Changing Course News & Notes

Can You Really Start a Business in a Weekend? Lessons From a Master of the Quick Launch

Changing Course — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 17:54:50 +0000

By Valerie Young

Is it really possible to come up with a great idea on a Saturday, be in business by Monday and grow sales to the $1 million mark in a year? It is if you’re willing to ditch a lot of lame rules that hold most people back, like one enterprising entrepreneur in Florida.

According to a recent article in The Miami Herald, serial entrepreneur Maria Elena Ibanez was at her hairdresser’s when she struck up a conversation with a woman who had a background in the Latino food business. Obviously this impromptu meeting stimulated her hunger. But not for food, for opportunity. It was in that instant that Ms. Ibanez decided to become a player in the Latino food business.

That was in 2002. By the end of year one, her business, Intermark had $1 million in sales from four food products. Today, her brand El Latino carries 256 products. It is worth noting that Ms. Ibanez did have a background in business. In fact, she’d already launched two successful international computer distribution businesses and sold one.

So yes, starting a business was nothing new. But this new enterprise took her into an entirely different industry. In fact, she knew nothing about the food business whatsoever. Zip. Nada. Despite a lack of knowledge, she didn’t just act when she saw an opportunity — she leapt!

What can you learn from this “weekend business launcher” that can help you jumpstart your own entrepreneurial dreams? Plenty!

Lesson 1: Find People Who Know More Than You Do

Stop thinking you need to know everything before you can begin. As Woodrow Wilson once said, “I use all the brains I have and all that I can borrow.”

There are lots of ways to tap the expertise of other people. You can partner with a subject matter expert, you can apprentice with an expert, you can pay someone to consult with you from time to time, or all of the above. The key is to ask!

Lesson 2: Create Your Own Crash Course

You don’t need to get an MBA or have worked in a field for 20 years to figure out the basics. Ms. Ibanez ordered a couple of cases of books on Amazon and spent a few weeks creating her own crash course in the food and grocery industry.

Pretend your boss told you to put together a three month self-paced training program on how to make money growing irises in your backyard or how to get a syndicated talk radio show. You’d figure it out right?

If you want to be self-employed you need to start acting like the boss of you! Get busy making a list of what you need to know to move your dream forward. Next, create a plan for how you will learn what it is you need to know. Will you do a web search? Read a book? Make a phone call? Then take one step, then another until you have completed the plan.

Lesson 3: Trust Your Instincts

Humans tend to make things more complicated than they need to be. For example, Ms. Ibanez built her brand by going into an under-served niche in the Latin food market – dairy foods. How did she know to specialize there? By walking the aisles in the supermarket.

How many times have you seen a solution right under your nose only to second guess yourself because it’s too “obvious”? That’s why you need to trust your instincts. If your gut is telling you to DO IT, you need to pay attention because within seconds, another voice will chime in. That other voice is the one you mistakenly think of as your more “practical” or “logical” side. You think, “Well, if cheese for the Latin market is such a great idea, someone else would have thought of it, right?”

What you think of as the so-called “logical” thinking is usually the far more emotional and fearful side. As a rule of thumb: If something looks like an opportunity and acts like an opportunity and your heart is saying, “Yes, go there!” then pay attention.

Lesson 4: See Problems as Opportunities

Opportunities often come disguised as problems. Rather than pull back during the slow economy, Ms. Ibanez capitalized on it. Cheaper rent and more available brainpower looking for work are just two reasons why she says an economic downturn is the best time to start a business.

What problem can you capitalize on right now? If you lost your job, can you use the extra time between job hunting to read a book on marketing or create a small profit center?

If you have no idea what you want to be when you grow up, can you invite a group of friends to dinner and ask them what they think you should “be.” [Warning: Only invite friends who are entrepreneurially minded... otherwise your brainstorming session will probably lead you back to working in a glorified cubicle.]

Lesson 5: Free Yourself From Analysis Paralysis

Notice Ms. Ibanez did not spend years, months, or even weeks locked in analysis paralysis. She made a decision one day and two days later was in full blown action mode. She acted so fast in fact that the Latino food expert she met at her hairdresser’s on Saturday reported to work in Ms. Ibanez’s home office on Monday! She didn’t even have time to tell her husband.

Lesson 6: Invest In Your Dream

It takes two things to start a business: Money and time. The more you have of each, the faster you can go. When I started out, my primary investment was time — lots and lots of time. I realized about seven years in that if I was going to grow I needed to invest money too. First I hired a virtual assistant. Next I dropped $2,500 on a live seminar in LA. I learned so much that I purchased several $1,000-$2,000 information products. These were so helpful that I started paying anywhere from $10,000 to (gulp) $27,000 to be involved in mastermind groups.

