I heard a saying the other day, “Comfort kills calling.” 
Sub Series - 2: Regaining Control of Your Life, Work, and Destiny

And as I stared the amount of times a month I had an automatic debit listed on my calendar for every big to small bill that crossed my way, I felt very, very called. 

But then I remembered another saying, “To whom much is given, much is required.” 

They call it being ‘gifted’ because it’s also something we give away. When you’re blessed with a particular skill, or just the heart to do something extraordinary, one of the first steps to feeling a reward beyond money is living out your new definition of ‘reward.’

Where’s my pay day? Where’s my vacation? Where’s my arrival into society?

They call it being gifted, because it’s also something we give away. 

It’s not glamorous, although one day it could be. It’s not easy, although it’s often made to look that way. You’re set apart from the status quo, remember? You feed on the vision of what’s coming. You’ve taken the bold step past immediate gratification and into state of perseverance.

That’s where the new definition of ‘reward’ comes in. Because maybe there’s a face that lights up when you help someone, or a feeling of accomplishment that comes with the most meager of paychecks, and then even the pride of doing something others did not think you could. 

These are the rewards that don’t buy shiny new cars. But these are the rewards that last much longer.

Dream more... Do more... Be more...

So You Want To Be a Visionary: The Road to Making Meaning by Lorée Beth Rider, popcopymarketing.com
Sub Series - 1: Regaining Control of Your Life, Work, and Destiny

Enter a new economy; one where fulfillment means a little more than late nights with check lists of deliverables. It’s an economy of service over selfish and it looks more like happy than hype. It calls to people who are in the business of making meaning, not just making money.

Making meaning isn’t subject to market fluctuations.

The dividends don’t decrease over time. Making meaning doesn’t ask you to compromise your ethics. You don’t ever hear the phrase, ‘Mo’ meaning, mo’ problems.’ But you do seek promotions. You’re still on a ladder, and you’re even more driven than before. 

You work hard because you can’t wait to make more meaning.

At least, that’s the idea, right?

But inevitably our visions of taking the high road to a Nobel Prize might very well include visions of past due notices, because if there’s one thing ‘making meaning’ doesn’t do on its own, it’s pay the bills.

What do you sacrifice to stay the course? That’s what the process of making meaning asks you. It asks you that each time you opt out of a vacation, see your neighbor’s new car or envy the upgrades. 
It nags at you, doesn’t it? In fact, some days, you seriously resent it. 

Meaning and money can indeed co-exist, but there are always things you give up to know the true value of each.

And with everything you turn away to keep moving toward your sense of calling, you're refined and become that much more determined to make your own meaning from it.

There’s something greater than a paycheck that motivated you to step out of the pack. Can you remember the freedom of that moment? If you once trusted that you were designed to create something only you were uniquely purposed to do, then you’re already equipped with what it takes to do it.

It's time to face the fact that you're ruined.There’s no going back once you’ve felt the freedom. You may have to take a detour or re-evaluate the road map, but you’re still moving, and all along the way, you’re making meaning for the people who watch.

There’s not an upgrade in the world worth more than that.

"I feel the capacity to care is the thing which gives life its deepest significance." ―Pablo Casals 

"You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life." ―Albert Camus  

mean·ing

• Something that is conveyed or signified; sense or significance.
  
•  the inner, symbolic, or true interpretation, value, or message.

"He felt that his whole life was some kind of dream and he sometimes wondered whose it was and whether they were enjoying it." ―Douglas Adams, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

sub·stance

• the tangible matter of which a thing consists
• a specific type of matter, esp a homogeneous material with a definite composition
• the essence, meaning, etc., of a written or spoken thought
• solid or meaningful quality
• the end, purpose, or significance of something.
  

Making Work Meaningful and Sustainable in the New Economy  - The 7 keys to regaining control of your life, work, and destiny

series key 7:  Live Your Dream




"No work or love will flourish out of guilt, fear, or hollowness of heart, just as no valid plans for the future can be made by those who have no capacity for living now." -Alan Watts 

Terms and Conditions - Living Life on Your Terms
by Lorée Beth Rider, PopCopy Marketing

Be honest. How many of you actually read them? Checking that ‘terms and conditions’ box is like a means to an end, we can’t get from step one to step two without checking it. And all too often, we do it blindly, without thinking, without reading, without really agreeing.  

