How Does the Online Idea Party Work?
You have a dream or a wish, and an obstacle to getting there. (If you don’t think you know your wish, work through my kick-starter and read this post. To learn why you must put logic aside to find your dream, read the following.)
The online Idea Party is here to help you – and the other fellow party goers – with your wishes and obstacles.
Voices from Success Teams and Idea Parties:
Having a team to report to and hearing what everybody did each week is very exciting. It’s kept me moving all year. In the past I made some good starts on my own, but found, every time, when the energy ran out, I ran out. Now it doesn’t run out.
Jade G.
Children’s Playroom Therapist, New York Hospital
I would do a painting a year, a sketch a year. If it was only me I know I would never do it. Having to tell you makes all the difference. It’s crazy why I didn’t do this years ago, it’s so easy all of a sudden.
Caroline R. Personnel Executive, Macy’s Dept Store
Post Your Wish and Your Obstacle Here!
And help your team mates out when you can. Use the Reply link to help, the form below the comments to add your own Wish and Obstacle.
(Your first comment below has to be approved, so it may not display instantly depending on the time of the day. Once your email address is approved you can post instantly. If you want your own profile photo to show up beside your comments, instead of the cute little design, upload your photo on Gravatar.com and give them an hour or so to make it happen.)
I’m trying to find more jobs I should be researching. Everybody keeps telling me “be a professor in a college” but I need more options. Here is the list of my ideal job(s) and below that the obstacles – these may describe several different possible jobs. At this point, I’m mainly looking for job types I’ve not even considered. I’ve thought about working in the research department of a high tech company and working as a college professor, both of those have large obstacles, is there some other job I haven’t even considered?
My perfect job(s)…
requires creative and deep problem solving – troubleshooting electronic equipment, calibrating equipment, working on mathematical problems, and performing data analysis and programming. It requires working in a lab with complicated electronic/vacuum/high energy equipment – working in Nicola Tesla’s lab, wow that would be fun!
requires a moderate amount of physical exertion, lifting and moving equipment and test fixtures, walking between buildings, assembling components, but it also involves a lot of work at a desk writing and programming.
requires few forms and little red tape, I’m able to fly by the seat of my pants and make it up as I go.
makes use of my creative talents in drawing and creating models and requires the use of drill presses and lathes, to shape components for original experiments.
requires creativity and imagination to create processes and procedures where none exist.
involves teaching or training, working one-on-one with students or in small groups.
requires working alone 50% of the time and working on a small team 50% of the time. We put our heads together to come up with creative solutions, and then try them out.
tolerates risk and failure as part of the creative process.
requires regular use of my skills in writing, editing, and grammar as well as math and physics.
requires a certain amount of programming and web development, certainly it requires a lot of interaction with computers.
has a work schedule with flexible hours. A certain number of meetings are required, and perhaps classroom instruction, but the rest of the day is flexible. I can put in as much or as little as I want. I have the flexibility to work late into the night if I choose during the time I’m most creative while taking long lunches to run errands.
certainly requires original research, regularly working with information and interviewing or sourcing information from people as required.
requires staying abreast of the latest developments in mathematics and science, and learning is encouraged in these fields if not required. Continuing education is strongly supported. (I wish I could get paid to take classes, I love learning).
involves taking things apart to learn how they work, then documenting it for others.
involves working with technology on the cutting edge, trying out new things regularly, testing new products.
involves projects or classes of limited duration, so that there is variety and change. I have the flexibility to work several projects at a time and move from project to project, creating variety so I’m not doing the same thing all the time. Working several projects at once I have a choice of which one I want to work on each day.
requires creative problem solving and working with small teams to come up with ideas.
requires or has sufficient schedule flexibility I can go outdoors periodically when weather is nice to run or hike.
involves some international and national travel, in which I can meet with people of other countries in a relaxed atmosphere and get their ideas and input whether in professional seminars or just one-on-one interviews.
