Can’t Find a Dream Job? Create Your Own

I was once unemployed, and I know the debilitating depression and the feelings of frustration and helplessness that can come with that. I’ve been stuck in a job I hate, and I felt imprisoned, trapped doing work that bored me while following orders of others and helping them achieve their goals.

Those times were … less than ideal. In fact, those were some of the worst periods in the story of my life.

Luckily I rose above those traps, but I have to admit it wasn’t easy. The solution has been one of the most liberating, empowering, joyous things in my life.

I wanted to share that little secret with those of you who are having a hard time finding a job, or who feel trapped in a job you hate:

Create your own dream job. Don’t wait for someone to hand it to you. Don’t hope that you’ll win the lottery. Don’t give up and consign yourself to a fate of misery and (worse) dullness.

Create your job! It might sound far-fetched for some of you (while others have already done it) but it’s very possible. Not easy, mind you: it takes hard work and smarts and passion and a crap-ton of learning and a willingness to take risks and make mistakes. If that sounds like you, read on. If not, stop reading.

You might already know this but if you haven’t given it much thought, start to consider: what do you truly love doing? What are you passionate about? If you’re lucky you’ll have multiple answers. If you have no answers, it’s time to start finding things to be passionate about. Read more: The Short But Powerful Guide to Finding Your Passion.

If you have multiple answers, just choose one. Or find ways to combine two of them (if you love sewing and Star Wars, sew Star Wars costumes and put them on Etsy). Don’t be paralyzed by this choice: if it turns out this isn’t what you want then you can always start another business later. You learn by doing and making mistakes, not by analyzing every possible outcome and factor.

This passion will become your dream job.

This is how I did it. I love writing and I love taking steps to change my habits and my life. I started Zen Habits just for fun and it turned into my dream job.

You need a lot of money to get started, right? No. I explicitly reject the idea that “you have to spend money to make money”. Sure, that can work, or it can lead to a mountain of debt and monthly expenses that greatly exceed your income and possibly failure before you’ve had the chance to succeed.

I started my business with nothing. Zero dollars. In fact I had less than nothing: I was highly in debt and broke. I started with free online services (there are plenty — I used Blogger.com and Google Adsense and Google Analytics, but those are just a few examples). I refused to even buy my own domain until I made more money from my business than the cost of that purchase. I refused to pay for my site design or to use a paid host until I was making much more money than those purchases required.

My rule: spend much less than you make. It works for personal finances too.

Actually I didn’t start with nothing. While I had no money, I had some pretty big assets: my mind and talents and hard work and life experience. Those translated into a strong business, it turned out.

How can you start your business with nothing? I won’t create an exhaustive list but here are some examples:

Someone I know wanted to start a marketing business. She didn’t need an office and staff and stationary — all she needed was her laptop (she had one), her skills (she had the experience), her contacts (she had a lot of them), and for people to know she was out there. And for that last bit, it just takes some … marketing skills. Hit businesses up and offer her services. Network online and gain clients that way. If she has expenses for a job she can charge those to the client.My sister wanted to start a ballet school. I suggested instead of building a studio and being hugely in debt, she start by going to private schools and offering to create an after-school ballet program at the schools. Parents would love it, the schools would benefit because parents want services like that, and she has practically no expenses.My other sister wanted to become a personal trainer. I encouraged her to start in her home, with minimal equipment, or go to her clients’ homes and businesses, or do outdoor bootcamps. She did and is amazing at it.Love to play video games? Start a site where you show people how to become elite players. Offer coaching.Start an online store where you sell stuff you make.Teach people how to do whatever you’re good at. They’ll pay you.Want to be a chef? Host dinner parties with gourmet cuisine, and charge $50 a head. Sell tickets in advance and use some of that money to buy the food and some dishes.

Again, these are just a few ideas. Sure, there are some businesses that require an initial investment but I suggest you find ones that don’t. Start free or cheap, borrow space from friends if necessary, and get started.

If you want to make a living at what you love doing, you need to get good at it. Some of you are already good at what you love — you’ve been doing it for years, either on the job or as a personal passion. Others are just starting out, but that’s not a barrier — you just have to put in more time and effort.

I was already an experienced writer when I started Zen Habits (I’d been a journalist for about 18 years), but I didn’t know a thing about blogging or teaching people to simplify, improve their lives, change their habits. I knew about how to do that myself (though I was still learning) but I’d never taught anyone. So I learned: I read other blogs, read personal development sites and books, read blogs about blogging, studied the best, figured out what they did that made them successful. It takes a lot of study, a lot of analysis, a lot of trying and doing and seeing what works and what doesn’t.

