Becoming an Agile Earner

Back to the story. Last week I was at Growco, so my post was about some ideas I took away from the conference. One of these ideas, being an agile entrepreneur, will appear here today!

For your calling search, you should have done all the background work and investigation by now, or perhaps still doing it today. Plans should be starting to develop. You should be feeling excited about the possibilities! If not, you are not doing it right!

WARNING: This is often the place where analysis paralysis kicks in. We treat the idea of a career as something that has to be studied for a long time. We think now is the time for careful attention and thought! Pray – yes! Slow – no! Let’s be bold here! The word we use to talk about moving forward aggressively is “agile”! We have agile project management, agile software development, and last week I heard a lot about agile entrepreneurs. And this is what you are – or should be – an agile entrepreneur!

Move Fast:

The idea here is to test your new options as fast as possible with as little work as possible. How can we do this?

• Shadow an expert (perhaps one of those people you did the reverse interview with)
• Volunteer your services
• Do a test case
• Find a second job in your area – getting as close as you can to your dream job as quickly as you can. Forget the long job search, just get near the dream. If it works out and you do love it, adjust from this position.
• Oh yes, if you have a day job now, do not quit yet! This is experimentation.

My Example:

How will I take my last list and the information I got from talking to the leaders in my field?

First, I clearly want to serve people who are struggling with how to earn a living and love what they do.

Second, I notice that my job with the university already allows me to do a lot of this. What I need to do it experiment with how to do more of what I love and delegate to others or eliminate the things I would prefer not to do. For many of you, you might find that your current employer will work with you to allow experimentation of ideas.

Third, time to test ideas in the open market.  What I am thinking now is that I will create products and services related to what I do at the university. Some basic ideas are educational and/or coaching programs helping people to realize their work and career dreams. Details on those trials later! Right now I have to get to work with some trials. I have to be agile!

Your example!:

Thanks to each one of you who have been sharing your stories with me! Over the last few weeks I have had many interesting phone calls, emails, and other conversations related to your trials in this area.

If you are like so many, who think work should be something more than what you experience daily, then I encourage you to act now. Make something happen. By summer you could find a whole new life. Go back and give it a try!

Find your calling

Connect your calling to a career

Talk to those who have gone before you

And then start to act!

And of course, continue to share your story with me!