In my perfect job…
I work for myself or have a boss who is creative, supportive, and lets me run the show. He or she wants to listen to my input and contrary points of view, and leaves me alone to do what I want.
I work with people who are creative, talented, and passionate about what they do, they enjoy change and trying new things. I work with a few eccentric ones, a bit of the mad geniuses. I work more in small groups or one-on-one. Everybody here is excited about what they do – it’s not just a paycheck. They are hard workers but don’t have to push themselves to be that way, they just love what they do. I work with people who have a youthful outlook on life who have their eyes fixed toward the future.
I work in a brightly lit modern facility that smells of flowers and trees, open windows with the latest and greatest high tech equipment, tastefully and comfortably decorated.
I get regular feedback from others to adjust and correct my course.
I get freebees from vendors and customers – the latest cell phones, laptops, and electronic gadgets to test out.
I work on a beautiful campus, whether a corporate laboratory research campus or college campus.
I have my own office and I’m surrounded by my own books.
I can walk outdoors between offices and buildings. There are fountains, streams, ponds, a running track, picnic tables. I can enjoy the change of seasons, fall leaves, snow, the smell of Spring. There is lots of green in the Summer and orange in the Fall.
I work and live either in a large city or very close to one. I live upstairs in a converted warehouse with one of those freight elevators with the gate to go up and down.
The obstacles:
I currently have a BS Physics 1987 from Oregon State. I don’t have a Masters or a PhD. My grades were C average because I was young and stupid and more interested in partying. More recently I’ve been taking classes at Washington State and have a 4.0 GPA so far.
I’ve worked primarily in high tech semiconductors and also in nuclear power, most of my positions have been in management but I’ve also worked as a trainer.
I have alimony and child support obligations and I’m married with six teenagers, three who live with me full time, and three part time.
I’ve become accustomed to making an income in excess of 85K/year, but I’m willing to adjust my lifestyle. Lack of money seems to be my biggest obstacle.
You have a very good idea of what brings you joy and the environment you need to thrive. It may help if you distill down the qualities you outlined. Keep distilling down. Some of your perfect scenarios overlap. Try to get real simple. Something like this – fun work environment with happy, uplifting, likeminded co-workers. Freedom to come and go as I please. Necessity to create and be in just the right work environment to express my creativity to it’s fullest. You wrote :”working in Nicola Tesla’s lab, wow that would be fun!”. I think herein lies your real truth. Do whatever it takes to get to Tesla’s lab. Go get your good!
In my work and play I know that most of the things we find that keep not working in our lives are due to stuff we “don’t even know about/remember” either from childhood or taking on stuff “for other people’ unconsciously (many of us have the “bear one another’s burdens” from a Pauline Epistle deeply embedded in our subconscious.)
One of the best ways I have found recently is represented by Dain Heer on this access page
http://archive.aweber.com/newwealthlist/GfwfY/h/_TODAY_CHANGE_the_Vibration.htm
This webcast can change all sorts of things, conscious and hidden and make a huge difference. (FB page here http://www.facebook.com/newwealthexperience )
Hope this helps.
John Overton
http://www.johnmboverton.com
Warning: LONG POST, but if you are a “helper” personality, please read. I would appreciate any suggestions!
Hello, I am Theresa Tuohy, an unemployed mother of 3 adults, 18, 20, 21, Two live at home, one in college. And there is myself, my loving husband, and our puppy and 2 cats. I have lost 4 jobs in 4 years all for different reasons: 1 layoff due to economy, 1 the contract was cancelled, 1 not a good fit – left, 1 not a good fit -was forced to leave.
I just finished Barbara’s, Refuse to Chose, – twice, in one day!! I have already taken steps to pursuing the life that thrills me and I am highly optimistic and creatively thinking of ways to use my obstetrical to my advantage.(Or rid them all together) However, the huge elephant in the room is that I still feel like I “should be” spending 40 -50 hrs in a high paying job, rather than using a small paying job to get the bills met leaving me the time to venture into my own business. I have had the plans written for years, I have had the ideas come at me and thrill me with possibility, but the mantra has always been the same…”I can’t afford to take the risk. I can’t afford to give up the money of a 9-5. I can’t…I can’t”.