When we check it for iTunes, or to download an app, we could easily say, ‘What’s the big deal?’ but in our very own lives? Do we check it there, too? Do we blindly agree to the pre-established ‘terms and conditions’ simply as a means to an end?

There’s a dubious quality to feeling a call. And if you’ve ever been pulled toward a purpose greater than you, you’re bound to suffer a bit of embarrassment trying to live it out. Any pursuit that involves staying true to yourself forces you to read through the traditional terms and conditions that you’ve checked so many times before. What’s in there that’s left you craving more in life? What have you agreed to in the past that’s gotten you all you thought you should’ve wanted … except the hole inside you?

What you end up finding when you finally read through them ultimately forces others to examine their own pursuits, so you must be prepared to defend your new terms. If you dare to set your own terms on life, you risk loss, you risk failure, you risk humiliation … but you earn meaning. Because with every bit of the ‘leaving behind’ you do when it comes to living life on your terms, you’re investing instead in the business of making meaning."

confident and assertive... or... arrogant and obnoxious?

I often hear people referring to themselves as "strong" or "assertive" or "confident" or "honest",

when in reality, they are actually arrogant, obnoxious, and rude... there is a huge difference.



"There's a fine line between confidence and arrogance. This is especially true given both entail a strong belief in one's own abilities. When it comes to the responses they provoke, however, that's where the similarities end.

Confidence is inspiring; arrogance is a turn-off. Confidence gets hired; arrogance is shown the door. Building confidence takes work; arrogance is simple. In fact, it's easy to come off as arrogant." -The Ladders

source:The Ladders - 10 Ways to Tell if You're Confident – or Arrogant http://bit.ly/Kd5Xle

Making Work Meaningful and Sustainable in the New Economy  - The 7 keys to regaining control of your life, work, and destiny

series key 6:  Sail Away on Your "Boat"

Do the work and provide the service, solution, or product/productive contribution that you have
always dreamed of… 


“Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it.” -Shakyamuni Siddhārtha Gautama

• love what you do, do what you love. do great work
• escape the predictable, dull, ordinary, soul killing "rat race" and live the dream
• turn your passion into a profession...business...  career...  life's work

"I don't know what living your passion looks like in the every day; in the space between that fire in your belly and the bills that come due, but I imagine it's somewhere in the fight alone, that you learn what you'll live without to know it. That's something I never want to wake from." Lorée Beth Rider

10 Ingredients for Work Independence - Creating and Sailing Away on a "Seaworthy Boat"

• dream - vision
  
• opportunity - a recognized need that needs to be met - a favorable possibility
• deep personal passion -burning desire to be independent
• developed talent and skills
  
• an innovative solution - creativity activated
• a solid plan - (and, a fall-back plan)
  
• plan must be executed successfully - create a process, test, manage yourself, learn to be ones own boss
  
• must replace your income (set aside 6 months of "dream earned" income "before sailing away")
  
• when it's time to say goodbye, make a clean break with the old
  
• live in freedom - independence with complete unbound abandon

“...make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt. So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservation, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun. If you want to get more out of life, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy. But once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full meaning and its incredible beauty.”  ― Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild

Inspirations...

"Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life." -Confucious

“We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes a lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.” Jesse Owens

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain

“Go confidently in the direction of our dreams! Live the life you've imagined.” Henry David Thoreau

“Security is not the meaning of my life. Great opportunities are worth the risk.” Shirley Hufstedler

“Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature... Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. ”
-Helen Keller

“So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.” -Christopher Reeve

“Let the beauty that we love be what we do.” -Jalal ad-Din Rumi

“The vision that you glorify in your mind, the ideal that you enthrone in your heart - this you will build your life by, and this you will become.” James Allen

“Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside them was superior to circumstance.” Bruce Barton

Judas the skeptic, cynic, critic, pragmatist... Judas the "realist" was completely "right"... 

