The Mindset of Empowerment: Yes, You Can Do Work You Love

This guest post is by Farnoosh Brock of Prolific Living.

There was a day that I balked at people who majored in anything less “sophisticated” or challenging than an engineering program in college.

There was a day I considered marketing and sales to belong only to “that organization” in a company and to a certain type of personality.

There was a day that I believed those who worked for themselves were not only serious risk-takers but they were also probably very lonely because they did not belong to a large entity, a corporation, an organization and associate with others all day long.

There was a day that I thought I was meant to climb that corporate ladder to the top and take my seat as an executive vice president and become the greatest leader of my ex-employer, a large Fortune 100 technology company in the Silicon Valley area.

Then there was that fateful day that I suddenly realized what silly nonsense I had been telling myself all along. Or perhaps, what crazy notions others had been shoving my way, all of which I had chosen to naively believe.

It really does not matter which because, in the end, you will have lived your life following a certain path in a limiting belief system. Those who told you this was the right path most likely will not be around to answer your burning questions when serious doubt sets in.

And if it was of your own doing, well then, you will have some rough patches of bitterness and forgiveness to work through before you come to terms with reality. Only then can you fiercely embrace the present moment with all your might and get to work on course-correction with vengeance of a giant that has come alive after years of hibernation.

There is no time to waste.

There is no more play, no more fooling around, no more asking others what they think or projecting what the economy will do. There is no more waiting until the stock price goes up or that promotion comes through or the project becomes more tolerable at your existing job. There is no more patience left to save up just a little more money or wait until your family “comes around”. There is no more wishful thinking that you will act when all your stars align perfectly in a moonlit sky.

Because let me tell you that when you feel this urge to start on your path, the one you have been putting off for God knows how long, there is no tomorrow. There is only today and only now and you have got to take action and seize that short window of opportunity before it closes.

Now I realize that the way I used to see the world through my tiny lens back in college and the early years of my career in Corporate America was beyond limited. I realize now that marketing and sales can be one of the most essential skills you can learn in your life, whether you own a business or work for someone else. And I have come to have tremendous respect and gratitude for those who go out there to work for themselves and put their gifts and passions into building something worthwhile.

And it takes a lot to admit to yourself that you have been wrong about so many things. Maybe it’s all part of life and maybe even in our adult years, we have some growing pains. Who knows!

I only know this: when you do make these realizations, whatever stage you may be in your life or career, accept them and forgive yourself for having been so inaccurate in your earlier judgments. Now you know better and that should count for something and now you can make a difference with the newfound knowledge.

What do you do then, when you realize that you can actually build your dream into a business and that even you, the least likely person to strike out on your own and boldly go after the calling of your heart, even you my dear have a chance in this world if only you believe it, if only you keep telling yourself that it is worth pursuing and you are going to find a way to make it work without giving up.

Inspiration and motivation go a long way in pursuing our dreams and they are the heart of the matter. But what do you do after you have stopped dancing around about your new decision to go after your lofty ambitions?

You need a plan. You need a strategy. You need expert advice and preferably, you need to avoid mistakes so you don’t waste even more time when you are following your own path at long last. You need to be practical and sensible while staying passionate and true to yourself.

When I left the corporate world, I was ready to build my business. But I didn’t get ready to do it after my resignation. I started getting ready about 2 years in advance, with a serious planning process 9-6 months prior to leaving. Maybe that was conservative and your mileage will vary but putting together that exit strategy was one of the smartest things I did. It enabled me to pursue blogging, writing, and digital entrepreneurship full-time and in less than a year, it is a thriving itty biz with heaps of potential.

And I’d love to be able to help you do the same.

Learn how to put together your smart exit strategy and then actually put it together, and make it ready for execution during an upcoming course that I designed precisely for this. Build the bridge between where you are now and where you long to end up with your fabulous career and business with a smart plan, with forethought and with expert advice and accountability.

After all, your dreams matter too much for anything less.

About the Author: Farnoosh Brock left her corporate career to write, to speak, and to pursue the world of entrepreneurship. She writes about living on your own terms, crushing your fears, and cultivating smart habits at Prolific Living. She invites you to get on the free newsletter about the upcoming course, Smart Exit Blueprint, and make your transition out of an unhappy job a smart and easy one.