True Path/New Path

A friend recently turned me on to a new magazine, Worthwhile, that focusses on having a work life and environment full of purpose and passion. It is a different way of looking at the workplace, an idea whose time has come. Many of the articles profile business executives and trust fund babies who were able to follow their passions (not such a challenge when your family can easily bankroll you!), but I found lots of food for thought and am sharing the ideas with my colleagues and superiors.

http://worthwhilemag.com/

A few months ago I was given a directive by my boss to implement a new product size extension. It's a pretty daunting project and has the potential to increase sales by over a million dollars in its first season. If I can pull this off right, I can come off as a hero and there might be a promotion for me in it.

A few years ago, I would have gone into this project wholeheartedly, put all my energy into it just for the sheer joy of proving I could do it. But I have done that in my job so many times and gotten such paltry returns that I no longer have the enthusiasm. And more importantly, I don't want anything to get in the way of the momentum I am building with my true path projects. Unfortunately, though, I am not in the position of refusing this project, unless I am prepared to leave my job, which I am not yet ready to do. So now I am looking at ways to make this project work, but in a way that doesn't compromise my work on my true path. I'm making it all up as I go along, but I feel compelled to do it.

A few months ago I was given a directive by my boss to implement a new product size extension. It's a pretty daunting project and has the potential to increase sales by over a million dollars in its first season. If I can pull this off right, I can come off as a hero and there might be a promotion for me in it.

A few years ago, I would have gone into this project wholeheartedly, put all my energy into it just for the sheer joy of proving I could do it. But I have done that in my job so many times and gotten such paltry returns that I no longer have the enthusiasm. And more importantly, I don't want anything to get in the way of the momentum I am building with my true path projects. Unfortunately, though, I am not in the position of refusing this project, unless I am prepared to leave my job, which I am not yet ready to do.

So now I am looking at ways to make this project work, but in a way that doesn't compromise my work on my true path. I'm making it all up as I go along, but I feel compelled to do it.

One of my ongoing projects is to carve out some space to work on my ideas. It's been a surprisingly difficult project-- I can never keep on top of keeping the spare bedroom organized. It seems like stuff and papers grow faster than I can contain them.

There are a few islands of organization. All the books and magazines I consult are on a shelf on the big bookshelf. I keep the computer desk fairly organized. But the rest of the room is fairly chaotic. I can't help but wonder if my work would flow more easily if there was more order around me.

So I continue to chip away, trying to keep the incoming flowing as smoothly as possible. I hope that one day I'll have a system in place to conquer the clutter. I hope you have your own sp ce to physically let your dreams flourish and that it's neater than mine!

I was on the elliptical trainer at work yesterday when I found the latest issue of Woman's Day magazine. I almost never read Woman's Day, but I noticed this issue has an article on finding your dream job! Woman's Day is devoting a year's worth of articles to how to make your dreams come true:

http://www.womansday.com/article.asp?section_id=7&article_id=9384

After reading about the horrifying devastation in the South, I realized that I had no emergency preparedness plan. No supply of water or food or an escape plan in case there is a serious emergency. Since I have pets, my options for getting into an emergency shelter would be limited and in the event of an earthquake or other disaster, I could expect to be pretty much on my own.

So over the long weekend I bought a plastic bin and filled with supplies both for myself and the cats. I have also started gathering important paperwork to include copies in my emergency kit and to send to my mother, who lives out of state, for safekeeping. I also started a list of the things most precious to me, prioritized, so if I ever have just five minutes in which to evacuate I have a list so I won't be running around, wasting precious time prioritizing. (It was surprising how short that list is!) The bin now sits near the garage door, with a sleeping bag on top of it.

When I put the bin into place and marked my calendar for next Labor Day weekend to switch out water and food products, I felt an incredible sense of relief. I had done something about an issue that had been weighing on the back of my mind for years now. I could now let that go and make room for other things to contemplate. This has inspired me to start looking at other little nagging issues so I can get them resolved and free myself to work on more important areas.

Even after being out of school for over twenty years, Labor Day weekend still feels like the beginning of a fresh start. We still may have six weeks of summer here in Southern California, but the calendar tells me it's time to get out my notebooks and pens and get to work. This weekend I am carving out some time to review my plan, read some more books, sketch out some goals and how to acheive them. Of course, I'll still take some time to laze in the hammock and get to the beach, but most of the weekend will be devoted to working on my plan.