The Power of "Stick-to-it'ness"

It's funny how things work. A friend knew I liked designing programs for youth and asked me for a proposal. When reviewing the client's website I noticed they were looking for an Internet Liaison. I fired out an email of inquirey and got a call the same day. The organization, Venture Academy, is a residential youth counselling and treatment program. They need someone to participate in chat sessions and blogs to talk about the benefit of youth counselling. This seems "right up my alley".
After talking to the founder, Gordon Hay, I think the internet work is something I could do and would be very interesting. I'm going to give this a lot of thought.
It's funny how you end up stumbling across good things if you are looking for it. I guess that's the power of sharing your dreams. What are your dreams?

Distress vs Eustress

I co-facilitated a workshop last week titled Freak Out Management, along with a well-experienced facilitator Jim McLeod. I learned there are two types of stress.....Distress...that stuff that exhausts you, and Eustress....that stuff that "pumps you up".
With doing 22 workshops for 420 people last week I definitely experienced Distress. I don't think it was the work, but more the environment....talking to so many people....it exhausted me. I think I am more of a one-on-one person. I get pumped when I've helped one person (on-line or face-to-face). I had one on-line client say "I feel like I have my own person motivational speaker".
I can see rewarding work coming from on-line one-on-one career counselling.
Where does your Distress or Eustress come from?

Enviroment vs Employment

It's funny how it's hard to find the ideal balance between between work environment vs employment. I know I would love the environment of working in the outdoors on my sailboat. However, the work opportunities to make that possible are not always close to what I love to do. What I mean is that my buddy, Neil Cragg, has a good opportunity for me to help manage the finances of his business expansion. It's part-time work I could easily do from my sailboat, but, it's not the work I feel "called" to do. Yet, if things work out I could be helping a lot of young people be trained for the new business....that would be cool.
It's always a conundrum trying to figure out the balance. How's your balance.

The new website...to go where no chart has gone before!

I think I will go with Carole's suggestion of a nautical theme for my new website. What I like about sailing is that it is very unregulated, no licensing, no registration, and no fees. It's kind of like the freedom of freelancing.....so.....sailancing is a very appropriate term.
Plus, our futures are as vast as the oceans. Almost anything is possible if we have faith in possibilities. Even though sailing requires a lot of "target setting" on landmarks, when you are in open water you need to depend on chart. I see career counseling as the charts for uncharted areas of your work life. It is my hope and prayer to help people to discover the uncharted possibilities of their lives.

On-line Resume Community

I came across (through Elance) an interesting approach to resume assistance through www.resumeposse.com. It' an on-line community that helps each other with their resumes. Once a person is happy with thier resumes they can upload it to the Resumeposse resume bank, or any online reusme bank. This could be an interesting opportunity for my online carer counselling service.
I guess I better get my new website up and going!

Win credits for your ideas!

I want to give 25 Career Counselling credits to anyone who can help me come up with an image for my new website. Blogger, Carole, gave me some good ideas to blend the "journey/sailing" moteph into the site. I just can't come up with an image for the central work area. This will be the splash image that will be replaced by working screens such as assessments, resumes, ect.
My old website was very corporate looking. I'm thinking about moving towards a more non-conformist look. Here's an image I'm considering.

Let me know what you think and it I choose it I will give you 25 credits that could be used for a new resume, cover letter, and a survey to figure out what you want to be when you grow up.

Sail now, don't wait for better weather!

I bumped into a person, Sherry Burton (maiden name) whom I worked with in 1983. It's surprising how we can catch up on 26 years in just 5 minutes! When she asked "What are you doing now" I jokingly answered "Trying to figure out how to make a living from a sailboat, I'd like to figure this out for my retirement". She questioned why wait until retirement and explained how she reduced her full-time job to 3 days per week to enjoy the things she loves to do.
Today's drawing reflects the feelings I had as a young child, walking to the small public school in Schomberg. Taking the long way through the fields and rivers with the sun on my face, breaking the ice along the rivers. It's the freedom of time I cherished. I'd like to get back to that. A psychologist had a theory that we spend our entire lives trying to get back to the age of 7. What do you think?

Weakness from waiting

It is very possible to making a living from my sailboat. The technology and access to work opportunities is very accessible. I am well suited to work independently. My personality type needs solitude and aesthetically pleasing work environments. I just need to update my website, continue checking for work, and wait. However, I'm not good at waiting. I tend to loose confidence and doubt myself. However, like job search, waiting pays off. I need to hang on to the things that give me strength.
This morning's drawing is of a deer I saw early one morning north of Baxter. The scene reminded me of a Bible verse how God created me with the grace and strength of a deer. If I am created with Intentional Design there must be a special purpose for my design.....I just got to wait while I'm discovering it.