Do you need to invest tens of thousands of dollars before you can make progress? No. But looking back, I can see that had I been willing to make a bigger financial investment on the front end, I would have been successful must faster.

The point is, you do need to spend money. If you can only spare $100, then use it to buy some books or take a class. If you have $1,000, then get a web site and invest in more in-depth training. If you have $10,000, get a fancier web site and take a class or mastermind with someone who can help you grow your business faster.

The same goes for time. No one sits down and writes a book or creates a blog all at once. Invest 30 minutes to an hour a day into launching your business and you’ll be amazed at where you are in six months.

The Bottom Line

You don’t have to run out and start an empire tomorrow. But imagine what you could do if you just dove in and started somewhere…. anywhere! Will you make mistakes along the way? I certainly hope so. Because if you’re not making mistakes, you’re not learning anything.

Will you go from 0 to a million dollars in a weekend? Not unless you’re doing something illegal. What about a year? Clearly Ms. Ibanez’s story proves that some people do. But this is definitely the exception. Does that mean you shouldn’t start? Not at all.

It took me about seven years before I became an “overnight success!” However, if I’d understood these simple lessons then, I could have cut that time by more than half.

There are lots of ways you can profit from your own passion. Use all six lessons and there is no reason why you too can’t get your own entrepreneurial dream in motion in three days or less!

Barbara Sher was absolutely right

Changing Course — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:44:54 +0000

“When you get near people who are pursuing their heart’s desire,” says Barbara Sher, “you can see the intensity on their face. Life is just too short to live without that kind of focus.”

Powerful words.

Yet, reading them is one thing. Actually SEEING THEM IN ACTION is quite another.

I invite you to experience — if only for a few short moments — what it really feels like to be in the company of people who are deep in the throes of pursuing their heart’s desire…

Lisa and I had a ball putting this video together. And it was even more fun to actually be there.

Listen, there are no right steps or wrong steps. No right pace or wrong pace. But if you want to love what you do, then you do have to do something.

If you learn nothing else it is that there can be no change without changes. In the words of Confucius: “Keep moving. Slower or faster does not matter as long as you do not stop.”

Life is short. Why put the life you really want on hold one more day when you can take that first important step in the service of your dreams?

To your dreams,

Valerie Young
Dreamer in Residence
http://ChangingCourse.com

I know it and you know it…

Changing Course — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 22:10:19 +0000

I’ll cut to the chase…

You know and I know that you desperately want to do work that pays the bills AND feeds your soul.

So, in theory, all I should have to do is remind you that the $500 off Early Bird Savings ends TODAY for the “Profiting From Your Passions” workshop & retreat.

But you and I also know that “wishing” is a whole lot easier than “doing.”

***********************

So Ask Yourself…

***********************

Exactly how many more years do you intend to waste…

…”wishing” you could change course to work at something that makes you really happy?

…”settling” for less satisfaction, balance, control, life?

….”waiting” until the time is right to finally go after your dream of being of your own boss?

It doesn’t need to be this way you know.

***********************

The Wait Is Over

***********************

For the 8 very determined people enrolled in the SOLD OUT February event, the wait is over.

In about 20 hours, change seekers from as far away as Alaska, California, Texas, and Missouri will descend on my home in rural Massachusetts.

I know they’re not really coming just to soak up the peaceful view from my living room window… or the chance to sit around a blazing fire sharing their dreams with other like-minded souls… or the gathering in the evenings for fabulous gourmet meals…

They’re coming because they know that for 3 days they are going to get my undivided attention. I’m going to make sure they leave here on Sunday with…

*** a crystal clear vision of how they want their future lives to look…

*** concrete ways they can make money doing what they love…

*** a practical plan to make it happen

*** PLUS the all-important ongoing peer support they need to follow through

Tomorrow’s seminar is completely sold out. But that doesn’t mean you’ve lost your chance, yet…

The next one is happening March 26-28th and all the details can be found at:

http://ChangingCourse.com/retreat.htm

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3 Things You Need To Know

***********************************

1) I am intentionally keeping these groups small so you and your dream get MAXIMUM time and attention. As I write this, there are only 5 spots left in the March session.

2) Holding these intimate, time-intensive workshops in my home is all a grand experiment. I am committed to doing the February and March sessions. In a few days I’ll know whether this is it or if I’ll do more. No promises either way.

3) The Early Bird $500 OFF SAVINGS ENDS TODAY. Since your meals are included, you can put that toward a very reasonably priced hotel about 9 miles from my house or your airfare.

Finally, this is what *I* know.

I have been helping people see ways to profit from their passion for 15 years. And I can tell you with 100 percent certainty that some amazing success stories are going to come out of this February group. Simply said, people’s lives will be changed forever.

There are lots of reasons not to be here in March. But when you stack these up against the chance to finally get to do the work you really love, there really is no excuse.

