Time is of the essence. If you’ve ever asked a question in a meeting and half of the time is spent going over what you already know, or worse, something that is completely irrelevant, you know the feeling of having your time wasted. Time is money, energy, and progress, so having your time wasted is not acceptable.
Here’s how to ask the right questions to get you the answers you need quickly.
Read MoreThis post is the second in a three-part series about achieving success in professional careers. While incorporating your passions into your career is a great way to build fulfillment, this series is applicable to anyone looking to succeed. The first post focused on defining goals, read that one here. This post will focus on connecting with people who will help you to reach those goals.
Do you spend time learning about your passion from others? I’ve mentioned before how important this is, but I realized that even for myself I wasn’t doing this nearly as much as I should have. This became clear to me when I took a look at how many people I had contacted directly about starting businesses. Given that this is what I plan to do for the better part of my life, this should be a high-priority task. And yet the list was pitifully small compared to where I thought I should be. It was also a sign that I hadn’t progressed in building my passions as much as I planned.
Learning from others is a great way to learn more about your passions. The simplest method is to read books and articles from experienced people in your field, but there’s so much more you can do than just read. Books are one-way avenues, and don’t give you the opportunity to pose questions, discuss specific situations, or even just see the way a writer’s eyes light up when they speak. So let’s look at three easy ways to make more connections, build meaningful relationships with others in your field, and learn a ton along the way.
Read MoreConversations on Passion is an interview series with those who have found and are living their passions in some form. If you'd like to be profiled, send me a note at ryan@crazyenoughtotry.com.
In April of 2009, I started an experiment in Union Square in New York City. I sit out there with two chairs, a table and a sign that says: “Creative Approaches To What You Have Been Thinking About”.
This is what I first read about Matt Stillman. I randomly came across his website, stillmansays.com, two years ago and then proceeded to read every one of his recounts of the conversations he had with the people who showed up at his table.
From coping with relationship issues to handling destructive pets to making important career choices, Matt's given creative approaches to the problems people bring to him. Drawing on the knowledge he's acquired of an absurd amount of facts and by looking at life through a slightly different lens than most of us, he's helped thousands of people think a little differently about the personal battles we face.
I recently had a chance to have a Skype call with Matt to discuss his own passions, how his life has led him to this point, and to get some creative approaches on how to find passions and incorporate them into our lives.
Read MoreI have some news that I'm really excited to share with everyone. I've just released my latest eBook, Don't Quit Your Day Job...Yet!
Sign up for the Crazy Enough To Try newsletter to get your free copy.
Inspired by my most popular post, in this book I've put together a guide for those of you who are interested in starting a business based on your passions, but are unsure about what it will take to make it a reality.
Read MoreThe other day, I was thinking about how I defined myself and how much my education influenced that. I am an engineer because I went to school to learn how to be an engineer, graduated with an engineering degree, and I currently work as an engineer.
And then I thought, that although I was an engineer by education, I was also an author. That came not from education, but from action.
From there I began to think of numerous other professions that don't require more than a bit of learning and the will to break into them.
Read More"You're never going to find your passion."
"You're never going to make the necessary changes in your life to make that passion your reality."
When you hear words like that, you should get angry. Real angry. You may feel frustrated right now in your current situation, but never is a long time, and who is to tell you what your future holds?
Statements like those may float around in your head, or you may hear it coming from people you know and thought had your best interests at heart.
If you're really going to make that change and introduce passion into your life, either as your career or as a hobby, you have to be able to take comments like these and get angry at them. Get angry at the idea that someone (including yourself) has the nerve to say you can't do something.
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I haven't learned my passion yet.
I haven't learned what I need to know in order to become a bona fide inventor or creator of a successful business.
And that means I'm not ready.
I'm not ready to make that transition, to work specifically on it as a career, to live out my passions of tinkering and creating (Uh oh, if you haven't read Crazy Enough To Try yet, I'm giving away the not-so-surprise ending, haha).
And that's ok. Because we're always learning about new ideas, new concepts, and gaining new knowledge. And truthfully...you're never ready to make a big jump.
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