Ask Craig
Q and A for the month.
Craig,
I am in the process of following my passion but at least two days a week, I find myself feeling scared and not as confident.
Mary- Teacher in training
Dear Mary,
This is normal. You are still in transition, sure about where you have been but unsure about what the future will bring. The best way to defeat this feeling is to reflect each day on a written roadmap with clear goals aligned around what is most important to you. This will help regain the confidence that you are on the right track
Craig
Craig,
I feel like I have plenty of time and no money to pursue what I love after being been laid off. I need income, any kind of it!
John- Ex financial services analyst Dear John,
This is understandable but this time around make sure your next ''job'' is closer to things you actually like to do. What are the tradeoffs you are willing to take right now to bring you closer to doing what you love?
Craig
Craig,
I have this fear that if I pursue doing what I love, I will become homeless!
Name Withheld This is a common fear and I have felt it! You can defeat this fear by action. Fill your days with activities which continually move you in the direction you want to go. You won't have time to think about anything else.
Craig
Craig,
I plan on following my passion of restoring old cars. The problem is I am not sure I can financially support my family in the first few years. Suggestions?
James
Dear James,
First, congratulations on moving towards what you want in your vocational life.
Figure out the minimum cash flow that you will need for the first few years and then figure out the maximum potential cash flow you can bring in for your new business.
What can you do to close the gap? Aside from what the financial analysts will tell you to do, what other types of services and products could you sell around your love of cars? Many people ponder ways to make more money doing the things they just left vs. those new activities which bring them passion!
Craig
Craig,
I am a full time student and only 22. I found this site by accident. I am writing because I am in school and have no idea what I want to do when I get out. I don’t want to become lost later in mid-life. What should I do?
Jennie Dear Jennie,
It’s great that you are now pondering this issue. It’s never too early to move towards what you love to do. What are you interested in? Do you have abilities in those areas?
Do you know how to gain abilities in the areas which interest you?
Ponder this and you will be well ahead of the rest of us in mid-life!
Craig
Craig,
I do not like what I do but I am afraid to sacrifice what I have to quit and try something new? What does a person like me do?
Andy Andy,
What could you first sacrifice this week on a small scale to get started?
Some times it just takes a little practice here, a little change there to realize that you can live with less of what you don’t want right now
Craig,
I read an article which suggested doing what you love is not only a pipedream; it is foolish in this economy
Jim Dear Jim,
Sounds like this must have come from someone who isn't doing what they love. We are all responsible for creating our own reality. It's up to you to decide what's possible and then move towards it. First, decide what kind of vocational life you want and talk to others who are already living it.
Craig
Craig,
You don't spend time discussing the importance of resumes, job searching and other traditional approaches. Why?
Angelina Dear Angelina,
I don't discuss these things because I don't think they are nearly as important as first deciding what you want and then investing the time to get to know one's self. The field of career counseling has done an injustice by ignoring one's soul. I think this is more important in the long run to pay attention to.
Craig
Craig,
What did you do when you felt frustrated at work but didn’t know how to get started to move towards something else like you write about?
Name Withheld First, I thought about it and then I talked about what was bothering me to people who cared. Then I quickly took action to try something new. I learned that waiting only postponed my unhappiness.
Craig
Craig,
What is the difference between a career and a vocation?
Jenny Dear Jenny,
With a career, one day you retire and then you die. With a vocation, doing the work you love is so much fun; you never stop until you die. There is a significant difference in the quality of one's life when life is lived this way.
Craig
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