Insight to the Relationship Between Work & Money

by on March 30th, 2012

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I’m nervous for sending out this post for fear of being judged.

But there is something that I have been sharing with my clients that I want to share with you. And in the hopes that it helps even a few of you, here goes.

I’ve been struggling a lot lately with the connection between spirituality and money.

The elephant in the room with my clients is always, “Yeah…but I can’t make money doing what I love.”

And I don’t think of careers as just “doing what you love” because what you love could be surfing or traveling or sitting with your friends drinking wine.

That is different than your life’s work. From what you were put here to contribute to the world.

What role does money play into that life’s work?

The other night I did a little online research and found something that really resonated with me.

The article I read stated, “The universe will give you what you need to do your life’s work.”

Need – when I think of that word, I think of a roof over my head and food on my table.

But that is not what this article meant.

It is not what the laws of spirituality mean.

What we each NEED is different.

That’s because each of our life’s work is different.

Let’s use Oprah as an example. Her life’s work is to inspire and make MAJOR changes to the world and to the masses.

What does she need to do her life’s work?

*A private jet – she can’t go schlepping through JFK every day
*Homes around the country/world – she needs to be comfortable and inspired by her surroundings.
*A chef – she needs to eat well and does not have time to do this
*A team of people

Anyway, you get the point. She needs a lot to do her life’s work.

The universe has granted her what she needs.

I have found that it has done the same for me.

Remember awhile back when I said that I wanted a personal chef but I didn’t know how I was going to get that?

Last night as I sat down to dinner with Peter, we were eating a fresh meal of:
*Halibut marinated in wine, lemon and garlic served over freshly made tabloueh (parsley, bulgar, cherry tomatoes) and a side of shredded cabbage & carrots in a homemade greek yogurt sauce.

I did not cook this meal.

I did not shop for this meal.

It so happens that after I wrote that post, I ended up hiring a full time nanny as I returned back to work. I never discussed cooking with her as I would never expect her to do that for us.

I didn’t know she liked to cook. I didn’t know how much she valued health.

I only knew that she had a lot of experience with kids and loved what she did.

Low and behold, she loves to cook.

And so every day she cooks, or at leasts prepares so that I can do it, healthy meals for us.

She goes above and beyond because she loves it.

And alas, I am met with one of my needs to do my life’s work.

Have you ever noticed in life that your needs are almost always met somehow?

I encourage you to think about what your needs would be to do your life’s work?

What do you need in your life to live your best life?

A beautiful home?
Time to exercise?
Money to get your hair highlighted so you feel good about yourself physically? (okay yes that is one of mine)
Travel for inspiration?
Time for creative pursuits?
Sun?
Massages?

So it isn’t about how much money you can make. It’s about what you need.

The thing is, all of our life’s work is to help others.

That is what we are all here for.

How we help others is what is different.

But we can’t help others until we help ourselves.

We can and should only give from our excess.

What fills you up?

What do you need?

Trust in the agreement that as you do for the world, the world will do for you.

Start by getting clear on what you need. Make a list.

It’s not to say you won’t have to do work or it just magically happens.

But in my experience, it actually kind of does.

You get clear on what you want/need, you take small steps forward and…

….well…

you are given what you need.

How Carrie of SF Concierge Found Her Aha Moment

by on March 19th, 2012

There are so many things that I love about this interview with Carrie but one of them is that she created a position for herself that is off the beaten path. She forged her own path and was recently profiled in The New York Times for her work.

I also love what she wrote about overcoming fears. Such great wisdom in there.

Here is her story:

Tell me about what you do for work.

I am the Principal & Owner of SF Concierge, a boutique Personal/Residential Concierge and Consulting business based in San Francisco.

We specialize in assisting our clients with incorporating Sustainability into their daily lives, homes and businesses.  Projects range anywhere from gift purchases, event planning, sourcing organic personal chefs to large scale residential project coordination and construction management. I am also a licensed Private Residential Water and Energy Conservation Inspector.

What type of work were you doing prior to what you are doing now?

Estate Management and Executive/Personal Assistance for High Net Worth/High Profile Individuals.

What kinds of frustrations did you have with your previous job(s)?

I felt I had taken the position of “Estate Manager” as far as it could go professionally.  After many rewarding years and great experiences, I had become not exactly frustrated, but I felt I had reached all of my goals and was ready for a new challenge.

How did you come to discover this was what you were meant to do?

