Hello On/Off Rampers!
I saw an article some time ago and came across it today again in the “organized confusion” that is also known as my desk. It’s a great reminder that we all need to be doing something that we love for a living. Take me for instance. I have successfully owned a high-tech marketing agency in Silicon Valley for 18 years. I started it when I was just 25. But I started to become really bored with it (at around 42, and I am now 44) and that burnout was affecting me: B-I-T-C-H comes to mind.

So I knew I had to change something. That’s when I had to dig deep to determine what I wanted to do next. It came to me pretty fast: speaking and writing. So I focused on an area that interested me (generation relations and their dynamics in the workforce) and started to build a platform around it.

There’s much more that goes into this story, but suffice to say my first book was published and now on Amazon, Millennials Incorporated, and I now secure sizable speaking gigs with large corporations and professional associations talking about how to recruit, manage and retain Millennials (Gen Y), as well as improve generation relations in the workplace. It has taken me almost 2 years to “get here” because I continued to run my marketing agency full-time while all of this stuff was created: My brand, my book, my blog, my website, my podcast, my seminar offerings, my keynotes, etc. BUT…it’s here, it’s going, and so far, it’s working.

Is this a personal infomercial? No. Because unless you are in HR, recruitment or management, what I offer at The Orrell Group won’t interest you. My purpose for sharing my personal journey is to motivate you to GET WHERE YOU WANT TO BE, and understand that “risk and time” are factors. BUT they are not obstacles!!

Anyway, that’s my personal example of following your passion and (trying) to make a living from it, but here are a few others from the article I mentioned earlier:

“When Offbeat Dreams Become Careers” By Ysolt Usigan, ClassesUSA

- Stephanie Adams is now the owner of Flow, Yoga, Spa & Wellness in Hood River, Oregon. Adams jumped full force into a law career before having children, but later found she didn’t have the time to adequately balance parenthood and her law profession. So she quit her job and started taking yoga classes.
Soon enough, her hobby developed into a career. After acquiring certifications in yoga and fitness, Adams opened her own yoga studio, where she teaches and leads teacher-training programs for aspiring yoga instructors.

- Though most of her friends were pre-med, Christe S. Bruderlin-Nelson pursued a peace and conflict studies (PACS) degree at University of California, Berkeley. She’s now a freelance writer and consultant on topics related to her passion.
Beyond learning from a mentor, Bruderlin-Nelson sought out meetings with professionals with similar interests. She now takes part in an international think tank that led her to work on education initiatives for youth in West Kenya. Such involvement only solidifies her passion for peace.

- For Michael Rogers, the decision to become a seasonal park ranger at Ken Caryl Ranch in Littleton, Colorado, and leaving the corporate world of cubicles ended up being music to his ears.

Rogers is a professionally trained opera singer with a degree in vocal performance from University of Puget Sound. When he moved to Colorado recently with his wife, he discovered his love of nature. So when he’s got downtime between auditions and performances, he earns a living working outdoors.

So, as we continue deeper into 2008, take some time to determine what it is you REALLY want to do as a career, and make a goal to have it figured out by Q3 or sooner. Then you can start planning and get your new journey started. Whether it’s your own business, a new career, or changing jobs, the time to start is NOW!

Good luck!
Lisa Orrell
Millennial & Generation Relations Expert
http://www.theorrellgroup.com