Finding the Work you Love

I can’t believe it’s been over a year since my last video but hey, here we are.

I want to talk to you today about finding work that you love. I’ve been able to coach a number of folks, who are in situations where they were not exactly doing things they like and they were not really happy where they were, and I can tell you first hand, I have been there.

Not long ago, maybe about a year ago I was in the exact same position. I was in a role that was honoring my degree and my training and my work history, but I wasn’t happy. To make matters worse, I was stuck because I had been doing that particular work for so long. So, how could I shift gears?

How do you shift your career? If you’re not happy there, but you have spent 10, 15, almost 20 years in that position, how can you just shift? How would you meet your responsibilities for your family?

So, I was at that exact point and I was renovating my home. A whole home renovation, which meant I was paying my mortgage and additional rent for a second place. So, how could I meet my responsibilities to my wife, my daughter, our home, and shift careers, potentially to an entry-level position?

There was just no way, but I really hated who I was around and it was killing me.

This idea from Jim Rohn, who asks; “Who am I around and what are they doing to me?” kept circling in my mind.

It was so painful to go to work and have people whispering about me in the background. People being condescending and hurtful while trying to work with them.

All I could think was, “Oh my God, I have to go in there again. I can’t believe this!

That’s where I was. My misery was compounded when, my employer decided to cut your income by 5 figures.

I absolutely felt the pinch and the pressure it was ridiculous. So, not only was I being paid less than I was worth, (almost entry level for a university student), I had two mortgages, my income was cut, people at work were condescending , whispering and insulting me behind my back. Even some of my clients were insulting me, and here I was stuck, trapped. I had been in the industry 15 years now what do I do?

I was panicked.

Just by sheer luck or universe, or serendipity or something I was playing a Dave Ramsey audio program.

He’s the guy who teaches the total money makeover, and as he was sharing his message on this particular program he said, “Check out the book , 48 Days to the Work you Love by Dan Miller.”

For whatever reason I heard it, and I said, okay. Immediately, I went and I Amazoned and I got it, and I started reading this book thinking okay, 48 days ’til the work you love. I was thnking “listen pal, 48 days is a bit long. I kind of need this now!”

So I started putting the principles to work. Miller wrote, “Don’t just go for a job. Don’t just go look for what the wanted ads are saying, or what the posts are saying online. Go for something that sets your heart on fire. What is your calling? Where do you really belong? What do you love to do? Start to write that down.”

I’m a coach and even I was thinking; “is that really going to work?” Even though I teach it? I was still saying to myself, “Really?”

Personally, I love to inspire, I love to motivate. I love to train and coach and help people do the impossible. That’s the job I want to do and I want travel and see the world.

I was literally writing these things down and thinking, “This is ridiculous. There’s no job like this out there. How am I going to … what?”

But sure enough, I kept reading the book, kept applying the principles and something that Miller wrote really resonated with me, “the marketplace is changing. You’re not simply going to go after places that actually have openings. You’re going to go after the places that you want to work. You’re going to find the places that match up to your vision and go approach them”

They’re looking for good people and if you’re good and you match up to their vision, they’ll make room for you.

So I did it. While, working full time, I started spending four or five hours a day campaigning companies. Refining my resume. Stretching myself to try to find my way out of the spot I was in.

If you’re in a job like I was in, the truth is you have a choice. No one’s forcing you to be there. Even though it may seem like it, because you have responsibilities to family or bills and priorities like that, it can feel like you’re stuck but no one’s holding a gun to your head to make you go.

I realized, that if I didn’t like it, I could change it. I started applying that principle. Sure enough, I found a place that does exactly what I was imagining.

So now, I can tell you, I travel the world, training some of the best companies in the world.

Some of the Fortune 500 companies in finance, in consumer package goods, in pharmaceutical and medical, and even tech. I’ve even done stuff in the veterinary world.

I’ve been around the world too. I’ve travelled from Vancouver to Miami to Saudi Arabia, to Dubai and Bermuda all because of the work that I’m doing now. The best part is, people are raving about what’s going on. It’s a perfect fit.

I’m telling you this because there is a happy ending for you too. You can find the work. Capture your vision and seek your true calling.

Don’t seek the job posts, seek your true calling. Write it down, and start campaigning those companies because the marketplace is shifted, and they’re looking for good people.

If you do this, you’ll find a way to win. I can’t wait to hear your story. Comment below and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

Looking forward to seeing you on the next one.

All the Best.

Calvin Strachan made the Find a Way to Win programs after becoming a leader in several multi-million dollar sales organizations ranging from: direct sales to pharmaceutical sales to personal development.

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