I made a ton of mistakes. That’s a good thing. You can’t get good at anything without making a huge amount of mistakes. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes — they’re stepping stones to greatness. Try everything, see what works, see what doesn’t. Stick with the things that work.

Put in a lot of hours of practice and doing. The more, the better. Reflect on what you’ve done and what you’ve learned, write it down. Put it in your blog so you can help others learn, but more importantly you’ll force yourself to learn from your own experience.

Get good. Others will gladly pay you if you’re good.

Any business, big or small, benefits from an audience. That’s different than a customer base — an audience is a group of people who you help and who love you. They might not pay you. Some will want to pay you for more of what you offer, but many will just love you, and that’s a great thing.

Building an audience is tough. It takes time, it takes a lot of giving, it takes a willingness to wither criticism and to learn from that criticism (though ignore the idiots).

I highly recommend you check out Traffic School by my friend Corbett Barr. He’s built an amazing online business and has helped others do the same. This new course will show you how to grow an online audience, attract more visitors and increase sales. It’s very effective, and I’ve contributed to the course myself. Read more: Traffic School (this is an affiliate link that will help support Zen Habits).

OK, you’re pursuing your passion, you’ve developed your skills, you’ve built an audience. Now what? How does that pay your bills?

You build income streams. There are many, many ways to do that, including:

Give away free articles but charge for ebooks or other digital products (that’s what I do).Create a subscription or membership service for powerful content.Create online courses.Sell ads or run ads from ad networks.Do consulting or freelancing.Do speaking engagements or training seminars.Sell physical stuff online or on a site such as Etsy.Create an app and sell it on the Apple or Android platforms.Build a web app and charge for the premium version.Provide a service where you go to people’s houses and do something for them (yardwork, massage, fitness training, houspainting, etc.).Sell T-shirts or coffee mugs or stickers with your slogan or logo.Sell other people’s stuff as an affiliate and get commissions.

Which of these should you do? Try one, see how that works, then try another, then another. See what works best and be willing to build multiple income streams.

I’ve only given you a rough outline but if I gave away every step that would be taking away all the fun. The fun is learning how to do it yourself!

There is something incredibly empowering about seizing control of your life and creating the job you want, rather than waiting for it to happen or waiting for someone to give it to you. You are no longer a passive viewer of the world, but someone actively changing it. You become your own boss, pursuing your own goals. That’s incredible.

If you’re out of a job or stuck in a lousy job, I feel for you. But look at your horrible situation as a wonderful opportunity to change your life and do something great. It could be the best thing you’ve ever done.
—
Twitter.

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How Much Do You Want Your Dream?

 Loading ...I live on the beach in Malibu, California, on a cliff overlooking the ocean.  I have a fairly large lot for the area and regularly rent out my house and lot for weddings, television shows, model shoots and that sort of thing.  I enjoy this.  It is fun seeing celebrities, movie stars and others close up. 

For example, I might walk down to the kitchen in the morning to get a cup of coffee and see a couple of celebrities standing there chatting about the traffic.  It might be someone like Kim Kardashian shooting a makeup commercial one day, and another day it might be Jennifer Aniston getting ready to film a scene for a movie.  It is a lot of fun being mildly connected to this business and I plan on being in it as long as I can.  I have learned a lot about people from observing those who show up at our house for weddings, television shows and the like.

Recently I had an experience that showed me the real difference between the most successful—and least successful–people out there.  In fact, what I am going to tell you about today is a story about one of the most important possible characteristics you can have when it comes to your career and life.  This is a power that will change everything for you and take you wherever you want to go.  It is something you need if you are going to achieve anything whatsoever and the more you have of this the better you will do.

A few years ago, a wedding was scheduled at my house where everything went wrong.  The wedding was originally scheduled for around 60 people, and the day before the wedding, the coordinator announced that the wedding would, instead, be for 300 people.  This is a huge difference in the number of people.  For a wedding this size, the price for the property rental is normally as much as $15,000 more (which the couple could not afford).  There is a lot of stress on the septic system.  There is more wear and tear on the property. Permits with the city are required.  Neighbors need to be notified.  Parking is a huge problem.   And, on top of all this, the couple could not afford the standard security deposit.

I was absolutely furious, and began a tirade of sorts against the wedding coordinator at around 7:30 pm in my living room on a Friday night.

I threatened to cancel the wedding.I threatened to sue for the extra money if the wedding went on. I called the coordinator unethical. 

I was so angry that I do not think the coordinator was able to get a single word in edgewise for at least 30 minutes. I just went on and on about how angry I was.

