This is not a time to be "normal." Times like these require being different. This is a time to stand out from the normal crowd. Okay I may have gotten carried away in today's newsletter. Every item deals with being different - and the benefits of that.
Getting jobs when so many are unemployed requires being different.
Starting a business when banks are running scared requires being different.
But then being healthy requires being different.
Having loving relationships requires being different.
Having peace of mind when so many are terrified requires being different.
Doesn't everything in life worth having require being different from the normal crowd? Embrace the fact that you are not like everyone else. It's your unique differences that give you the basis for unusual success in every area of your life.
My children always knew the worst thing they could say when wanting permission from Joanne and me was - "Everyone's doing it."
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"When I see everyone rushing in one direction, I know it's time to move the other way." -- Armand Hammer (1898-1990)
I love to see the wide variety of dreams that are nurtured, defined and developed into meaningful, purposeful work. People often ask me what kind of personal skills make someone a candidate to be one who loves their work. And when I start listing the things I think are helpful, I find that I touch on many things that seem to be contradictory.
Is it better to be an extrovert or an introvert? A dreamer or a realist? A thinker or a doer? A socializer or a loner? Is it more valuable to have imagination or practical skills? To be left-brained or right-brained? Dominant or reserved? Analytical or expressive? Change-loving or schedule conforming? Super intelligent or just normal? Gorgeous or average?
I've come to the conclusion that there are no "right" or "predicable" patterns that leads to work that we love. I think most of us who have found that sweet spot defy rational explanation or categories. The person who loves their work is someone using both sides of their brains. The right side pours out dreams, passions and fantasies and the left side takes that and creates patterns and systems to allow results that benefit everyone and magically produce money as well. You can have the soul of an artist - and your work is a shaped release of that art. You can be a logical precisionist and your work brings life to those otherwise boring and useless details.
Welcome to today's world of work - yes it is volatile, unpredictable and intimidating. Old work models are being destroyed. Pensions, medical benefits, company cars and big bonuses will never be the same. Intelligence, degrees, certification and loyalty may not be rewarded as in the past. But the apparent destruction reveals a clean slate. There are no obstacles, no barriers. No wrong personal attributes, backgrounds, or education - just opportunity for all!
********************************************** "If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears,
however measured or far away." Henry David Thoreau
This is actually the title of a popular country song by Lonestar from their album I'm Already There. And every time I hear it I think of about 20 of my favorite people. My son Jared fits this category. His clothes, music, and habits have never been "usual." But what he adds to our family interactions is priceless. My grandson, Caleb, who at 13 is exploring his true interests, will not likely be "usual." While his basketball team members are driving down the court, Caleb may notice a pretty bird sitting in the window.
One of my favorite counselors has been known to ask a client to take silent communion with her rather than talk. My friend the theologian challenges lots of "usual" Christian thinking. We have a lady that carved two magnificent faces on a dead tree in our yard. It's not likely her high school guidance counselor suggested "tree carver" as a career path. The research that Thomas Stanley did for The Millionaire Mind reveals that people whose grades will not allow them to attend graduate school often end up in unusual work and careers that are an authentic fit and lead to millionaire status.
Many of you have described to me the characteristics that make you "unusually unusual." Your interests in food, art, music, hobbies, and work confirm that you will never be "normal." But then again, greatness is never "normal." Enjoy the journey!
Here's the refrain to the "Unusually Unusual:" "She's unusually unusual
Absolutely unpredictable
She's so different and that's what's wonderful
She's unusually unusual
And that's beautiful to me."
Each week I create a new online radio podcast — that you can hear in iTunes or at the 48 Days Online Radio Show link below.
Recognizing that most of the changes taking place in the workplace are not seen as positive makes it easy to understand why there is a lot of anger floating around. And anytime there is anger, there is the tendency to find someone to blame. What if you believe God controls everything? Then it's a natural leap to blame God for everything that's happening in your life. I think that's a dangerous slippery slope.
Any advice for making the first employee transition? I have considered letting them telecommute, but I want to have the person I hire in my sights. I want to see the emails they send to the client, I want to see them work on the files…. Am I being a control freak?