He was right about the fickleness of people and the temporal nature of popularity. He was right about people that seek power and wield power and how those types will viciously protect their endless climbing and privileged positions... He was very very right about a lot of things... 

but, his fearful caution clouded his perception of purpose and its meaning...

"Listen Jesus
I don't like what I see
All I ask is that you listen to me
And remember
I've been your right hand man all along
You have set them all on fire
They think they've found the new Messiah
And they'll hurt you when they find they're wrong

I remember when this whole thing began
No talk of God then, we called you a man
And believe me
My admiration for you hasn't died
But every word you say today
Gets twisted 'round some other way
And they'll hurt you if they think you've lied..."

Making Work Meaningful and Sustainable in the New Economy  - The 7 keys to regaining control of your life, work, and destiny

series key 5: Build Your Own Boat… 
(and, not just a life raft)

• your "boat" is your escape vehicle.
  
• your "boat" must be a safe, reliable "escape vehicle".
• your "boat" is your business, your enterprise, your freedom and independence.
• your "boat" is your dream and vision manifested.
  

Noah built the ark before it was raining… and the work was done on his own time and in addition to his “real job”.

"Don't wait. The time will never be just right." — Napoleon Hill

Create something new... 

A new way to do something old… use tried and true principles with innovative application.

"We are all self-made, but only the successful will admit it." — Earl Nightingale

Do it better, do it differently, do it relevantly.

Introduction: Making Work Meaningful and Sustainable in the New Economy 
-The 7 keys to regaining control of your life, work, and destiny
Overview: Making Work Meaningful and Sustainable in the New Economy 
- The 7 keys to regaining control of your life, work, and destiny
series - key 1: Stay Connected - The 7 keys to regaining control of your life, work, and destiny
series - key 2:  Innovate - The 7 keys to regaining control of your life, work, and destiny
series - key 3:  Volunteer - The 7 keys to regaining control of your life, work, and destiny
series - key 4:  Get a Job - The 7 keys to regaining control of your life, work, and destiny
series - key 5:  Build Your Boat- The 7 keys to regaining control of your life, work, and destiny
series - key 6:  Sail Away on Your Boat- The 7 keys to regaining control of your life, work, and destiny
series - key 7:  Live Your Dream - The 7 keys to regaining control of your life, work, and destiny

Making Work Meaningful and Sustainable in the New Economy  - The 7 keys to regaining control of your life, work, and destiny

series - key 4: Get a Job 
-while you are building your dream - pursuing your life's passion(s) and work

Find good work to do… Work hard at it… Do good work.

In Christian historical tradition, one of the key early founders of the fledgling "religion",  Paul of Tarsus had a job. 

"After these things Paul departed from Athens and went to Corinth. And he found a certain man named Aquila, born in Pontus, And, because he was of the same trade, he stayed with him and worked; for by occupation they were both tentmakers." -Bible, Acts 18:1-4 

Why would a highly educated, tremendously talented and important key figure do "manual labor"? Paul "got a job" in order not be a financial burden on others, nor to disrupt or detract from his ultimate purpose.

"A good hedge against the risks of starting your own business is to start up while you still have a job that pays a regular salary and benefits. If you're in a position to do that, you'll have the best of both worlds." 
-entrepreneurs.about.com

Be reliable, dependable… predictable in the sense that you can be counted on.
" If you become a person that people depend upon, or rely on, then you will find a sense of accomplishment and feel much more independent. People will respect you more and see you as someone who is ready and able to help, and that's one of life's greatest achievements." -wikihow.com/Be-Dependable

• Building reputation is ones most important asset, no matter what objective or enterprise being pursued.
• Dependability is the most important quality for business and other enterprises.
• A trustworthy person is a reliable person. A reliable person can be counted to follow-through and be true to his or her word. A dependable person will be trusted to keep his or her commitments.

we must always be expressively creating... 

that best reflects our Creator... 

finding yourself? good luck with that. 
creating the best self... that's the one to work on.