Make a Living without Selling Your Soul

If money were no object, most people would be in different careers.  At least that has been my experience coaching clients one-on-one and taking listener calls on my SiriusXM show.  Ironically, following the money doesn’t offer the comfort people seek.  Can they pay you enough to do a job you don’t like?   

Good thing there is an alternative.  You really can make a great living without selling your soul.  In fact, you will find a more sustainable income when you listen to yourself and follow-through on the thoughts and ideas that come to you.  Look at Facebook, Google, Apple – all of these companies started with an idea, a thought, a vision.  The founders of these companies took these ideas seriously – they valued their genius and used that as the cornerstone for making a great living.  

I read the back stories on successful people all the time – very few if any succeeded because they were trying to get rich quick.  Instead, they had a mission, a purpose to their work – they were trying to make life better for others and money (lots of it!) was the natural offshoot to products or services that did just that. If you don’t believe me, read Patricia Aburdene’s new book Conscious Money.  Patricia is a best known for spotting mega trends.  Her first best-seller Megatrends 2000 sold over 14 million copies worldwide.  Since then Patricia has noticed a new trend: Conscious Capitalism.  It’s an approach that continues to grow even during the recent Great Recession.  Companies that have a higher purpose beyond profit, who treat their employees, customers, the environment, etc. well are outperforming companies focused on only profit alone.  It’s a revolution I for one am excited about!

To make it in this new age, Patricia points out the Creativity is our most valueable skill.  Innovating new ways to doing things is something everyone now has the power to do, not just experts or a certain powerful few at the tops of companies or governements.  CEO’s are recognizing this too and 1500 of them cited creativity as their most sought after talent in employees in a landmark IBM study. So what does this mean to you?  It’s time you start cultivating your ow creative R&D as Patricia calls it.

Here’s my take on the steps Patricia shares.  I recommend you buy her book (find the link on my FB fan page) and make it work for you too:

1. Make space/time in your life for just being, not doing.  Filling your schedule up with to do’s is distracting.  Allow for quiet time during your work day.  Patricia recommends starting a mindfulness practice like meditation or yoga. 
2. Notice where you get your most creative thoughts.  For some it’s the shower, for others, it’s a long run.
3. Harvest the ideas you get from this practice.  Keep a notebook or smart phone handy.  Inspiration can come in a brainstorm and you’ll want to be ready to capture it.

I have never felt more strongly that we all have the answers we need inside of us.  It’s the basis of my Soul Search work.  Put yourself in the driver’s seat of your career.  Follow the inspiration that comes to you and you’ll soon see that your own creativity is the best and most sustainable source of income you could imagine.

(Photo courtesy of flikr user Tax Credits.)