“it’s all about doing something that matters to you”
Oh man do I love this guys TED Talk! I feel like he stole words out of my mouth; the ones I stand on my soap box about all the time. Ones that he obviously has put together more eloquently than me and then been invited to TED talk about.
I’ll get there someday. For now I have this little platform on the Blue Lollipop Road to shout from.
Some of my favorite quotes from this piece:
“I wanted to find the work I couldn’t NOT do.”
“Everything wasn’t possible until somebody did it.”
“People are giving a middle finger to this scripted life.”
My favorite minutes is probably at the 10:30 to 11:50 mark.
Like this guy, I have “corrupted” people to quit their jobs and start anew- not because I thought they should, but because if someone ever comes to me and tells me they want to do something that burns in their soul- of course I am going to tell them to call an eff it and do it. What kind of crappy friend would I be if I listened to someone tell me about what’s burning inside of them and not tell them to go for it?
Living on a treadmill speeding a million miles an hour, en route to the drone zone is a terrible waste of a run for any of us.
I had my aha moment this spring, at nearly 37 years old, that made me realize exactly what I wanted to do for work. I thought this would never come. If you know me, I have probably driven you bonkers over the years with endless “what should I do with my life/what is BLR really/why can’t I figure out what I really want to do/what is wrong with me” conversations and questions. (Thank you for listening and trying to help when I was impossible to help not realizing all the answers would be inside of myself. I owe you all big time.) I now feel like the weight of the world has lifted off my chest because I’m finally doing work that matters to me and I’m getting paid for it after YEARS of searching. It has been a painful process, but every step was needed and worth it. I just kept trying, believing in myself and following my instincts and it happened. I now have a business that helps people organize and downsize their physical, financial and internal lives- so they can do more of what they love.
It is awesome.
(New BLR website launching in October by the way. Woot!)
My work life typically looks something like sporting crappy old clothes as I pull things off dusty shelves or out of old boxes, sort, schlep, managing movers/handymen/donation trucks, etc., host Craiglist sales, sit in piles of bills organizing and game planning for clients. (Sounds glamorous, right? Not glamorous at all, but I love every minute of it.) Most of my clients have hit a forced “have to do this” place because of an impending move, death in the family, divorce, and some just want to take control of their space back. Whatever the reason, I know I truly help them feel more freedom during often crappy/sad/stressful times. It’s incredibly rewarding.
In my adult life, I’ve always felt like a freak of what the hell do I really do with career that means something and I love?! – nature, this work has changed my life. I cannot encourage you who are reading this enough, to quit until something feels right, move if you feel like you need a change, quit again, move again, whatever you need to do to get to a place where you find that work that means something to you whether It’s working for a big fat fancy corporate bank, or starting your own trash company. (I went to high school with a guy, Trevor in my teeny home town who started a trash route in about 11th grade, and 20 years now later, he is crushing it. Good for you Trevor!) Trash people, trash! And in a tiny town! Anything’s possible.
Whatever your thing is- It’s out there. Trust yourself and drive your life in the direction that feels right, or at least the direction that’s away from what doesn’t. It’s OK to leave anyone who discourages you, in the dust.
“Everything wasn’t possible until somebody did it.
Spending time doing work that matters is so hugely important for a happy life. Please go for it. Take that spin on the wheel and don’t look back; you will find exactly what you’re looking for whether it takes 10 days or 10 years, and it will be so worth it. I promise.
Today is the day. What are you waiting for?
#WorkYouLove #WhatMatters #LiveYourLegacy