Little did I know, but the coordinator was just someone who was being paid $500 or so to manage the event by the company that the bride and groom had hired.  Nevertheless, over the next few hours she managed to calm my wife and me down, was able to make very convincing arguments for having the wedding, was extremely professional and made sure that the event went on as she was required to ensure it did.  Incredibly, she also talked me out of not demanding an extra $20,000 and a security deposit –an amazing accomplishment.

The next evening, the wedding was a disaster.  The police ended up coming.  Neighbors were absolutely furious and livid that the event had occurred.  Some neighbors showed up on our property and furiously walked around questioning people. We received terse letters from neighbors.  The entire event was a real embarrassment as far as I was concerned. 

The coordinator showed up again on Monday and managed to calm me down about the out-of-control event.  I spoke about the police involvement and she told me, “They always come.  Don’t worry about it.”  I yelled about damage to the property and she called the damage “minimal” and “normal.”  She did an excellent job deflecting all of my anger and being an advocate for her client.

There was intensity, calm and focus about the way that she handled the event and after having calmed down, I started asking her various questions about her job and what she did exactly.  Her job was essentially to be at the site of weddings and make sure everyone ended up happy.  She did an exceptional job at this and watching her performance through the entire thing, I became amazed. 

Because she had done so well, I started questioning her about her career and background. I have worked in major law firms where well-known attorneys did not perform as well as she did under pressure. I have been under tremendous pressure and not held up as well.  Moreover, her ability to put together arguments and deliver them with poise was amazing.

Watching her I saw something great –a potential to do something phenomenal with her life and career. I could tell in watching her that she was going places. I did not know how –but I saw it.

As I questioned her, I realized that she did not have a ton of education.  She was extremely well spoken but had not completed college at an art school.  She had a husband and a family that she helped support.  Prior to becoming a wedding coordinator, she had held a series of jobs doing various things that were of minimal importance.  The more I talked, the better I thought she could do at anything she did.  I thought she might do well in sales, in public relations, and all sorts of jobs that I was imagining her for. 

As we talked, I told her that I thought she should consider a job working in some capacity for one of our companies. 

She flat out refused.

In fact, she told me that even if I offered her $100,000 a year and benefits, she would not take a job with one of my companies—or anyone for that matter.

She told me she had a dream.

Her dream was to have a large property where she could hold weddings.  She had been working on a business plan and wanted nothing more than to do this. She was looking for investors and determined to make it happen.  The property might even have a winery.

As she spoke about this dream, I became incredibly impressed by her devotion to it.  She had a family, no health insurance, and her entire focus was on this dream.  She refused to even consider a job or anything else because her devotion to the dream was so strong.

A few days later, she sent me a business plan. I am not sure how much of an investment she was seeking, but from what I remember, it was millions of dollars.  It was extremely well written and impressive –but certainly not something I was in a position to invest in.  I filed the plan away and forgot about the girl and her dream.

Last week I received an email from the girl about how things were coming.  It had been at least a few years since I heard from her.  I had forgotten about her and her dream –but was confident that she would succeed. 

Her email was enthusiastic and discussed all of her accomplishments with the property.  She had lined up free trees for the property she was interested in acquiring, she had people who would send her weddings, she had done all sorts of architectural plans for the property and was ready to build.  In reviewing all of this, I was absolutely amazed in reading about all of the progress she had made.

She told me that she just needed $25,000 to get the property into escrow and then everything would go ahead as she had planned.  Just $25,000. 

To my astonishment, in reading all of this I realized that she had gotten no investors at all so far.  She had committed to purchasing a multimillion dollar piece of land but still did not have a single investor.  But as far as she was concerned, she was all ready to go.

I wrote her that I would come meet her and discuss her plans. I told her I wanted to see the land and discuss the entire thing with her. 

On Sunday, I drove an hour outside of where I live to meet her. I arrived at her house in the afternoon.  It was in one of those neighborhoods that had been built in the past 5 years or so that was experiencing a raft of foreclosures.  The houses and neighborhood were very nice—places that had probably sold for more than $1,000,000 not too long ago—but you could tell that things were not going well there at the moment.  There was just a feel about the place.

The girl is fit in her late 30s and I did not see any stress in her face whatsoever.  Upstairs, her children were playing.  She let me from her front door to her dining room table. On the table, massive amounts of plans were laid out for the property. She had an easel in the middle of her living room with a felt sheet over it. She offered me a soda and for the next two hours she showed me some of the most incredible plans I had ever seen.  Her goal was nothing less than world domination.  She was going to have the largest wedding facility in Los Angeles.  There was going to be a winery.  There was going to be a hotel.  There were going to be restaurants.  This was going to be a major tourist destination.

