My mailbox has been getting some truly spooky messages lately. It\u2019s not the first time, of course, but I\u2019m still startled when I get one of these cries for help.<\/p>\n
The scariest of these messages goes like this: \u201dI think I want to start my own business. What should I do?\u201d<\/p>\n
I also shiver when someone asks, \u201cI want to write. What should I do?\u201d<\/p>\n
No, these aren\u2019t zombies asking the question, but they send chills down my spine because they remind me that too many of us are lacking some basic tools\u2014tools that could get us pointed in the right direction and keep us heading that way.<\/p>\n
The next time someone asks, \u201cWhat should I do?\u201d I\u2019m going to send them this list of answers.<\/p>\n
\u00b0 Start an investigation.<\/strong> Do your homework. Head out to the library. See if your community has resources that can be of help. As Jim Rohn said, \u201cIf you wish to find, you must search. Rarely does a good idea interrupt you.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n \u00b0 Make space.<\/strong> If you\u2019re going to start a new project, you need to make room for it. That frequently means you must first clear out some space. Frequently, that requires spending your time on things that don\u2019t serve your true goals.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I discovered,\u201d says architect Sarah Susanka, \u201cis that when you make the time and space for what you long to do, everything else shifts to accomodate it. It never works the other way around. If you wait until there\u2019s time to do what you want, you\u2019ll be waiting until your eighty-fifth birthday.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00b0 Listen to informed sources.<\/strong> Seems so obvious to me, but I\u2019m astonished at how often people take advice from people who don\u2019t know. The more you investigate, the wiser you\u2019ll become about who has the information that you can use.<\/p>\n \u00b0 Learn to synthesize<\/strong>. Adopting and adapting in order to produce something new is a time-honored tool of the creative spirit.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re growing a business, that means paying close attention to the things you like and don\u2019t like as a consumer and asking yourself which policies and procedures you will integrate into your own enterprise\u2014and which you\u2019ll consciously avoid.<\/p>\n \u00b0 Break your goals into 90-Day Projects.<\/strong> Give your projects a theme. Immerse, don\u2019t dabble.<\/p>\n At the end of 90 days, evaluate and decide if you\u2019ve accomplished your objectives. If not, decide if you are up for giving it another 90 days.<\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n \u00b0 Remember this:<\/strong> \u201cGood things as well as bad are caught by a kind of infection,\u201d writer C.S. Lewis pointed out. \u201cIf you want to get warm\u00a0 you must stand near the fire; if you want to get wet you must get into the water.If you want joy, peace, eternal life, you must get close to, or even into, the thing that has them.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are a great fountain of energy and beauty spurting up at the very center of reality. If you are close to it, the spray will wet you; if you are not, you will remain dry.\u201d<\/p>\n Throughout our Joyfully Jobless Journeys we\u2019ll need help. New goals require new information, new ideas, new connections.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t hesitate to look for it, but also realize that the ultimate responsibility for making your dreams happen is in your hands.<\/p>\n Happy Halloween!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" My mailbox has been getting some truly spooky messages lately. It\u2019s not the first time, of course, but I\u2019m still startled when I get one of these cries for help. The scariest of these messages goes like this: \u201dI think I want to start my own business. What should I do?\u201d I also shiver when…<\/p>\n