Feb 19 2013

What I Wish For You

By Michelle Ward

When I Grow Up Print by Stephanie Corfee

I used to be an optimistic pessimist/pessimistic optimist, hoping for the best but expecting the worse (thanks, theater background!). Now, because of what I’ve experienced personally and what I’ve worked on with my clients over the past 5-ish years (!), I believe…

… that it’s not a matter of “can” – but a matter of “how” (my clients + I have never not found the “how” after we’ve discovered the “what”).

…that “your tribe” – people that not only support you, but understand you – is out there, ready to be found (psssst…they’re waiting for you with open arms).

…that the main roadblock between you and your passionate, grown-up career is the belief that you can actually make it happen. (Once you can see that it really is possible, the walls start crumbling down – guaranteed)

…that one foot in front of the other, little by little, day by day builds a near-unbreakable foundation (challenge: commit to 15 minutes/day on your work and see what happens after 2 weeks. Life-changing.)

…that discovering what you wanna do when you grow up takes time, exploration, play, and extreme self-kindness (rush the process/beat yourself up and live with the consequences)

…the the thing you do so well, that comes so naturally, that you immediately discount because it’s “too easy”…is exactly The Thing you’ve been seeking (own it and watch the doors start opening).

…that in The Age of Endless Possibilities, the only wrong choice is to make no choice at all. (make one tiny-step choice today and experiment/adjust along the way)

…that anyone who tells you that you can’t make a living as a rock star-cowgirl-tap dancer-princess-school bus driver-cupcake sprinkler is dead wrong (no disrespect, but it’s absolutely true).

…that if we start thinking of our careers as Ands instead of Ors, the greatest shift ever on the planet is going to occur (what would happen if you tossed out your “shoulds”, your rules, your can’ts?)

…that the feeling of equal nerves/excitement is exactly what you need to be seeking (it pretty much guarantees that you’re on the Right Path, no matter the outcome).

…that Following Your Bliss does not have to bring you back to your broke-college-student, Ramen-eating, living-in-your-parent’s-basement life (yes, I know grown-ups who are full-time artists and support their family in the process).

…that being a “gatekeeper” with what you want to do/who you want to work with is key to creating your dream business (spoiler alert: pro-actively keeping The Wrong People out conversely means that you’re attracting your Right People directly to you).

…that your uniquity means so.much.more than you give it credit for (I don’t care if other people play the ukulele – it’s your combination of skills, strengths, and passions that make you a snowflake).

…that what I wish, more than anything, is for you to believe this all, too.

Stuff to help you get there:

• Renaissance Soul + Renaissance Business
• How to Have a Creative Career (in 3 Easy Steps!)
• An Open Video to Those Who Don’t Like Hearing That We’re Quitting Our Jobs (& Following Our Bliss)
• My workbooks
• 8 Ways to Get Through Your Day Job Without Shooting Yourself in the Face
• Grown-Up Gigs: An inside look at dream jobs held by real people
• The War of Art

What can I do to help you learn/discover/embrace this? What do you want to believe, but you don’t quite trust yet? Let me know in the comments – I want to hear it all.

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Creative Commons

Basically, what this means is that everything I write is my own property (duh), but you can use it on your blog or in your newsletter or as skywriting as long as you don't change nothin' & you add the following : "Michelle Ward, aka The When I Grow Up Coach, helps creative people devise the career they think they can't have - or discover it to begin with! A certified life coach by the International Coach Academy, a musical theater actress with her BFA from NYU/Tisch, and a Corporate America escapee, Michelle has served as an expert source and contributor for such outlets as Newsweek, Forbes, and Psychology Today, as well as leading workshops and seminars at SXSW 2011 and the sold-out Etsy Success Symposium. She could be found coachin', bloggin' & givin' away free stuff at whenigrowupcoach.com."

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