~ Will B. Penny, a family friend who recently saw his start up blow up in California…so he and his wife, Ima, pulled up stakes and went to NYC…with hopes of finding their next great career stop.  His story continues….

“Finding your happy achievements

Ouch, I just read that over 50% of American are unhappy in their jobs. http://www.kronos.com/About/pr_LaborDay_aug28.htm Another survey indicated satisfaction was at a 20 year low. Hey if you are out of work, you should choose a job that makes you happy. That is what I am working on doing.

One of the things in the 5 o’clock club book series is an exercise called the “40 year plan.” Basically it is all about figuring out what you want to do and have done over the next 40 years. Even if you are 55 years old, you should be thinking like this. Look towards the future.

So here is the project. You are trying to identify thing you have achieved that made you happy. That is it. These aren’t major earth shattering things they are things that make you happy.

Compile a list of 25 things through out your life that made you happy. I will go into the next part of the exercise in a while.

My list included getting elected high school class president and traveling to Morocco on my own at 20. Now those sound pretty mundane to most people, but at the time, I was pretty pleased with having done these things. In Morocco, my luggage got lost and so I found myself in a $10/night flow house with the clothes on my back, but I survived and overcame. I was pleased. Think about 25 times when you achieved something you felt good about. It could be helping someone else, a project etc.

Ironically I didn’t include graduating from college etc. on the list, for me it was just a given, even with a 2.01 GPA J

Finding out that my colleagues respected my ethics after making a tough was a big achievement. So go and make a list, that is what I did. It is a crucial part in my Job hunt.

A little holding out and one night stands.

I have been in contact with an old boss of mine who headed a European firm I used to work with. I have been holding out from you. He has “hired me” to work as a consultant on a project. Now I am aware that this hiring isn’t right for me. Project is too risky and the “job” on offer wouldn’t fulfill me personally or get me skills or experience to fulfill career aspirations. I am taking this project with a huge pinch of salt.

The project is small, not leading in direction I want to go and not a right fit. This is called taking a job while you get on path for a career. It is a 1-2 week project. I am not fooling myself into thinking of it as anything else.

Oh yes if this is your first consulting gig, please get it all in writing and make sure you make the “deliverables” small and manageable and clearly defined.

So I am doing some work from home, this is the career version of a one night stand. I have promised Ima that this isn’t the way forward.

I feel a little cheap, but it keeps my mind working and brings in some cash. In the meantime, I am looking for meaning and value. No dear reader don’t worry, I am not putting myself about. I have far greater things to get after. This is my life after all and has to have more meaning than a jumble of distractions followed by a giant pause.

Giving and Getting…the pie

I have my vision board which has some beautiful things and hopes on it. Among them are various material things, desires for healthy happy children and friends etc. I also have a large $ figure on the board.

Ima and I tend to splurge on the lottery when it goes over $50m. We figure it is then worth playing. We each put down a $1 for a ticket and consider the entertainment value justifies the money spent. We aren’t big gamblers. We spend 2 days in vegas and didn’t bet a dime, but we had a great time visiting some of the more beautiful casinos. If style and elegance are your thing, go to the Wynn. The rest of Vegas is a little neon for my taste.

Back to the vision thing. I have this large number as a goal. Not sure how I can achieve, other than focus. One thing I do know is that whatever that number is, I need to produce probably 10 times the value for other people to get it.

My philosophy has always been what can you give. It isn’t about what you can get or take. It is about what you can give. If you give, eventually get back.

I always like to work in environments or firms where it is about managing abundance. That is my personality. I love to create and grow new things, then share in the rewards. For some people it is about control and managing scarcity. IE cutting the budget and eking by. I enjoy figuring out how to create new things that can open up new markets or ways of doing things for people. Thus I look for roles or companies that are all about that.

I would make a horrible investment banker or haggler, where most of the job is about getting a bigger slice of the pie, than the next guy.

My ideal jobs involve growing the pie, or thinking up whole new huge pies. So for me to hit my goals, I have to create huge pies and take a slice. I figure if I can create a pie that is 10X in size for everyone to enjoy, then I can take X and be happy. X is of course my magic number.

Most of life and what we are remembered for isn’t what we took or had, but what we gave. So I am constantly hunting for that role where my skills can give the most.

My resume has a section devoted to what I can give to a company. Yes I expect to be paid, but the systems works best when everyone is contributing. It is also a lot more fun to be able to look back and say…”I did that or I gave that.” Good companies recognize and reward according to what you give. They reward based on how many happy customers you create etc. Always think about what you can give. Knowledge, listening, inspiration, ideas, solutions, results are all things that you give. And most importantly when you sign up for a role, remember you are giving your life, one slice at a time to this firm. Be choosy about who and how you give that. The most money, or prestige role, may not always be the ideal one.

Next Time: A VERY tough day.