I have always had a personal and professional interest in Sustainability and bringing this philosophy into my concierge and consulting business came about very easily.   San Francisco is consistently rated one of the top “Green” cities globally and we have a wealth of resources available.  I have found that clients can get very overwhelmed.

They have great intentions and may have an end goal but many times have no idea where to start and/or the time to project manage.  This is where I come in to help people.

What fears did you have to overcome to take the leap?

Oh my… yes indeed.  I had just gone through a major life changing event when I decided to start a business.

I had ended my marriage and was on my own with a two year old son.  I had always played things safe with my career, and while I had been encouraged to branch out, I had never felt confident enough to make it happen.  I was fearful, but I knew that this mind set had to change immediately, it was GO time.

I was fortunate to have great contacts, years of related experience and had always received very positive feedback professionally.  I reached out to my all of my friends and networks.  Most importantly I decided to focus on specializing in projects that I found interesting and personally fulfilling.  It has been a lot of work, but I truly enjoy working with my clients and love what I do.

If I had I held on to fear, I would have missed out on a lot of great experiences and opportunity.

What do you love most about what you do?

I find it very rewarding to be able to help clients with awareness, and then collaborate with them to create personal and household systems that are tailored to their requests and lifestyle.

For example, construction wise there are many incentives and rebates available that are not only good for the environment,  they will also bring a home owner substantial savings.  Taking an eco-friendly approach in your daily life and home can be beneficial in many ways and in many aspects of your life.

Who wouldn’t want to connect people and spread the word about that?

If you were to give advice to people thinking about changing careers, what would it be?

I can only speak from personal experience, but here are some of the things I found beneficial.

  • Trust your instincts and know your strengths.
  • Educate yourself.
  • Research and network within the field of the new career you are pursuing
  • Let friends and colleagues know you are either considering a change or actively on the path to a new career.  I believe most people genuinely like to help others and are willing to spend time either giving an informational interview or even providing mentorship.  If someone extends you that courtesy, be prepared, listen, respect their time and follow up.
  • Last but not least, never, ever under estimate the power of a hand written thank you note…on beautiful letter pressed recycled stationery of course!

To learn more about Carrie & her business, you can check out her website here: www.sfconcierge.net

You Are Focused Here, When You Should Be Here

by on March 16th, 2012

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I see what the problem is.

I see it every time I meet with a client.

They are focused on the wrong thing which is why their wheels keep spinning around and round and yet get no where.

What I am about to have you embark on is not easy work.

If it were, I wouldn’t have a job.

But it is the most important thing for you to focus on your time on.

You are worried about WHAT you should do for work.

Should you open a boutique? What would you sell?

Should you start a blog? If so, what would the blog be about?

Should you be a writer? What would you write about?

Should you work for a non-profit? What would it be for?

Should you go back to school? What would you go to school for?

The question you should be asking yourself is this:

WHY are you doing it?

WHY do you care?

WHY do you believe in it?

WHY were you given the unique set of talents that you were?

To help you in this, I created a flow chart to show you the WHY behind my career. (as shown in the image above)

My WHY is:

I believe we are all here for a reason. That there is a purpose to our lives. I want to guide others to discover and harness that purpose.

My HOW has many different ways:

Coaching, opening a center, blogging, public speaking, media appearances, facilitating

My WHAT has even more offshoots:

Career, health, relationships, lifestyle, money, spirituality, parenting, etc.

You see, there are a multitude of WAYS (how) or THINGS (what) that I could help people with.

And there are a multitude of HOWs I can help people.

If I spent my time worried and spinning there (which in all honesty, I have and have to pull myself out), I’d get nowhere.

What I need to understand is that my HOW & my WHAT will always be changing. In fact, I could be focused on a few of them at a time.

Depending on where I am in my life or what needs there are in my community, those shift and change.

But my WHY never changes.

For example, I need to think about how much money I need to make right now, how much time I want to dedicate to it – those needs are ever changing as my life stage changes.

Here is a way that you can work on this:

1. Create a flow chart like the one you see above.

2. Fill out the WHAT first – put everything on there that interests you.

3. Then fill out the HOW – what are your strengths? what do you enjoy doing? how do you like to share information with the world? talking? writing? what is your medium?

4. For the HOW – start to write down beliefs that you have. Just free associate here.

Prompting questions:
*What do you know to be true about the world?
*What do you wish you could change about the world?
*What fires you up?

Here are examples of two client’s WHY:

*We are all a part of something bigger than us. It is important for us to acknowledge, understand and learn about it. And contribute and be a part of it. It is our responsibility.

