When I took a sabbatical a few years ago,  I set off for Europe with no itinerary, but plenty of notebooks and eyes wide open. Anything and everything that caught my fancy was recorded and composted.
Long term travel isn’t the only option, of course. Taking regular jaunts to inspire yourself is good for your creative spirit. Even a day trip can yield results if you are open to it happening.
Here are a few of my favorite ways to recharge and refresh my entrepreneurial self.
° Visit a legendary business. Long before I set foot in Rejuvenation, a lighting, salvage and home [...] Continue Reading…

Three months after my best friend Chris Utterback lost her battle with breast cancer, I moved out of my suburban Minneapolis apartment, disposed of about a third of my belongings, put the rest in storage, and set off on an eight month sabbatical.
I had decided that the purpose of my journey was Creative Renewal. That was about all I knew.
“What will you do when you get back?” alarmed acquaintances would ask. I’d shrug and answer, “I’m going with questions, not with answers.”
One thing I did know is that I was open to change. I would abandon my business, move [...] Continue Reading…

Even as a kid, I always knew I wanted to live in different places, not just visit them. I’m not sure where this notion came from since I certainly hadn’t traveled far from my small town in Minnesota.
Eventually, I put down roots in Sun Prairie, WI (where I found the courage to start my first business), Santa Barbara, CA (a gorgeous place that wasn’t a good fit for me), Boulder, CO (another gorgeous misfit), Minneapolis, MN (a hothouse for my dreams), Las Vegas, NV (it was time to shake up my life) and, now, Valencia, CA.
The diversity of these [...] Continue Reading…

We have Charles Handy to thank for popularizing the idea of the portfolio career.

It was a concept Handy first adopted in his own life. He explains, “I created what I call ‘a portfolio life’, setting aside 100 days a year for making money, 100 days for writing, 50 days for what I consider good works, and 100 days for spending time with my wife.

“I mark these days out in my diary. When people phone and ask me to do something, I can then say, ‘I’m terribly sorry, that’s my day  with my wife’.

“It is a freeing way of life. [...] Continue Reading…

Dragons have been everywhere the past few days as the countdown began to the Chinese Year of the Dragon. Why all the commotion?
A bit of investigation revealed that there’s much to be excited about when the Dragon Year rolls around.
I was particularly intrigued by the bit of the forecast which proclaimed that Dragon Years are lucky for anyone thinking of starting a business or initiating a new project of any sort.
When I named my Saturday project Restore Order, I didn’t realize that I was participating in the Chinese ritual of cleaning to welcome the Lunar New Year.
Then I read [...] Continue Reading…

Like other quarterly tax payers, I recently sent in my final contribution for 2011. I put a Love Stamp on the envelope.
That never would have happened in the past. I would have fussed and fretted and grudgingly written out my check.
Although I grew up with constant messages to be thankful and appreciative, those feelings were not familiar friends. Most of the time, I’d compare myself to others and I always came up short.
My classmates were more talented, more attractive, more intelligent. Other people had houses and cars that were far cooler than anything I owned.
The only time I came [...] Continue Reading…

Steve Merritt grew up in Iowa dreaming of a life of social activism. When he told his high school counselor that he wanted to find a solution to world hunger, the counselor scoffed and said he needed a more practical career plan.
Following that advice, he ended up in the cable television industry earning lots of money and little personal satisfaction.
Eventually Merritt turned his growing discontent into a life-changing event and today he happily heads up a community garden project in California.
Merritt’s story is a great reminder of the dangers of well-meaning advice.
Here are some things to consider when receiving [...] Continue Reading…

After a career in the insurance industry, Dave left to start his own business. Unfortunately, he chose an enterprise that seemed to be financially promising, but didn’t really come from his heart.
After two years, the business folded—and Dave was ready to pay attention to the dream that had nagged him for years.
What really excited him was the idea of doing seminars and speeches. In fact, he recalls, he spent years going to see every speaker he could.
“I’m not sure I ever heard much of what they said,” he confesses, “because I was always so busy watching how they [...] Continue Reading…

Blogs and ezines have been filled with messages urging us to get those goals and plans set for the new year. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course.
Not only is goal-setting a popular tool for gaining focus and clarity, it’s also a fine time management tool.
Far fewer writers have been recommending that we incorporate serendipity into our plans. That’s not surprising since the popular definition of this word suggests that it means a happy accident, something unexpected.
That seems contrary to the Get Focused on Concrete Goals advice.
However, as I learned from Marcus Bach’s The World of Serendipity, there’s more [...] Continue Reading…

When I opened my mailbox at the post office, I found a note and magazine article from Sandy Dempsey. She said she’d been going through a stack of magazines and, “When I came across this lovely interview with Bill Bryson I thought of you. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.”
The article made me smile, but I was genuinely pleased that Sandy had thought of me when she read it.
A few days earlier, I received an e-mail from Charles McCool, mastermind of McCool Travel, telling me that his family is planning a trip to Venice. Did [...] Continue Reading…