Why would God place me in a role that is not a good fit? I truly don't understand, especially after I was so certain He wanted me to leave. Please pray that I will get through the stress and troubles of this job. After all the stress and disappointment I have been through in the last several years, I just feel like I have nothing left - I feel drained, spiritually tired.
I have several cutting edge "game" ideas that are itching to be launched. One of which is a puzzle game that would require hundreds of "photographs and images" that I'd acquire from stock photo websites. Considering copyright laws, do you have any input on the legal/financial feasibility of ever making such an endeavor work as an income generator?
I have been sending my resume on Careerbuilder.com to places. I was wondering if I should call the contact person as well to see if I could talk to them to get the ball rolling more, or just leave them alone and wait for a response. I haven't read your 48 days book yet, but I am planning on buying it.
Thank you for this opportunity to ask a burning question that is in my heart. I have been a part of a large congregation for over 18 years and I don't believe that I am walking in my God called purpose. I am there but I am not fulfilled. I don't want to leave but I feel like there is nothing there anymore for me. What is my problem?
******************************************* If you have a question, just email me at askdan@48Days.com and you can ask about starting your own business, getting a better job, or finding your purpose in life.
And you can click the link below to listen to this week's broadcast immediately - no downloading - no wait.
Same Kind of Different - book recommendation
Every day we get a ton of requests for my book recommendations. Here's one not yet on my Dan's Reading List. Same Kind of Different as Me is a wonderful book about a homeless drifter and a successful art dealer. This true story tells how their lives became connected and how that connection changed both of them forever. Joanne and I both loved this book - it reminded us of the impact sharing with others can have. Same Kind of Different as Me
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Advicenomics
Tim Knox has started a new site called Advicenomics. Tim says: We've created Advicenomics.com to give people an outlet to ask for advice on just about any topic and to offer advice to other members. In these turbulent times we think it'll be nice to have a community where you can exchange ideas and share wisdom with others. There are tons of people out there who care about what you have to say and can offer wisdom and advice that can impact your daily life. Check it out here: Advicenomics.
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Carol Burnett's Mysterious Start
In this current Success magazine article, Carol shares how a secret benefactor believed in her and helped her get to New York. His requirement - that she would pass the kindness along to others. Carol Burnett
********************************************* Coaching with Dan
Many of you ask if I still coach people individually. Yes, I do. Are you feeling stuck? Are you struggling to get interviews or a job offer? Do you have a business idea but are not sure how to move forward? Maybe I can help you see some new ways of moving forward. See the details here: Coaching with Dan
********************************************* 48Days.net
By now most of you know about 48Days.net. This is different than 48Days.com. At 48Days.net you'll see lots of other excited people who have ideas - and they're willing to share those with you to help your business grow and profit. If you want your life to be different this year, get involved with people who are on the same path. There is no cost - just lots of helpful people and resources.
********************************************** Know Your Personality
What makes you different?
The most popular product in the 48 Days arsenal continues to be the 48 Days Career Profile. Before you begin seeking a better job or self-employment, you need to be sure you are pursuing opportunities that match your personality style and will fulfill and reward you for a lifetime!
Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary. -- Cecil Beaton
If there are things you don't like in the world you grew up in, make your own life different. -- Dave Thomas
In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different. -- Coco Chanel
The hardest struggle of all is to be something different from what the average man is. -- Charles M. Schwab
When we lose the right to be different, we lose the privilege to be free. -- Charles Evans Hughes
Every man of genius sees the world at a different angle from his fellows. -- Havelock Ellis
My earliest memory is of feeling different. My parents told me that I wasn't like other children. -- Billy Corgan (lead vocalist - The Smashing Pumpkins)
All progress occurs because people dare to be different. Harry Millner
People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost. H. Jackson Brown
All I would tell people is to hold onto what was individual about themselves, not to allow their ambition for success to cause them to try to imitate the success of others. You've got to find it on your own terms. -- Harrison Ford
If there's any message to my work, it is ultimately that it's OK to be different, that it's good to be different, that we should question ourselves before we pass judgment on someone who looks different, behaves different, talks different, is a different color. -- Johnny Depp
Share our similarities, celebrate our differences. -- M. Scott Peck
What makes you different?