*To empower people by collaborating different perspectives to solve complex societal issues.

Will you share your WHY with us? Comment below, tweet it or just send me an email with it.

Because what would the world be like if we all put our beliefs into action?

If we actually utilized those inherent strengths that we have?

The world would be a different place.

And that’s WHY I care.

Tales From The Cube (Guest Blog Post)

by on March 12th, 2012

I have a friend who should be a writer but instead works in an unfulfilling job in a cube. I asked her to  share her comical experiences from the corporate world in a new Guest Blog Series called Tales from the Cube.

Since she is not yet flying the coop and quitting her job, we must keep her identity secret and will call her “Miss Em”.

I hope you enjoy as much as I do (and I’m sure many of you can relate!)

If you have similar funny experiences or just want to say you enjoyed it, please leave a comment as I know the writer would much appreciate it on her first blogging debut!

xo-Suzannah

**

That’s a Wrap!

Over the course of my career, I have been asked to do many random tasks that have absolutely nothing to do with my everyday job duties. This has lead me to create quite an impressive faux resume: IT specialist, human GPS, maid, exterminator (OK, that is kind of a lie – I once volunteered to kill a cockroach in the women’s bathroom but ended up shrieking and running out, arms flailing) and most recently, gift wrapper extraordinaire.

This past Valentine’s Day, I was asked by one of the managing directors in my office if I would wrap some boxes for him and, in exchange, he would buy me lunch. Now, anyone who works in an office – any office – should be able to attest to the fact that no one walks away from free food so of course I said yes.

At this point I should probably back up and mention what was in these boxes.

The day before, this guy had come up to my desk and asked me, “Is Victoria’s Secret considered cheap?” Well, I guess that depends on how you define “cheap”. I personally think VS is rather overpriced, but if he had asked about Fredricks of Hollywood, that would be another story. So I went ahead and ignored the fact that the conversation was slightly inappropriate and went online to find him a more expensive lingerie store.

Then things got a bit awkward. He decided it was necessary to tell me what he planned on getting his wife for V day, which was

a) a pair of silk PJs to “her” from “him”

b) something “smaller” to “him” from “her.”

Why he felt the need to tell me this is beyond me. These people all tell me all kinds of things I really don’t need to know.

Cut back to the following day, when, as I am wrapping these two gifts for my free $10 lunch, he tells me that I can look at them if I want. Ummm, now why would I want to do that? I don’t even want to know what is in these boxes, let alone SEE them. And I’m pretty sure the wife wouldn’t want me looking at her lingerie, either.

Just as I think it can’t get any more awkward, he says, “What?? It’s just a black teddy – it’s not crotchless or anything.”

Ummmm, thank you for that visual. I will file that away under things I hope to never hear again.

Just another day at the office.

When You’ve Lost Motivation (and how to find it)

by on March 8th, 2012

I talk a lot about dreaming big.

And about pursuing those dreams.

But I haven’t been pursuing my big dreams and I haven’t known why.

I felt like a fraud for saying one thing and doing another.

In case you are wondering, my big dreams have been:

Granted, I have had a lot going on in my life lately what with a new baby and all but I’m a believer in always moving forward, even if they are tiny steps.

And my feet were stuck in the mud.

So one Saturday while both kids and my husband were all napping, I sat on my bed with my ThinkBook journal and wrote down my fears.

The first thing that popped up was fear of success.

Fear that the any or all of the below would happen:

  • Too much time away from my family
  • Straining my marriage due to lack of time together
  • Change in my friendships because I am so busy and no longer living the same life as them
  • Being recognized in public
  • Stress
  • Exhaustion
  • Taking on more than I can handle
  • Business travel

And then I sat and thought about it and realized that my “big dreams” didn’t give me the butterflies.

I realized that while they were exciting and sexy, they were dreams that I thought I SHOULD have.

They were the logical next step. (well, actually many steps ahead but you get the idea…)

And that meant that I was thinking no differently than all of my clients who come to me and climb up the corporate ladder because it’s what they should do.

Instead I thought about what was the impact I wanted to make on the world?

How do I want to be known?

What kind of people did I want to surround myself with?

And what I came up with was that my energy comes from people.

I LOVE sitting in a room with one or multiple people and watching them discover things about themselves.

I LOVE witnessing people making big changes in their lives and how it truly brings fulfillment to their lives.

I also love being an entrepreneur.

The two genres of books I bounce back and forth between are personal development and business books.