To your dreams,

Valerie Young
Dreamer in Residence
http://ChangingCourse.com

P.S. I would love to change YOUR life! The $500 Savings Ends TODAY http://ChangingCourse.com/retreat.htm

When you register for the March “Profiting From Your Passions” workshop & retreat you will get everything you need to discover what you love to do and then make money doing it. I’m giving you all of the tools, techniques, and most importantly, my time. (No small thing since big corporations like Procter & Gamble pay me up to $7,000 for a one hour presentation).

P.P.S. You can keep “enduring” work weeks where you feel like THIS…

…or you can make a change and gain the Freedom, Flexibility, and Quality of Life you deserve… Click Here to Learn More

Could Doing Work You Love Be The Fountain of Youth?

Changing Course — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:46:43 +0000

Valerie Young

By Valerie Young

I always wrap up my private brainstorming sessions with the same simple question: “Was this helpful?” I’m both proud and humbled to say, 99 percent of my clients invariable answer with some version of, “YES!”

So yesterday I was more than a little surprised when a client replied, “Helpful?! My goodness, you just added 20 years to my life!”

I’m not in the fitness or health fields. My thing is to help people who want to make a living without a job figure out how they can make money doing stuff they really love to do. A more typical answer would be, “Yes, I feel excited,” or “energized” or “relieved” or “determined.” This was the first time someone told me they felt younger!

But then there is nothing “typical” about Kim (not her real name). For starters, at 68 she is no where near “retiring.” In fact, right now she works very full-time as a traveling medical transcriptionist. The transcribing part has become a total chore. It’s the travel part that keeps her sane.

Here again, Kim is not your typical travel lover. She positively thrives on it and has for some 30 years. The whole reason she got into medical transcription was because it allowed her to feed her travel bug. Kim knew she could show up just about anywhere and quickly find work. For someone like Kim who likes plopping down here or there for a few months or years before looking ahead to the next place, the next adventure, travel is not so much an interest as it is a way of life.

What makes Kim even more unusual — and impressive — is that while most of her women friends are holed up at the retirement community, she continues to be a single woman traveling on her own. At this point she’s decided she wants to keep the travel but ditch the j-o-b, which is why she came to me for help figuring out how she could generate anywhere from $500 to $1500 a month doing her own thing.

Are You “Settling?” Most People Are

As soon as I read Kim’s list of pre-assignment list of all the things she loves to do, I knew I could help. Given her wandering lifestyle, it was clear from the get-go I was dealing with someone who was not going to get hung up on a lot of dream- busting “shoulds” and other limiting attitudes.

So you can imagine my surprise when ten minutes into our session Kim began to do what the average person typically does… namely, settling. I can always tell when someone is settling for less than they want — and deserve — because they say things like, “Well, I COULD do this or that.”

Sure, she, or I, or you “could” make money doing all kinds of distasteful things. But why would anyone settle for doing things you “can” do when you’d much rather be doing what you really “want” to do? Like, for instance, doing work that feeds your soul.

Once Kim realized she was settling, it was like someone lit a fire under her. Suddenly she was dwelling not in the tired old world of “reality” but in the far more interesting and lucrative world of possibility.

Kim absolutely loves taking photos. We must have brainstormed a dozen different photography-based profit centers. Everything from doing so-called “round up” articles for travel and other magazines like the 10 Best Pick Your Own Pumpkin Patches in Rhode Island or the 5 Must Do Summer Crafts Fairs… to creating community-based calendars for local banks to give out to their customers.

(If you want to learn more about the roundup articles, I found this nifty article from the Yvonne Russell aka the Idea Catcher at GrowYourWritingBusiness.com)

Sometimes You Need to Think Inside the Job Box… Minus the Box

I even suggested she do something I NEVER suggest… take a job.

I know what you’re thinking. “The queen of self-employment is recommending anyone, much less an insatiable travel bug, take a j-o-b!!” Before you fall off your chair, in this particular case, it makes perfect sense.

You see Kim is a voracious reader. Like a lot of book lovers, she fantasizes about working in a Barnes & Noble. Fortunately she’s also smart enough to know that fantasy and reality are two very different things. I don’t care how much you love books. Standing on your feet all day and having to ask your “supervisor” if you can run to the restroom is nobody’s idea of a dream job.

However, Kim has two young grandchildren with whom she wants to spend more time. (As I told her, two things are for sure… you’re not getting any younger and they are definitely going to get older.) Now that she’s decided to get rid of her rarely used apartment and buy herself a trailer, when she makes frequent trips home, she can park her “house” in her son and daughter-in-law’s driveway.