We are living in the negative now, and our budget is already near bare bones. The only debt we have is a car payment, but with all of the other “necessities” we just don’t have wiggle room. We have been successful at many many cut backs; my Hubby is ex-Coast Guard, so we use the commissary and the base gas, which is cheaper. We have our utilities all on the monthly budget plans, so we pay a flat fee every month, avoiding surprise charges. We avoid eating out, with exceptions like birthdays / mother’s-father’s day. We rent from family at the lowest possible price for the area we live in, so moving somewhere cheaper isn’t an option.
My dilemma, I applied for a part time position in my field, and got it, for 60% less in pay than my last job. It will cover the negative, but nothing extra, like haircuts, new clothes, car repairs…(1 Car didn’t pass inspection, the other’s AC went out) property tax in October….stuff like that. BUT it would give me time to set up, work on, all the other joys in my life. I am very over weight, but I am walking now. I have started blogging, My business is a combination of Party Venue…Face Painting and Character cakes/cupcakes and decoration on one side, and home organization (think Clean Sweep) on the other. And I want to start selling my art work on ebay. (just to see if anyone likes it as much as I do!)
THEN, they called me back, and said they would really like me to work full time, at the same salary. They were willing to go back to the power’s that be to see if the pay could be increased but regardless, of what it may end up being, I feel stuck. Do I give up so much time on my dreams, to work 40-50 hrs (it’s at least this much time required – retail/holiday’s approaching) and it’s also weekends, which would take away time I could book birthday parties. I am at a loss as to which road would bring me the most reward. And I don’t even know which reward would be better, the new passion and realization that I can do what I love and make money, while I am making money elsewhere, or…give up that time to be making some guaranteed extra money, but spend time away from family and have much less time to be available for the primary “Business” days for parties, which are the weekends, doing something I am great at, but have no real passion for, other than I enjoy doing a good job and being appreciated for it, when I am in a business environment.
Thoughts ? Suggestions??? They are supposed to call me today, and I still have no idea what pay would tip the scales to make the full time position appealing, Augh,
Thanks all.
2esAngel
Theresa,
Your dilemma reminds me so much of my own that at first I just felt compassion and no clue what to suggest. Then my practical mind kicked in and I thought take the higher paying full time job. But then I re-read your letter and the joy you had at the prospect of working part time and having time to do what you loved was undeniable. It sounds like you could make money doing the things you love which will add to the part time income. So, if you feel ready to make your passions a source of income and to give them the same time you would have given the other full time job I don’t think you’ll ever regret taking the part time job and doing what you love.
2esAngel,
Not sure where you are at now that it’s October.
In Sept you were unemployed, having difficulty making ends meet, very overweight but walking now, having to choose between guaranteed money at something you don’t really like or part time work in your own business. Seems like you are/were in a difficult spot. Being unemployed is no fun! Sometimes we just need a temporary relief from our difficulties. Remember what Barbara says, we don’t have to do anything forever like we thought we had to. How about the idea of re-defining “guaranteed money at a job you don’t like so much ” to immediate relief of bringing money in, paying the bills, feeling alot better, leading to a new view on the situation and then re-assess what’s next. Going to work after being unemployed will bring structure, money, confidence; you’ll get energized, back in the swing of things and a new view on your whole situation. Keep us posted about your progress!
I like Adele’s idea. I wonder if you could insist on a decent salary and wait. Then, try to get as much of that as you can and go back to work – for 1 quarter. (You might even try to make that part of the deal.)
Pay off some bills for 3 months, and then go back to part-time and get back to work on your own business. Do that for 3 or 4 months, and see if they (or someone) offers you another temporary full-time job at a not-too-bad salary.