And so I realized that my REAL dream has always been quietly sitting in the back of my mind.

It is to build a center.

  • A place (whether online or brick and mortar or both) where people come for guidance for their careers and lives.
  • Building a community to support each other through life changes.
  • A place where business and thought leaders share their wisdom to those who are craving direction.
  • Seasoned entrepreneurs can mentor budding entrepreneurs.
  • A place to creatively explore what you are good at, what you bring the table and what career would bring you fulfillment.

The details are all still coming to me (would LOVE feedback/ideas).

But this is my big dream.

This gives me the butterflies.

I share this with you for two reasons.

  1. It feels good (and scary) to throw it out to the universe.
  2. I wonder how many of you are unmotivated because you are chasing the wrong dream?

Here is the statement that I came up with:

My success is not in being a “guru” but instead a savvy and impactful business leader who is changing the way we approach our career and lives.

What I hope that you will get from the statement above is that there are a million different ways that I put that into action.

It could be building a center.

It could be writing a book.

It could be leading corporate retreats.

It could be a public speaker.

We all get so caught up in the “what” which is what is listed above. Our wheels spin there.

The bottom line is that our role or our “what” is going to change.

So don’t worry about that yet.

First, think about your “why”.

Why do you want to make the change in the world that you do?

What gets you fired up?

What do you want to be known for?

Spend some time there.

And then head over to my center (one day…). :)

How Brigitte of Eggsurance Found Her Aha Moment

by on March 5th, 2012

Today’s Aha interview is something that is so interesting to me yet not often talked about. Egg freezing. As a woman in my (now late) thirties, I am more and more aware of the difficulty in having children as we get older.

Brigitte has created an awesome site that gives all of the information you would ever need as well as provides a great community support.

Here is her story:

Tell me about what you do for work.

I recently launched my first start up, Eggsurance.com.  It’s an egg freezing education and community site.

What type of work were you doing prior to what you are doing now?

I have had a very eclectic career to date.  I started in an auction house in New York, worked in Production at the Gap and ended up in marketing strategy for tech companies.

What kinds of frustrations did you have with your previous job(s)?

I am a fast learner, which made jumping from very different industries interesting and challenging.  However, I never felt passionate about the work I was doing.  I was constantly searching for that job that made me feel like I was making a difference.

How did you come to discover this was what you were meant to do?

Most companies or products are built from personal experiences and mine is a textbook example.  I was in the midst of going through the egg freezing process myself and noticed a gap in the marketplace.  I was struck by the lack of relevant and unbiased egg freezing information and particularly the lack of any dedicated non-clinic related egg freezing portals.  I always knew that I would do something entrepreneurial and just needed that “big idea” – then it finally presented itself to me.

What fears did you have to overcome to take the leap?

Financial, psychological, social… I had a long list of items on my cons list. However, the pros outweighed my substantial fears.  The primary driver that pushed me to take the leap was the fact that I would learn, from A-to-Z, how to build a company.  If I failed, I realized that whatever new skills I learned could be applied to my next opportunity.

What do you love most about what you do?

I love that I am doing something that challenges me daily.  I have become super resourceful and have learned to do things that I never thought would be in my realm of expertise.

If you were to give advice to people thinking about changing careers, what would it be?

Start doing things out of your norm.  Take that improv class, run a marathon, go on a blind date, adopt a dog.  When I finally stepped out of my quotidian routine the direction my career was meant to take quickly became clear.

When You Are Spinning Your Wheels

by on March 1st, 2012


Eyes rolling up and looking at the ceiling.

Thoughts blending together and often repeating themselves.

Speech speeding up.

Fidgeting in seat.

These are all tell tale signs when a client is over thinking something.

I physically feel their frenetic energy and start to get a knot in my shoulder in listening to them spin their wheels.

The double edged sword of our times is that we have so many options when it comes to well….everything.

This paralyzes people.

I call it analysis paralysis.

I recently started a book which I am loving called “Start With Why”. In this book they go into the biology of our brain during decision making.

It talks about the limbic brain which controls feelings. This area of the brain does not control language. Which is why when we have a “gut feeling” about something, we can’t put into words why we feel that way.

In school we are taught to look at things logically. To analyze things from different perspectives, from facts and figures.

While this is a great skill to have in many instances, it doesn’t always serve us well when it comes to making life decisions.

I had a powerful moment with a client this week when we were talking about her “why”. Her reason for being. And when she said it, she teared up.

I asked what the emotion was about. She said, “I don’t know how to explain it. I just know with every part of me that it’s true.”