I figured Kim will want to be with her family during the Thanksgiving to New Year holiday season. Which also just happens to be the one time a bookstore would actually want a part-time, seasonal staffer. Building in a temporary stint at a local bookstore is an ideal way for Kim to get her “book store fix” and make some extra cash without any kind of long-term commitment.

As our session wound up, I suggested Kim get out a map and a calendar and start plotting out a year’s worth of photo jaunts. There are also some other steps she needs to take. Like making the switch to a digital camera and educating herself about travel writing and photography.

There are books on the subject of course. But having experienced first-hand three different travel and photo workshops put on by the American Writers and Artists Institute, I’m a huge fan of all of their courses, including the self-study version of a course aptly called Turn Your Photos into Cash.

Kim may be 68, but she has no intention of slowing down. In fact, her dream just keeps getting bigger… which, in turn, makes her feel younger. She’s a wonderful example of what George Elliot meant when she wrote, “It’s never too late to be what you might have been.”

And speaking of it never being too late… The February “Profiting From Your Passions” workshop and retreat did sell out, quickly in fact. Just today some who was coming in from Virginia had to switch to the March event. So, if you can get to the rolling hills here in Montague, Massachusetts and want that spot, I urge you to act fast because it’s happening this Friday-Sunday. Call me directly at 800-267-6388 EST.

Right now there are five places left in the March 26-28th Profiting From Your Passions program. As importantly, the $500 off Early Bird DISCOUNT ENDS this Thursday, February 25th. So if you are considering coming, consider this your official wake up call to go to ChangingCourse.com/retreat.htm and sign up now!

Life is short and none of us is getting any younger. Whether you attend a workshop with me or you simply make good use of your own creative juices, there really are ways you can turn your interests into income. I can’t guarantee finding a way to work at what you love will make you feel younger, but I do know you’ll be a whole lot happier!

CLICK HERE NOW to learn more about this unique highly personalized workshop/retreat designed to help YOU to profit from your passion and to take advantage of the special early bird $500 savings.

P.S. I just checked my AWAI partner link and to my great surprise and disappointment, I see that as of March 1st the Turn Your Photos into Cash course will be discontinued. On the upside, they slashed the price by over 50 percent while supplies last. I’ve personally met many of the professional photographers and others who contributed to this course and they are 100 percent pros.

Profiting from Your Passions

Changing Course — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:31:43 +0000

George Eliot wrote, “It’s never too late to be what you might have been.” Isn’t it time you finally made the commitment to discover the work you were meant to do?

**Join Me and a Very Small Group of Change Seekers in**

“Profiting from Your Passions”

(An intimate gathering of only 6-8 participants)

A Life Changing Workshop and Retreat for
People Who Don’t Know What They
Want to “Be” When They Grow Up…
But Can’t Wait to Find Out!

March 26-28th, 2010*
Montague, Massachusetts

Tap your wildest dreams… and create a step-by-step plan to make them happen right now…
Discover the powerful secret to turning almost any passion into a money-making small business …
Work with an acclaimed expert to define your true calling… overcome the obstacles… and begin to take the leap to a more meaningful, balanced life…

(Only 5 spots left)

If the idea of loving what you do appeals to you, the way I see it… here are your options: You can keep plodding along week after week hoping that inspiration will somehow, someway suddenly strike and – in a flash – your true calling will be revealed.

Or, you can make a promise to yourself right here, right now to take the first bold step on behalf of your dreams. In other words, you make it your business to discover what it is you truly want to do.

If you chose the latter, then I’d like to help…

Personalized Help in An Intimate Setting

Normally I work with people on a one-to-one basis in 90 minute laser brainstorming sessions. I call them “laser” sessions because I have a laser-like focus on my client and how they can take one or more of the things they love to do and turn it into a income-generating small business.

But, over three days in February and March I’m bringing a very small group of people together for the first ever Profiting from Your Passions Workshop and Retreat.

One reason I am intentionally keeping the group small is so that you get to experience a personalized laser brainstorming session with me. This is where I take my 15 years of experience helping people from as far away as India and Ireland to profit from their passions and apply all that know-how directly to you and your specific gifts and interests.

You’ll come away with an attainable vision for your new life, a do-able plan for making your dreams happen, and the confidence you need to take the leap.
Whether you dream of starting your own import-export business… writing a best-selling novel… owning a dude ranch… working with kids… living in the south of France… whatever your passion… deep inside you know what you really love to do, the life you dream of having…

And this March 26-28, 2010 at the Profiting from Your Passion workshop and retreat in Montague, Massachusetts, you’ll learn how to harness that vision… and build a life around it that not only provides you a living… but feeds your spirit, too.

The Ideal Place to Start Simplifying and Slowing Down

As important as “what” will happen at this unique workshop and retreat, is “where” it will be happening.

Rather than sit in some windowless and utterly uninspiring hotel meeting room, you will explore your inner calling while you relax in my living room with a cup of tea, enjoy the view, and converse with a very small group of like-minded souls.