I wouldn’t suggest anything so odd, but these people are playing all kinds of footsie with part-time, full-time. They’re clearly trying to save money (on your hide), so maybe they’d be interested in a 3-month full time, 3-month part time, too. Even if they paid you a human-sized wage on full time, they wouldn’t have to pay it all year long, and that might make them think.
Any hope in that idea or is it too far out?
Hello Barbara’s Club Members!
I’ve had the same dreams/wishes for decades now and they show no sign of going away. I’m a scanner, but it’s confined to certain interests, not always something new. In my ideal life I’m a certified genealogist, and certified Feng Shui consultant, who designs and makes custom clothing for hard to fit people and historical garb for re-enactors, who writes and sells her memoir, adapts historical novels into screenplays that get made into movies, gets her play published, and manages to act in one play a year (as a volunteer) at my local community theater. When I try to eliminate any one of those I feel like I’m cutting off a limb. I really want to do them all!! And in my ideal world I could do them all: Write in the mornings and spend afternoons studying for the various certifications. Once I had the certifications I’d use that time to see clients. Use weekends to learn pattern drafting and practice making clothing and historical garb and then see clients by appointment only. And, once a year for two months put everything except writing on hold and be in a play. There, I’d have it all. Except I do need to support myself and I’d like enough money to pursue all those interests. Unfortunately, I live in the central valley of California where the only thing more stagnant than the air is the job market. People with master’s degrees are lining up for jobs at McDonald’s. The last job I managed to find was doing payroll for the 2010 Census. Their methods were so different from the way any other business does payroll the skills I learned there do not transfer. Before that I was a celebrity personal assistant, something I no longer can do because I’m not in Los Angeles. My unemployment checks are long gone and my savings are almost gone. I have a liberal arts BA, but to be employed in this town I’d need to go back to school.for something in high demand like accounting. I really wouldn’t mind that, except for the fact that it would leave me no time to do everything else I WANT to do. And that feels unbearable. The other obstacle, and I have a hard time even admitting this one because it seems so insurmountable, is my mother is losing her memory, having a lot of trouble with dizziness and balance issues and is still recuperating from cancer surgery. She can’t manage here (I’m living with her) alone. I help her get dressed, take her to all her doctor appts., change her bandages, cook for her, clean the house, do the dishes, make sure she doesn’t fall or hurt herself, explain things to her that she has trouble understanding all day long and help her pay the bills–don’t want her to feel like she can’t do it anymore, but the truth is she can’t. She is on social security and can’t afford to help me financially. I’m at the end of my rope (savings) and don’t know what to do. She’s 84 and I’m 50 with no retirement funds. She needs me and I want to be here for her, but the fact is I need some sort of income. And I have those darned dreams that just won’t go away. Does anyone see a solution I’m missing???
Hi Melissa,
Wow, I wish you lived near me (I’m out East)! One of my dreams is also to write a history-based screenplay…and get a particular actor to play the lead! Not only are you interested in adapting historical novels to the screen, but as a former celebrity assistant, you’d probably have some tips on how to approach a celebrity about a project! I would also love to start a Living History club but have no interest in sewing…if I ever get it off the ground, I could be one of your history garb customers!
Anyway, just brainstorming here, but would it be possible to move back to LA–where your employment prospects seem better–and take your mother with you? Barring that, to make ends meet for a while, would you consider “babysitting” other elderly individuals in need while their loved ones are at work? I know caretaking is not ultimately what you want to be doing, but that would at least help you pay the bills while you spend time with your mother?
Hi Heather,
My sister’s name is Heather too, so at first I thought she was replying. I’ve always wished I lived in the east. I wish I could help you about how to approach a celebrity for your screenplay, but the sad truth is you’ll probably have to let go of all attachments to who you might like to see in your screenplay and just be happy if it gets picked up and produced. You might mention who you’d like see in the part once you sell your screenplay, but don’t insist or start out with that or you’ll scare them off. What kind of living history club are you wanting to start? Have you participated in any of them where you are? It seems like the best ones are all back east. Lucky you for living there! I’ve wished I lived back east all my life, but my family is here. Thanks for saying you’d be a potential customer. That inspires me to start pattern drafting and sewing.