That’s the limbic brain for you.

You see, often we already know deep deep down inside what we are here for.

We know what we uniquely bring to the world.

We’ve always known it.

But we haven’t always listened to it.

Instead we are too busy asking everyone else. Listening to what we think we should do.

Trying to earn a living, pay the bills, get by.

Being a functioning member of the rat race.

Spinning our wheels.

Right now write down everything you know for sure about yourself.

What comes easily to you.

What you are doing when you feel in the “flow of life”.

When time flies by.

If you had a magic wand and could make one change to the world, what would it be?

There is infinite wisdom in your “gut”.

You don’t need to know why it is there or even be able to explain it.

Just give it a chance to throw it’s hat in the ring when you are making a decision.

When Deciding Where to Live, Think About This

by on February 23rd, 2012

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There is no question, every place I have ever lived has had it’s own personality, it’s own energy.

Much like each of us.

I believe that making the decision of where we want to live is grossly undervalued.

I’ve lived a few places in my life and they all brought out different sides of me, some good, some bad.

And what it all comes down to is that a city has to share our values.

I never really understood that until I left New York City.

For the life of me I could not understand why I was so unhappy in New York. My life was full of excitement, I had great friends and was by all accounts “thriving”.

But inside, I felt like I was sinking.

What I realized was how important these things are to my happiness:

*Sunny weather

*Open spaces

*Nature

*Being close to water (although NY is an island, it never felt like I was close to water…)

*Laid back pace

*Grass

*Aesthetics

*Community

New York had its own things to offer which are wonderful and why I love to visit but they weren’t for me to live there.

I came upon this decision again when deciding where my husband and I were going to live when we left San Francisco. I grew up south of San Francisco and my husband grew up north of there (where we ultimately decided to move)

While I had to make the very tough decision to move somewhere that was away from all of my best friends and my family, I had to listen to my gut. To my values.

Where did I FEEL most like myself? Not where “should” I live. Not where would I least “disappoint” people.

But when push came to shove, where did I WANT to live?

And it was where we moved and now live.

And I love it. I mean, really love it.

I’m where I’m supposed to be.

What I’m trying to say is that I encourage all of you to really think about where you want to end up.

Of course there will always be bumps on the road where maybe you have to move somewhere for a job (you or your spouse) or other responsibilities that are out of your control.

But when you are at a time in your life where it is within your control, listen to your gut.

Are You Making This Mistake?

by on February 16th, 2012

This past week my son was supposed to have his preschool photos taken.

I spent the morning getting him prepped…combing his hair, putting him in a cute button down shirt, etc etc.

We arrive at preschool and he takes one look at the photographers and the big camera and lights that they’ve set up and clings to me like a koala bear.

Tears well up in his eyes and he promptly tells me that he doesn’t want anything to do with these photos.

I tried everything…

“Look, you get to wear a fireman hat!”

“All your friends are doing it!”

“I’ll give you two graham crackers if you do it.”

“You have to do this!”

As you can see it was quickly going downhill for both of us.

The day ended in tears (for both of us) and without any photos taken.

As we left preschool empty handed, my mind was racing with how I could “fix” the situation.

“I need to buy a book about how to get him to be less scared of new situations.”

“Maybe I should talk with the preschool director for advice on this.”

I then called my mom to discuss and she put me in my place with these two facts:

  1. He’s only two years old – give him a break for God’s sake.
  2. You were exactly the same way when you were his age so stop trying to pin this on your husband (moi?!)

It was then that something hit me.

Instead of focusing and fostering my son’s strengths, I was focusing on his weaknesses.

Why aren’t I buying a book on how to grow his already incredible imagination?

It is a waste of time worrying about our shortcomings.

There are many things that all of us are naturally very good at.

Things that come easily to us.

All of our effort, focus and time should be spent on those things.

I’m really good at talking with and helping people.

I’m not very good at logistics and details.

This is a fact.

So, I can either spend the majority of my time fostering my innate talent of connecting with others or I can sit and worry and research ways to become something that I’m not.

What are you going to do?

“You can’t and shouldn’t be anything you want to be. Why? Because you are unique. Instead, capitalize on your biggest strengths.”

- Marcus Buckingham

How Natalie Linden Found Her Aha Moment

by on February 13th, 2012

This interview is for all of you frustrated writers out there who dream of writing a novel one day but have found every excuse in the book as to why you can’t do it.