I’ll be hosting this event at my uniquely designed “Greek-style” home here in Montague, Massachusetts. Montague is at the foothills of the Berkshires in what’s known as the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts. Just 90 minutes from Boston and three hours from New York. And about an hour north of the Hartford, CT airport. There are several excellent B&Bs nearby and a moderately priced hotel all within 10 miles.

My Daily Walking Road

Though close to civilization (and some fabulous restaurants), it feels a world apart. I’m certain you’ll find it one of the most memorable places you’ll ever have the pleasure of enjoying.

The landscape exudes calm and quiet and can’t help but remind you of an era when the world was simpler…and life was slower.

It’s the ideal setting for a workshop and retreat meant to focus, in part, on just those things… simplifying, slowing down, balancing life…

Perch yourself where you have a view, and drink in the palpable sense of possibility.

Quite frankly, it would be impossible for you to gather on your own, in just a few short days, the wealth of knowledge, the excellent contacts, and the high-energy momentum for change that you’ll gain at this workshop and retreat. As I write this, three of the spots are gone, leaving only five left. If you’re ready to finally give your dreams the attention they deserve, please don’t miss this opportunity.

SAVE $500 — Early Bird Ends THURSDAY, February 25th

CLICK HERE NOW to learn more about this unique highly personalized workshop/retreat designed to help YOU to profit from your passion and to take advantage of the special early bird $500 savings.

How to Start and Profit from Your Own WebTV Show

Changing Course — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:00:53 +0000

Andrew and Valerie

I’m delighted to invite you to join me on Monday, March 1 at 9:00pm Eastern (6:00pm Pacific) as I talk with Andrew Lock about the latest webinar technology.

Andrew is the presenter of the popular WebTV show, “Help! My Business Sucks!” which you may have seen (if not, check it out at www.HelpMyBusiness.com, it’s the #1 show on iTunes for entrepreneurs) and he’s developed an extraordinary system for creating, distributing, and promoting WebTV shows in any niche.

Discover how a WebTV show can help you:

Fast track the process of getting people to know, like and trust you, and ultimately they’ll be MUCH more inclined to buy from you as a result.
Establish yourself as THE expert authority in your niche.
Get instant celebrity status.
Attract lucrative speaking engagements.
Make a lot of money!
Position you and your business as the FIRST professional, episodic WebTV show in your market.

…and it’s all MUCH easier than you think. Join Andrew and I on Monday March 1, 2010 at 9:00pm EST. The webinar system only allows 250 people max, and I’m expecting it to fill up fast. Actually, with Andrew and I registered already, that leaves 248 spots now!

Claim your spot here, now: http://budurl.com/valerieyoungwebinar

By the way, if you’re unfamiliar with webinars, don’t worry it’s really simple. After you register, you’ll be sent a link to a website just for the event. Click on that link at the designated time and you’ll see the entire presentation LIVE on your own computer screen, just like magic, and you’ll also hear both Andrew and I, too.

Please join me for this special event, I know you’ll benefit from it. Note, there are no plans to record this event (sorry) so you must register to attend live.

P.S. Here’s what other people had to say about this webinar (the exact same content that you’ll be getting access to):

“What a great webinar. I have your course, I’ve read it many times, I also saw you speak at The New Media Expo, and I STILL find new information every time you share.” ~ Jim Hawks

“I met Andrew at (Yanik Silver’s) Underground Seminar #4. He’s awesome. I followed what he told me and I’ve already increased sales by $20,000 a month.”
~ John Jakabosky

“Wow – talk about over delivering, Andrew held nothing back.”
~ Terry Kozlowski

“Andrew just delivered so much free content that I got more in 90 minutes than in programs where I’ve paid $500-$1000.” ~ Carrie Knupp

“I appreciated the clear, uncomplicated directions.” ~ Christine Romano

“Awesome session, thank you, thank you, thank you.” ~ Gayla Kilbride

“I was very surprised that almost all the information presented was information I’d never heard before.” ~ Kip Bell

Don’t delay in registering http://budurl.com/valerieyoungwebinar while there’s still time!

Are You Going to Take Advantage of TODAY’S Gift?

Changing Course — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:48:58 +0000

I’ll be honest with you — I have a really full plate of stuff I really need to get to today — not the least of which is getting some final edits into my editor at Random House.

But I’m also smart enough to recognize a GIFT when I see one.

What I mean is — you and I both know what you desperately want…

You want to work at what you love…

You want to know the work you do matters…

You want to enjoy the control and freedom of being your own boss…

And of course you want the financial rewards that come when you learn how to profit from your passion…

You already have the desire. That’s not the problem.

The problem is time. Between the demands of your job-job, your home, your family, it’s hard to work on your dream.

