action things take on a life of their own. Yes, things take time. But look back at the how fast the last one, two, four or six years came and went. If you had started then look how far along you’d be by now.

One of the best ways I’ve found to get either started and/or to act despite our NORMAL self-doubts, is to think about the people out there who will benefit from our gifts. All the kids who will smile because of Della’s gifts or Hester’s words. The parents — and therefore — the children who will benefit from Kathy’s parenting classes… and on and on. We hurt others when we hold back. The world needs your gifts.

Thanks all for sharing!

Valerie Young
Dreamer in Residence
ChangingCourse.com

By: Della Pitre

Della Pitre — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 17:22:47 +0000

I too suffered from all the fears that go along with starting your own business…I joined the Fast Track Community to try to force those fears and figure out some way to change my life and get the business that I’ve always felt I should have. At first, I thought my direction was going to lead me into the field of Home Staging because I always had people telling me how wonderful my decorating skills were…sadly I listened to them and bought all kinds of courses and books to tell me how to start and run a Home Staging business…even picked out a business name ‘New Look Designs’ but in the end, I could not move forward because I completely felt like an impostor!

Instead, I have been volunteering over the past year and a half to two years by creating scene settings (room environments) and making costumes and props for a youth ministry group that I belong to at my church and also for my son’s high school musicals. By doing so, I came to the realization that I am passionate about this type of work…I absolutely love creating things from nothing, whether it be a costume, a prop or whatever is needed to make these Lifenights happen. Not to mention, it’s something that I had done when I was a teenager, which is work on the costumes for my high school musical…I always loved working on costumes even when I was a young girl of 14. I remember asking for a Barbie at that age so I could make ball gowns for her…it was the first time I got what I asked for for Christmas, also the first time I asked for something in particular too!

I have also been throwing parties for these teens as well for Halloween, Christmas, and New Years…and I realized that by doing these types of things…it will eventually lead me to create a new business venture in the near future…I want to open a party planning business incorporating possible costumes, props and I even would like to make puppets as well. Because I even dabbled in doll-making. These are all things that I know in my gut, I’m very comfortable doing…so I’m very excited for the first time about the possibilities. Not to mention, for the first time I feel a step closer to my dream of owning my own business doing something I feel not only comfortable doing but love to do! Thanks Valerie!

By: Paula

Paula — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 17:43:50 +0000

Good point re: sense of humor. I used to think of my sense of humor as an irrelevant personality quirk that had nothing to do with Work and Life and all the truly important stuff. But finally I realized that my quirky point of view is central to my character — and one of my gifts to the world, because I can get people to think about things from a different perspective by making them laugh.

By: Michelle Hill

Michelle Hill — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 14:55:25 +0000

Valerie, I suffer tremendously from those same feelings you describe in your “Bright and Capable” workbook. I start a business, get all excited about it, then am hit across the head with thoughts of, “what am I doing?” “There are people much more capable and educated than I doing this same thing.” “I’m nobody, who do I think I am?”

Your “Bright and Capable” workbook really helped me work through the thought processes that invade my new business excitement. You give the tools to be mentally and emotional healthy and set the record straight in my head. Grand life’s work Valerie!

Michelle Hill
Owner
Winning Proof

By: Kathy Slattengren

Kathy Slattengren — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 23:48:39 +0000

I worked in software development for the same company for the past 20 years. I enjoyed the work but certainly wasn’t passionate about it. What really excited me was teaching parenting classes. I volunteered to teach a few times a year and received tremendous feedback from parents (it was also a great way to keep up my parenting skills!). When I was laid off a year ago, I decided to follow my passion and created an online parenting class. It’s been far more difficult than I imagined starting a company but I love working on something I care so deeply about.

By: Hester Johnson Moore

Hester Johnson Moore — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 20:30:07 +0000

Wow! here I am reading about myself…looking for a good paying job at 57 with a degree in communications and theater…create and facilitated many workshops (well a few) with youths and somewhat cannot keep the momento up when I know being in front of 1, 100, or 1,000 is no problem for me but somehow… somehow…I just know if put some efforts, but I worry so about having an income/working…I have heard it many many times before year after year…Hester you are sharp…start your own thing…and I feel I don’t have enough education, who would listen?(when strangers tell me that I am capitivating when I tell my stories.” yet I have not been able to move forward professionly forward…just on my own..thanks for this article..its like I know it is in me …how do bring it out…