To be frank, the project was huge in scale and was almost like the development of something like Walt Disney World.  I could not imagine something like this being built and not being successful.   

When I had walked into the home, I had seen a room that was covered floor to ceiling with various illustrations and other plans for the property that were in progress.

The presentation cumulated with her pulling the felt sheet off the easel and presenting numerous intricate paintings of the property and what it would look like.  The property was incredible and what she had done with it in the paintings was incredible.

The only thing was that building something like this was going to take tens of millions of dollars.  She might be able to get the property into escrow with a $25,000 deposit … but then what.

Moreover, why didn’t she have $25,000?

I started talking with her and asking more questions and what came out was a story that was not fun to hear.  The work of coordinating weddings in Los Angeles had dried up because people were not using coordinators like her as much anymore.  The work was now sporadic.  She and her husband were now basically unemployed and had not made a house payment in months—the house was now in foreclosure and they could lose it any day.  Moreover, she and her husband might now be getting a divorce.  She said nothing negative about him whatsoever but he apparently felt that the situation had gotten out of control and she just needed to get a normal job—for the sake of her family.

We drove about 15 minutes from her house to see the land she was interested in buying.  It was a nice piece of land, but I did not want to get out.  I felt sorry for her and the situation because I felt deep in my heart that she would never own the land. Why form an attachment to it if you are never going to have something?

She told me she had walked the land many, many times and was extremely familiar with it.  She pointed to where various structures would be built on the property.  The property was huge and hundreds of acres in size. 

As we sat there in the car looking at the land, she ticked off various environmental and other regulations that the land met.  She talked about meeting she had with city officials about various uses for the land.  She spoke about variances and other requirements that the land met. She spoke about each of the neighbors of the property and how they felt about it.  She spoke in great detail about the quality of the soil for producing wine.  She knew so much about all of this.

Driving her back to her home I felt somewhat impressed and in awe.  It was as if I was meeting Donald Trump who was planning a huge development and he was giving me all the details about how he was going to build a given property that was going to dominate a city.

You’ve got to think high to rise.

In this girl’s case, though, she had nothing but a dream—and no money to back up this dream.

I dropped her off and told her I thought it would work out for her. I am not sure why I said that but I saw the incredible conviction she had and it meant something.

The next day I received a call from a very wealthy man I know —someone who probably has around $200,000,000 in assets.  I never hear from this man and it was unusual that he called me. I returned his call and we spoke for an hour or so about this girl.  I told him about her conviction and knowledge of the business.  I told him about her experience.  To my astonishment, he told me he wanted to meet the girl and might be interested in investing.

They are going to meet this week.

I called the girl and told her about this and she was ecstatic.  Maybe something will come of it—I do not know.

Before I hung up the phone with her, I decided to offer her a job again.  I figured that in this situation she would certainly accept a job.  Once again she refused: “Since I started losing my house, other people have offered me jobs and I have not accepted them. I am not interested in another job behind a desk.  I want to build my dream.  That’s all I think about and all I want to do.  I can see this clearly in my mind and it is going to happen.”

I hung up the phone with her and wondered what would become of her.  In my opinion, she is going to get what she wants.  It sounds impossible to build something the scale of a Disney World without any money whatsoever –but it is the desire and the strength of the desire that can make this happen.

I believe that the largest difference between people is how much desire they have within them.  The people with the most desire will draw the most to them.  The greater your desire, the more you will achieve.  You need to have incredible desire to do anything.

What do you desire?  If you do not desire something with all your heart and mind, you will never get it.  You have to think big to accomplish massive things.  In my opinion, the ability of this girl to so powerfully conceptualize her vision will lead to success.

The next time you fail to get something you are after, you have to ask yourself how badly you wanted it. If you do not want something badly enough, the chances are you will not get it.  The most important ingredient to achieving massive success is the desire you are able to put behind your dream.

Agree? Disagree? I don’t care, please tell me what you think by commenting below. I give free stuff away every week to the most thoughtful commenters on my site!

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Related posts: Do Not Stop Seeing Opportunity: Step Outside Your Mind’s Comfort Zone and Begin to DreamThe Danger of Driving Sharp BargainsSummary I live on the beach in Malibu, California, on a cliff overlooking the ocean.  I have a fairly large lot for the area and regularly rent out my house and lot for weddings, television shows, model shoots and that sort of thing.  I enjoy this.  It is fun seeing celebrities, movie stars and others close up.  [...]

View the original article here