I know because I used to be exactly where you are. Commuting 90 miles a day, coming home so fried all I could do was plop in front of the television.

I get it.

And that’s where my crazy idea and your gift comes in…

Millions of people are stuck at home because of today’s big snowstorm. Maybe you’re one of them. If so, that means you got something (besides snow) dumped in your lap — the gift of time.

Not only do you suddenly have this golden chunk of time to invest in figuring out how you’re going to actually create that new more satisfying, balanced life — I’m going to take you by the hand and SHOW YOU HOW.

I know it’s crazy because it’s so last minute. But I’ve decided to carve out time today to hold a very impromptu Teleclass for all of my reader’s at ChangingCourse.com to help you advance your dream.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AND YOU’RE INVITED
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please join me TODAY, February 10 at 4:00 PM EST for:

“10 Steps To Escape The Job World And Create The Life You REALLY Want”

You’ll discover the EXACT STEPS I took to transition from that insane commute to my high stress corporate job to doing work — and having a life — I truly love.

I’m talking about a life where you get to do what you want… how you want… when you want.

It’s insane enough that I’m putting on a Teleclass that starts in just a few hours from now.

But that’s not the only insane part. Next to “time”, the second biggest excuse I hear for not pursuing a dream is money.
Well be prepared to be officially “excuse-less.”

Because today’s Teleclass is only TEN BUCKS. At $10 this course is itself a gift.

There’s no time to waste. I can only accommodate 250 people.

If you want to be on the LIVE call register now. That way you can start applying the steps the minute the call ends.

Don’t worry if you miss the call. When you register, you’ll automatically receive the audio recording within 24 hours so you can listen at your convenience.

Go here to register now:

http://ChangingCourse.com/10stepscall

To your dreams,

Valerie Young
Dreamer in Residence

http://ChangingCourse.com

P.S. A dream is a terrible thing to waste. Please don’t miss this chance to discover 10 practical, doable steps you need to take to go from having a boss to being your own boss.

Your first step to freedom starts at 4:00 EST TODAY FOR ONLY $10. Frankly you’d be insane not to take advantage of these twin gifts of time and money.

Here’s the registration link again:

http://ChangingCourse.com/10stepscall

Passion Noodle: Tiny Shifts Can Lead to Big Changes

Changing Course — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:26:43 +0000

Rather than thinking you have to make a major life change, listen in to how making small changes can impact your thinking.

Early Bird Savings Ends Today

Changing Course — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 13:31:15 +0000

Charles Handy wrote, “For the first time in the human experience, we have a chance to shape our work to suit the way we want to live instead of always living to fit in with our work… We would be mad to miss the chance.”

If you want your work to fit your life, to love what you do and do what you love, then this really is your chance…

It’s your chance to join me for the first ever “Profiting From Your Passion” workshop. This is no ordinary workshop. For starters we’ll be meeting around in the most intimate location possible — overlooking the pasture and hills outside my home in the peaceful hills of western Massachusetts.

Over three days in February a VERY small group of people will join me for one purpose and one purpose only. Like you, they are determined to discover — once and for all — what they truly love to do and how they can make money doing it.

This is your chance to receive the benefits of highly personalized coaching time with me coupled with the energy and support of a being in an intensive workshop with people who share your dream of making a living without a job.

And since the Early Bird Savings ENDS TODAY, I would be remiss if I didn’t write to say this is also your LAST chance to learn how you really can profit from YOUR passion and SAVE $200.

Since all your meals are included, that’s $200 you can put toward lodging at a local B&B or hotel.

Like I said, I’m intentionally keeping this event small. That way there’s more focused time for your dream and for everyone’s dream to take shape.

Plus there is only so much room on the “Profit from Your Passion Van” I’ve rented to take us around to meet with local entrepreneurs and artists happily doing their thing, all within a 10 mile radius of my home. When you see others who are working at what they love, you can’t help but be inspired to do the same!

ONLY 3 SPOTS LEFT

Remember since the workshop is happening sitting around a cozy fireplace in my home, I am only taking 8 people.

Five seats are spoken for. That means there are only three spots left.

To learn more about the “Profiting From Your Passions” workshop and retreat — including info about air or ground travel and local lodging — go to http://ChangingCourse.com/retreat.htm

And feel free to call me directly for lodging advice at 413-367-0222. Several people have asked about staying at the same place and/or sharing a car rental.

Before he died, Michael Landon reminded us, “Whatever you want to do, do it now. There are only so many tomorrows.” If you are ready to work at what you love then I urge you not to miss this chance.

To your dreams,

Valerie Young
Dreamer in Residence

http://ChangingCourse.com

P.S. The $200 Early Registration Savings for Profiting from Your Passion ends today January 29th at 5:00pm Eastern. If you plan to attend the March event, you can reserve your spot today at this lower introductory price by placing a $500 deposit down (just scroll down to the bottom of the page).