When I was assisting celebs I was sharing the job with my sister, Heather, but she wrote a book called Chore Whore: Adventures of a Celebrity Personal Assistant which was published by Harper Collins. It was “fiction” and the names are all changed, but there was enough truth in it that our clients recognized themselves. No lawsuits or anything like that, but there’s no way either of us could continue doing it after that.
Thank you for brainstorming and I do appreciate the suggestion. I’m not cut out for that for a multitude of reasons, and neither is my mother, but someone else may read this and it may be the perfect solution for them. All ideas are good ideas. Thanks again!
Hi Melissa,
Yeah, I don’t think I’d be cut out for caretaking strangers, either. It was just a thought. –What about taking your mother back with you to LA, if the job market is better there?
I wish I could give you my email address without blurting it out publicly so we could chat about the screenplay/Living History stuff a bit further privately…
Hi Heather,
Unless I won the lottery there is no way I could move to L.A. And my mother refuses to move anywhere. She loves her house and all her antiques, etc. to much to even pare down, let alone move. Please don’t feel you need to “think of” a solution for me. I just put it out there in case anyone had something come to them. Actually, when you said you’d be a customer if you had your living history club going it inspired me a lot. It reminded me of what a former college instructor told me. “There are far more people who need some kind of specialized clothing designed for them than there are people who know how to do that.” And that’s what I LOVE to do. I don’t consider myself an expert yet, but I know the basics and if I make the time to learn more about pattern drafting (get off Facebook) I think that might work. Gotta run take my mother to the doctor.
A great idea, Heather! Keep us posted and we’ll help as much as we can.
Melissa,
My heart goes out to you. Caring for family, especially a mother who is for all intense purposes becoming the child, can be a joyful chore taken on in a heartbeat out of love; it can also be the most draining and frustrating heart wrenching thing you have ever had to do.
I am thinking about possibilities and helpful options for you and I am sure the Club Members will too. I hope you find some ideas that work for you, if not, we will just keep trying.
In the mean time…PLEASE don’t underestimate the value of Respite Care. Care for the Caregiver. I beg of you to seriously consider finding ways to make time for you.
Somehow, even if it is tiny small ways, you MUST find a way to get some relief. Some time to yourself where the money,(lack of) the housework, and caring for your mother, can be placed on a back burner so you can refuel yourself.
I used to hate the airplane attendant telling me to put my mask on first…but as an aviator, my husband made it clear to me just how fast I could be rendered helpless, and therefore unable to save my babies if needed. The reality of having to take care of me in order to take care of them is something I have fought with all their lives…I am just now learning to realize the incredible ways in which giving myself time to recoup, allows me the strength to do all the rest.
My father was diagnosed with throat cancer in Feb. Today, in fact, is his 72nd birthday. And he is Getting Married on the 22nd!!!. Throughout the summer, he was going to radiation daily, and chemo weekly, lost use of his legs for a while and had other issues with diabetes and while I had more support available than you, I still had to force myself to grab time to recharge, find some calm in the chaos. That being said…
Look for support groups, even if they are on-line. People in your situation will be there, understanding exactly what you are going through, and may have some sanity saving ideas for when you feel you just can’t do it all.
It may be difficult, I know you are in a remote area; find a support group. Perhaps a posting on Craigslist would enable you to start your own group. Proceed with caution there, as you want to be safe…make sure any get together with a “supporter” is in a public place, etc…
The nearest hospital should (might?) have care for the elderly with dementia workshops available. There are some home health agencies supported by the government, that base the cost on income. I have worked for one, but it was in Florida, but it wouldn’t hurt to Google.