Natalie has come up with one of the most creative and fun ways to keep herself on track while writing her first novel. I think you will enjoy hearing her story and what she’s built for herself.


Here is her story:

Tell me about what you do for work.

I’m a professional storyteller. I write for companies like Peet’s Coffee, Perricone MD and Cowgirl Creamery. I love my work, and all the more so because it’s funding another dream I’m chasing: writing my feminist fairy tale spy novel. You can read along – and take part – at I Am The Unreliable Novelist.

Readers get to vote on plot turns, getaway cars, character flaws and other tricky decisions that help me stay on track to finish my book. It’s sorta like a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure, with the writer at your disposal. Or a Kickstarter project, except I need opinions instead of cash.

If all goes according to my nefarious plan, novel writing will become my full time job – and you’ll get your name in print. (And we’ll all be helping young writers pursue their dreams while we’re at it.)

What type of work were you doing prior to what you are doing now?

Before I kicked off my copywriter career, I was an Account Director for branding and graphic design agencies. Which is a fancy way of saying I was a Mother Hen in black-framed glasses. I wrote schedules that only I stuck to, perfected the art of the Uncomfortable Phone Conversation, and herded creative and client cats (to mix my animal metaphors).

What kinds of frustrations did you have with your previous job(s)?

As an Account Director, I made safe space for other people to be creative. To my surprise, there was never any left for myself. The mindset of projecting and mitigating potential failure started to bleed into every other part of my life, so that I was swilling too much Pinot Grigio and losing my chutzpah.

By contrast, copywriting is incredibly fun. I actually get paid to make puns and translate nerdspeak into five-word headlines. But writing a novel is even better. There’s no one to answer to but myself – and my fellow Unreliable Novelists, of course! I make all my own rules and define my own metrics for success.

How did you come to discover this was what you were meant to do?

I think I’ve always known – my dad is kind of a famous surfer dude, and growing up I was probably the only kid in the world who contemplated ditching surf camp for the library. It only took me, oh, about 25 years to learn how to ignore my inner editor. (She’s a proper English school marm who lives inside my head, spares no feelings and carries a very sharp measuring stick.)

What fears did you have to overcome to take the leap?

First I had to get over the mother of them all: fear of failure. As they always say, the only way to guarantee you’ll fail is to never try. Then I had to realize it was okay that I didn’t know what I was doing, and that I could ask for help.

I wrote the first draft of my novel about two years ago, stuffed it in a drawer because I was scared to read it, then spent the next year plodding through endless research because I couldn’t work out a major plot point. At some point a lightbulb went off: why not get the internet involved? Instead of giving up or letting perfection paralysis take over, I asked for help from my friends. (And their friends…and their friends…) It’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

What do you love most about what you do?

I love everything about it – as I suspected, it’s my dream job. Writing a novel is the ultimate challenge, which means that when it’s good it’s amazing, and when it’s hard, I refuse to let it beat me. I know this line of work will keep me on my toes for the rest of my life. I’m just glad I gave myself permission to do it.

As for the website, I thrive on the collaboration. It creates deadlines, keeps me motivated and gives me someone to socialize with besides my cat. It’s also a way to market the book while I write it, leveraging all the skills I’ve acquired in my branding career. I’m using every single tool in my toolbox, which negates all the ‘what ifs’ and potential regrets for not having started sooner. I’m nothing but grateful for everything that led me here.

If you were to give advice to people thinking about changing careers, what would it be?

The chances are very good that you can get someone to pay you to learn how to do your dream job. Look for a way to start small, or under the radar. At the beginning of my writing career, I looked for clients who were illiterate or English as a Second Language. (I’m kidding. Sort of.)

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Your friends can be a huge source of strength, support and courage. If I didn’t have Mark and Jenn and Yosh and so many others, I would never have gotten this far.

Learn how to save your money and live within your means. I know I spent a lot of my pre-noveling time complaining about not having a trust fund. That’s a bunch of bunko. Once you start doing what you love, you’ll find you need to buy considerably fewer pairs of shoes to stay happy.

Follow your instincts about the things you’re good at and the things that feed you. Your life’s pursuit is somewhere along that path. Yes, it’s uncharted, unpaved, poorly lit and sometimes there are disgruntled gnomes hiding in the bushes. But there are also unicorns, rainbows and magical bottles of gin. The relationship between risk and reward is real. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.

When I veer off the path, I always remind myself that life consists of units of time and energy. How do you want to spend yours?

Be sure to check out her site here: http://unreliablenovelist.tumblr.com

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