I hope you can join me in Montague, Massachusetts for what I fully expect to be a life-changing event. Read all about Profiting from Your Passion workshop and retreat at http://ChangingCourse.com/retreat.htm

Dreams Can Come True: The 7 Key Lessons to Turning Dreams into Reality

Changing Course — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:25:10 +0000

Early on in his career, college football coaching legend Lou Holtz made a list of 107 things he wanted to accomplish in his life. Among them were to go white water rafting, see the pyramids, meet the Pope, have dinner at the White House with a sitting president and be on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. It took Holtz and his wife over 25 years but together they’ve accomplished 102 of those original goals.

My own dream list includes attending a national political convention (okay I’m weird), witnessing the opening ceremony at the Olympics, studying with a master antique book restorer, learning to water paint, taking a year-long sabbatical, and routinely taking the months of July and August off.

But the big dream that had been on the front burner for well over three years was finding a house with a view. I work at home. So where I live is really important to me. I have this thing about wanting to live in the country. Not in the woods though. I need space. Rolling hills, fields, maybe some cows in the background (I love cows!). Think pastoral, bucolic, peaceful, private.

As this dream evolved, I learned and re-learned some important lessons about dream making I’d like to pass along to you.

Lesson #1: Listen to Your Inner Voices

My obsession with a view began when I began spending time on a small peaceful lake in central New Hampshire. There’s nothing much to do there but sit out on the deck and gaze on the reflection of the mountains reflected in the lake and listen for the enchantingly eerie call of the loons.

Every summer I’d cart up dozens of books. But I rarely picked them up because it would mean taking my eyes off the view. I found it utterly mesmerizing. This little voice inside kept whispering, “Pay attention Valerie, pay attention.” Like most people I ignored these inner callings.

As the voice grew louder, it became clear that while everyone enjoys a view, I crave one. I knew then and there that I need the experience of having a view not for just a few weeks a year — but every single day. I didn’t know then quite how I was going to pull it off but I knew I had to listen.

Lesson #2: Put Your Dreams Out There

Few people reach their dreams alone. You never know who might help you get where you want to be. It could be a casual acquaintance, your dentist, a neighbor, a coworker… But one thing is for sure, if you keep your dreams to yourself, you’ll never find out.

Throughout the last presidential election, I shared my dream of one day attending a national political convention with anyone who would listen. One such person was a seminar attendee who happened to be very high up at NBC news. Realizing an opportunity when I saw one, I pitched myself as an over-qualified but very eager intern willing to do whatever needed to be done… from making coffee, to making copies to doing van runs to the airport. He handed me his business card and told me he’d see what he could do.

Despite my champion’s best efforts, he wasn’t able to get me in. While witnessing the democratic process in action didn’t pan out, deliberately putting my dream out there got me closer than ever before. And, hey there’s always 2012!

Lesson #3: Be Selective About Who You Talk to About Your Dream

While making your dreams known is the key to finding champions, teachers, and other supporters, you also need to mindful of where NOT to look.

Take my friend Carol. She’s a great person, but she’s a bit of a cynic. When I told Carol that I wanted a house with a view, her response was, “Yeah, wouldn’t we all?” A short time later I had the pleasure of strolling along side a roaring brook. The experience reminded me of how healing the sound of moving water can be. So I decided to add a bubbling brook to my dream house wish list. When I told Carol about this latest addition she replied, “Well, you can’t always get what you want.”

Carol is right of course. You can’t always get what you want. But does the risk of not reaching a goal mean you just throw up your hands in defeat? As opera diva Beverly Sills once reminds us, “You may be disappointed if we fail, but you are doomed if we don’t try.”

Lesson #4: Believe You Can

Henry Ford once said, “If you think you can, or if you think you can’t, you’re right.” As trite as this last lesson may sound, believing your dream is attainable is fundamental to its success.

I need to be inspired as much as the next person. One place both Barbara Winter and I both go to when we need a boost of inspiration are the recording of the Making Dreams Happen workshop and retreat – and we were actually AT the event! I re-listened to one of Barbara Sher’s presentations recently and something she said reminded me of the powerful link between passion and belief.

Barbara was telling the group how deep down inside we all know what we want. “When someone says they don’t know what they want,” she says, “what they really mean is they don’t think that what they want is possible.” In other words, the reason most people never even attempt to go after their dream is because they don’t think they can.

I knew getting my dream house with a view wouldn’t be easy. First I’d have to do all the painting, repairing, and landscaping required to get my current house in shape to sell. Then I’d have to put the house on the market, which, since I planned to sell it myself meant taking photos, placing ads for open houses, and learning about all the legal hoops involved in selling real estate. I’d also need to spend countless hours scouring real estate listings, going to open houses and doing drive bys. I got so desperate at one point that I wrote to homeowners to see if they’d like to sell.