Keep in mind, people don’t really care what your house looks like. Give yourself permission to relax your standards if they are high. If it all ended tomorrow, would it really matter that the carpet wasn’t vacuumed or there was still laundry to do? Basically, what I am suggesting , whether it’s housework, or not…Not everything has to get done, and not everything that has to get done has to get done perfectly. And not everything has the high priority we tend to assign it. Focus on the real have to do’s (spelling??) and take the urgency or pressure away from lesser items on the list, that looks like it goes on forever, because there will always be more added to it, and if that’s all you can see, you can become stuck in a state of being overwhelmed.
Could you barter any of your passions/talents? Trade someone coming to the home for a few hrs, once a week for something you do of comparable value? There are also companies now that higher people with administrative skills to work (contract usually) virtually, Since you understand the basics in payroll, perhaps there is an opportunity to be trained/work for a virtual company that is hired by a company.to do their payroll. Maybe doing creative searches on Google you may find a hit on someone who still uses the same system as the Census Bureau.?
Above all, when the frustration mounts, know that there are people that understand, and are willing to lend you a shoulder…even strangers. If I think of anything else I will let you know. There is power among numbers, there are somethings (ideas yet discovered) that will help ease your situation, we just need to look at the possibilities, and tweak and mold them to your real live world, until we find bits and peaces that fit.
Take Care~
T
T,
Thank you so much for your heartfelt reply to my comment and all your suggestions. Knowing that someone I’ve never even met cares enough to write such a long and caring letter is very rejuvenating in itself. And I will look into the resources you mentioned. The good news is since I posted that comment my mother has improved considerably. She’s finally healed from the cancer surgery (because she’d had prior radiation the skin took an entire year to heal) and she’s finally getting help from a physical therapist for the dizziness and balance issues. Plus, I read a book on how to restore your memories and brain with coconut oil and since I’ve got her taking 5 tablespoons of that a day she’s been so much better.
Thanks again,
Melissa
Melissa – I too am on the East Coast, but I’ve heard of (and once used one) feng shui consultants who work remotely, with pictures. If you’re already certified (BTB, or whatever else they’re using these days) is that a possibility?
Karyn,
You sound ready to throw your own idea party. Here’s the article Barbara Sher wrote for Oprah’s “O” magazine on how to throw an idea party yourself: http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Whats-Holding-You-Back-Idea-Party-Make-Your-Dream-Happen
It’s tremendous fun, and the more mixed the group is in age and experience, the more original the ideas will be that they come up with.
Please post back and let us know how you’re doing.
thanks, i looked at the article!
Hi everyone
I’m 43 years old and have been out of work since Feb of this year. It was a good thing the job was toxic. I have been doing medical billing/collections for over 20 years and I need a change. I lived in Michigan most of my life, then moved to Arizona for 4 years before the office closed there, now I live in Texas for the last year and a half. I have grown tired of the heat and long for a cooler climate. My wish is to move to the Portland Oregon area. I have joined a bunch of meetup groups to get myself networking out there. I want to open a non profit for foster children aging out of the system.
A few obstacles, no cash to move. Then I need a place to live, only requirements is that it’s a safe neighborhood and a backyard for my dog. Been looking at craigslist, but there are credit checks(my credit is not great), first and last months rent, plus a security deposit, plus a pet deposit. That’s not including all the fees to hook up the electric, water and so on.
So any thoughts would be appreciated!!
Thanks!
I read your post on Barbara Sher’s website, and I don’t really have a lot of ideas for you.
There is one job available. Caregiver for elderly people living at home. There is a great need for this service, and most people don’t want to do it. You said your credit isn’t the greatest, but as long as your background check comes out clean, that shouldn’t be a problem.
You said you were involved with some meetup groups. Are any of them involved with the foster care system?
I don’t blame you for wanting to leave Texas.
I wish I had more ideas, but maybe this post will get someone else to add some more comments.
Hi, Kim, Sorry I only just today saw your post. Totally understand about the heat. I think the Pacific Northwest is much better, too.
