by Tracksuit Dad
Being in the right place at the right time isn’t something you can force.
It just happens when you keep busy. Effortlessly.
- A Message From the Universe
Doesn’t it seem like you can work on accomplishing one goal endlessly without results, until of course you’ve abandoned that goal. That’s because
when we force things the energy doesn’t flow well. The message you’re sending out is one of desperation and nobody wants to be around a desparate person. When I used to ride the Subway in New York I never wanted to give money to the guy who would crawl on his knees from one end of the car to the other pleading “please, I’m so hungry, soooo hungry”. Sure you feel for the guy and you’ll give him a few bucks now and then, but the guy you really want to give money to is the doo-wop guy:
Doo-Wop Guy: Excuse me sir, what time is it?
TrackSuit CEO: (looks at watch) It’s 9:30.
Doo-Wop Guy: No it’s not, it’s doo-wop time.
And then he launches into a doo-wop medley with his 2 buddies singing harmony. They make you smile, they entertain you and look at that, they’ve each got a cup unassumingly extended in your direction. And those guys make a killing, at least as far as subway entertainment goes.
So how do you make things happen without seeming desperate?
By staying busy doing things that give you energy and that are in line with your overall goals. Say there’s a job you really want. Well, just go apply for it, get your foot in the door, interview and forget about it. Once you’ve put it out there that you want that job then go do something else. Go apply for another job or go do an art project with the kids. Get your mind off of the job you want and miraculously things will happen and it may not be that exact job. But it will be as good or maybe even better. And that as good/better job will be magnetically attracted to you because you’re having fun, you’re happy, you’re a subway doo-wop singing rock star! I would hire you.
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When I worked at the computer company whose name we must never mention I tried endlessly to get other jobs using mainly my trusty resume. Talk about disheartening! I got almost nowhere and wasted way too much time and Crane’s watermark paper. And when I would get a job interview, I was so desperate for a career change I’m sure it came across to the interviewer. Apparently, people don’t like to hire desperate candidates.
I should have started a blog! Since I started this blog I have met the most interesting people, people I have a great deal in common with. I’ve also had people contact me about my online marketing services. I think this is amazing considering the few short weeks this blog has been up.
I’m not the only one who realizes the importance of having a blog. Recently Hunter and Associates did a piece on the importance of the blog in today’s business world called Let the Job Find You:
The resume, as Zoli Erdos says, is still a factor in employment, but the real story of you - who you dependably are - has probably been told much more authentically in your daily blog posts than in that carefully polished resume.
Yesterday Lifehack proclaimed that Your Blog is Your Resume and talked about how many employers will Google your name when considering you for employment. The blog doesn’t just help you with your job search. I am no longer looking for employment or a day job but I am always looking for marketing clients. My blog has helped me with this. More importantly, it’s connected me with a wonderful network of people who think like I do. This is the purpose of the Web 2.0 revolution: creating offline relationships through online networks.
So whatever you’re looking for, friends, clients, investors or employers, consider starting a blog. Keep it updated and keep it real. If you’re writing from your experience and from the heart, people will identify with what you write. We all know what happened to Dooce, Queen of Sky and Mark Jen from Google: they were all fired for their blogs. I just put in a panel proposal for the 2008 SXSW Conference, here in Austin, to have a discussion on how not to get Dooced or fired for your blog.
In the comments: Do you have any stories of people who were actually hired for their blog?
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I did a self-paced screenwriting course called How To Write a Movie in 21 Days and I learned that most every movie you see follows the same basic structure.
And because movies are one of the most effective forms of storytelling I started to wonder if the structure of a movie mirrored the structure of real life. One of the most surprising aspects of this structure is the importance of giving up. For the protagonist to move to the next act and accomplish their final goal they must first give up on it. You see it time and time again. Take The Da Vinci Code, for example, where our hero searches for the holy grail the entire film but it isn’t until he goes back to his hotel to sleep things off that it occurs to him to follow the right clues that lead him to the grail’s final resting place. And guess what, it was in the exact place where he started.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve strived for something, especially business related, doing everything I know to do. Trying to force things to happen in the exact way I think they should happen only to eventually put it all aside. Then, wouldn’t you know it, something comes up that gives me the desired result. And it’s a much more efficient solution than I ever imagined. This is hard to admit as the TrackSuit CEO fancies himself something of an efficiency expert.
So maybe giving up is an important step in accomplishing our most elusive goals. Although, I don’t think it’s about giving up as much as it’s about stepping back and getting out of your own way. When you stop trying to force things you start to allow the Universe step in and take hold of the situation. You then find that people, circumstances and events magically appear to help you accomplish your goal.
I know this goes against everything you’ve ever learned about being an entrepreneur and making things happen in your life. Or does it? Maybe life isn’t so difficult after all and you can just put things into motion trusting that they will turn out for the best. Surely you’ve heard the old saying about the ‘watched’ pot never boiling.
So if you’re struggling right now to make something happen in your business or your life in general, then step back for a minute. Maybe it’s time to refocus your energy or just take a short break and don’t worry, when the kettle starts whistling you’ll know it!