By far though I knew the most daunting task would be packing. You see I come from a long line of pack rats which meant confronting the monumental task of sorting through and packing 12 years of accumulated stuff, only to begin the unpacking all over again on the other end.

Between my travel schedule and my work commitments, I knew that achieving my dream would not be easy… but I always new it was possible. As Louisa May Alcott once wrote, “We all have our own life to pursue, our own kind of dream to be weaving… And we all have the power to make wishes come true, as long as we keep believing.”

Lesson #5: Take the Long View

Every so often I get a call for a Profit from Your Passion career consultation from someone who is having one of those “job from hell” days. The desire for immediate relief is understandable. After all when your job is toxic job you just want o-u-t, NOW!

Like these clients, you probably don’t want to hear this, but deep down you already know that making any real change takes time. At the same time you have to start somewhere. And the fact of the matter is that the next two years or five years or ten years are going to come and go as quickly as the last ones did – whether you do anything about your dream or not.

So where would you rather be when that time arrives – in the same place you are now or where you want to be? Yes, change takes time but it’s the small steps that will get you to that better future. Which leads us to our next lesson…

Lesson #6: Start Where You Are

The key to achieving any goal is to simply start. Start somewhere… anywhere. If you’re so up to your ears in debt, then start by making a plan to become debt free. If your life is so busy that you haven’t taken the time to even know what your dreams are, take some time this very week to find a quiet space and tune into your inner callings. If you need information about becoming an equine massage therapist, or bringing your product idea to market, or getting paid for your home design finesse – then get busy by finding and then learning from those who have already done it. The bottom line here – do what you can, but do something!

Lesson #7: Live in the Now

In an interview with Charlie Rose, Helen Hunt talked about how she got the career she always wanted. Although she wasn’t offering it as a tip, Hunt’s own experience of being grateful for what she had is informative. You see, for Hunt the four Emmys, the five Golden Globes, the Oscar and all of the rest were but icing on an already rich cake. Reflecting on her years as part of the Mad About You television show’s creative team, Hunt told Rose, “If none of these other things had happened and I’d had only that, I would have been a very, very lucky actress.”

It would have been easy to focus on what I didn’t like about the house I already had – it was a busy street, the houses were too close together, one of my neighbors drove me up the wall. And yet, despite aggressively pursing my dream house, I never lost sight of what I already had.

On the most basic level, I had more than millions of people around the world – a roof over my head, a bed to sleep in, heat, safety. It was also a warm, inviting, and aesthetically pleasing home. If I’d lived in that home for the rest of my life, I would have still been very lucky indeed.

The lesson here is to not focus so much on what lies ahead that you fail to appreciate past and present blessings. Taking stock of how rich your life is right now will make any future success all the sweeter.

A Room With a View

It took three years, but here I sit in my fabulous new home in the country. Perched on a hill, the house offers views on all four sides… cows in the east pasture, grand sunsets over the hills to the west, woods full of cardinals and the occasional deer out the back. And I was happy to report to Carol, a bubbling brook right outside my front door!

“Well that’s nice for her,” you may be thinking, “but I don’t have that kind of money.” I understand what it’s like to be strapped. When I left my high paying corporate job my income dipped nearly in half. There have been times I’ve wondered how I’d pay the bills. Over time I’ve managed to build my income up to more than my previous salary. Still, I didn’t buy a “starter mansion” and I’m not a wealthy person.

Money, or the lack of money, is not necessarily a prerequisite to realizing a dream. True, if I hadn’t had the good fortune to have had a starter home to sell I could not have afforded the house I got. But that doesn’t mean I couldn’t have found another way to get my view.

For example, I could have found a lower priced fixer upper. Or, I could have rented. Even better, I probably could have lived rent free as a property caretaker.

My new dream? Hiking to the bottom of the Grand Canyon!

So what are your dreams? Which one is speaking to you loudest right now? Where can you find support for your dream? Who can you safely share your dream with… who can support your dream of loving what you do? What are you grateful for right now?

Margaret Bourke White wrote, “Action stops fear.” Whether you dream of running tours in Italy or being a motivational speaker or working with horses or restoring old buildings, one truth remains. There may be many steps, but there is only one next action. What small step can you take not tomorrow, not next week, but literally this very day to take action in the service of your dream?

P.S. Would you like to experience what it’s like to live and work in a setting that makes your soul sing? Join me and a very small (6-8) people here at my home in the hills of western Massachusetts. Right now, half the spots for the Profiting from Your Passions Workshop and Retreat are taken. Click here to learn more about this unique, highly personalized event.