My suggestion is this: look around online for house-sitting gigs in the area you prefer. My sister has gotten many that way, both in the US and abroad. You don’t need money, only references that you are a good, honest person. And they should provide you air fare to get there, too. That’s how my sister does it, anyway.
Sometimes, the people are going away for a month’s vacation, sometimes 6 month or more to work abroad.
You can not only charge some stipend from them, but get your food paid for, too, as well as having a decent, temporary place to live rent-free while you check out the area for jobs and your own place eventually.
I realize that with a dog you are going to have to look harder for someone who does not mind a dog living there, too, but it is possible. And as for it being a “daring” thing to do, my sister started doing it in her mid-60s and is 74 now, so it isn’t really that daunting.
In any case, I wish you good luck.
Eileen,
Could you give me any tips you or your sister have about getting into the house sitting with air travel paid for??? I have a good friend who says her “touchstone” is to travel, and I would love to be able to travel more often to Colorado, but cannot always afford it!
My friend is a speech therapist, and really wants to travel more. I am a special education teacher, and want to be able to visit Colorado more….(I used to live there,, but moved to be closer to families…my husband’s and mine!)
What a great need there is!!!! The foster care system is not functioning well, and in particular for the hardest to serve–those jaded I-can-make-it-on-my-own teens that have had an undeniably tough road. From my experience the best folks to network with are those compassionate souls trying to work for and in the “system” (whatever they call it there: Children & Families, Health & Rehabilitative Services, whatever…). they know exactly which kids need help, where to find them, and will know if there are any Requests for Proposals (RFP) that will give you funds to do your work! Maybe you will have to partner with a social service agency for credentials / credibility but they too need someone like you that is willing to do the work and they may be able to manage grant funds for you. Try the local Children’s Home Society (again whoever they are equivalent to there). Social Workers will LOVE to hear from you. You can find them through any Oregon chapter of NASW (National Association of Social Workers). These are generally the people that identify needs and pray for willing hands to help and get real things done.
Love and best wishes. You are right on target–this can save “one starfish” at a time.
Susan
Hi I’ve just heard of this (though read Barbara’s book ages ago), so glad I found you all.
This is a group in Minnesota, not sure if you need more info, but they may have alot of good advice. http://www.ampersandfamilies.org/aboutus_history.html
I’m not familiar with Oregon, but what a beautiful place it looks like, and I know the college kids that go out there want to stay.
I recently injured my back and my doctor has given until July 28th to return to work. This has giving me an incredible opportunity to determine What my third chapter (between the ages of 50-75) should be. I am having a blast trying to figure out what is the next thing to do with my life! God has aa sense of humor!
I’m retired and trying to figure out what the next chapter in my life will be. What are you having a blast doing?
I know what I want to do, and I have a pretty good idea of how to get there. But there are a few HUGE obstacles in my way and I’m getting discouraged. I want to work for the parks’ service; I had a summer job after college and LOVED it. I’m in a job now that I hate fiercely — it’s one of those “how in the @#$% did I do this to myself?!” positions (I was not told the truth about the position before I took it, and I didn’t know how to double-check…now I could write a book on the subject!) which is the culmination of one long, down-hill slide due to moving for my husband’s job, and I’m sick and tired of back-burnering my life or making rash decisions because I was forced to make changes I didn’t want to. Obstacles: husband (divorce is immenent but it’s going to be ugly…), and too much stuff (that I keep thinking I’m going to sell online no matter how hard I try to get rid of it). I’m awaiting a reply on some government positions (and per my career councelor, I could wait for months to hear back!); once I’ve got the job, I’m moving out. I’ll be taking everything with me (what little is left, if I can get to that point!), but my time will be my own so I can freely decide how to get rid of it. Once I’ve got my head clear and I’ve settled into taking care of myself (not frightening, kinda exhilerating), I want to buy a larger truck and a “toy hauler” camper (a camper with a garage basically) and a Smart car which will fit in the toy hauler. Then I want to start working for the National Parks again. Once I’m in a park, I’m going to research teaching positions — I want to study, and I want to teach. ANYTHING. Become a docent for a park or a zoo. Take classes and then teach at schools like the Appalachian Center for Craft. And pare my life down so that it fits in a camper without having to trip over or rearrange or feel guilty about wasting money by throwing out things I thought I needed. I’ve reserved some library books on alternatives to health insurance (the parks cover you while you’re working but there’s always the off-season) and I’m researching my retirement options (including what I can do with those I have from former employers). So, there’s a light at the end of my tunnel, but it seems SO FAR OFF right now. Any suggestions on keepin-on-keepin-on and not losing focus?
Volunteer. It’ll get your foot in the door. If you do pare your life down as you say you want to, you won’t need much money to maintain yourself. You didn’t say whether or not you had kids to care for. Volunteering will also help you find out where you don’t want to work.
Also you could take classes at community college or continuing education to make you more marketable for your career.
Sorry about ugly divorce. Volunteering at a local park, zoo, etc., might be a great antidote for bad feeling re divorce.
That’s all I have. Good luck.
I was recently fired from my job. I began to look for solutions. After lots of soul searching, I have decided that I would like to develop a self esteem and creative solutions program for kids of all ages. I have no training in this field. Tons of experience in my life and with my own kids. I am already tapping my financial resources dry just to pay my monthly expenses.
I am looking for ideas around where to start. I have a blog where I have started to lay down some of my ideas, but no one visits it. I appreciate any input.
my blog is here http://www.littleenvelopes.com
Thanks!
I love what you have accomplished with your blog. Your purpose is truly clear and heart-felt. It looks like you are a life coach of sorts for teens and parents and you certainly have the skills and experience. If I may pose a question: If your best friend were in a similar situation (paid life coaching/teaching services), what advice would you give her?
I’ll visit your blog if you’ll visit mine.
http://www.temporaryaddress-jody.blogspot.com
Raina,
I just went to your blog and to your Twitter account. You only have 7 people following you on Twitter, and that includes me. If you want people to read your blog, you have to interact with them. On Twitter, you can do searches for other people with similar interests and chat with them, widening your circle of followers.
I noticed you used a hashtag (#creativejoy) in your Twitter postings. Doing a search on it yielded some other people: https://twitter.com/search/%23creativejoy -Do you know all of them? You have something in common with them.
You can do the same thing by searching for other bloggers (with bigger followings) who write about things similar to yours. Leave thoughtful, appreciative comments on *their* blogs with a link back to yours.
To become known, you must provide value, yes, but also reach out to others and let the world know you exist.
Best of luck to you!
Jennifer – reading here and saw your message – are you a social media specialist of sorts?
This was just recommended to me by a FB friend. I am not posting a picture at this time as sharing my dream requires divulging deeply personal information. Let’s just start by saying I let 15 years go by, I am approaching 50 and wish I was closer to 30 so I could pick up and move abroad and live and work in Europe. There are financial reasons why I can’t at the moment plus who would hire a foreigner not too far away from retirement age (which by the way I will never be able to do)
Thanks for “listening”
Karyn I can relate to your situation as I am also approaching 50 and not where I hoped I would be at this age. The important thing I would say to you is It is not too late. Barbara has some great books and other resources that might help you understand this. One book that comes to mind is “It’s Only Too Late If You Don’t Start Now : How to Create Your Second Life After Forty” As for retiring, if you do what you love, you will never want to retire. Good luck and never give up on your dream. Jeff
Maybe you could find a job in the U.S. (or whatever country you’re in now) that includes working in Europe.
Also, in some European countries, going to college is free or nearly so, and a student visa may allow you to work while you’re there — a temporary solution, but a start?
You could teach English abroad and I’m sure your age wouldn’t matter. It might even be an advantage to be more mature as many of the students would be adult business people.
Karyn,
My sister works for Education First Tours and they hire people to teach English as a second language in Europe and other countries. Housing is provided. You might want to check it out.
Best of luck to you!