Inside Out!: Finding Your Wings (Coping With The New Job Market)

The Times They Are a-Changin' --- hard to believe it's been nearly 50 years since Bob Dylan penned those words. And they almost seem more relevant today than they did back then!

Each day the media hits us with a new disaster in the making. One of this week's bombshells was news that the post office would go broke by October. We watch with interest the political battles being fought in Wisconsin and Washington, DC. Uprisings in the Middle East have everyone's attention, for many reasons.

Rising costs are cutting into everyone's bottom line. All over the world people are doing what they can to preserve their lifestyles. What will we do when we must rely on UPS or FedEx? How will we get to our jobs if gas is $5 a gallon? How can we feed ourselves well with prices sky-rocketing? Are we even going to HAVE a job? "The sky in falling" is the mantra of all the talking heads on TV.

Earlier this week CNNMoney cited a recent report about traffic congestion in the U.S. which caught my attention and was very enlightening.

"Workers spent 4.8 billion hours slowed or stuck in traffic due to congestion during 2009, according to a recently released report from the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M. That was an improvement over 2006, when a record 5.25 billion hours were wasted. But it still equates to an average of 34 extra hours per year on the road."

Although Los Angeles and New York are always primary targets when it comes to traffic talk, few were surprised to see Washington, DC, near the top of the list. The explanation given was that almost anyone working in DC must cross the river -- which means bridges; and most employment in DC is in government jobs with the same working hours (8-5, Monday through Friday).

I started thinking about the reasons behind my decision to leave my job in a conventional office. One of the major items was my 50 mile commute twice a day. That "34 extra hours on the road" cited above made a whole lot of sense to me. Other reasons included the well-known fact that I'm a night owl (crawling out of bed every morning at 4:30 a.m. was sheer torture) and I was tired of limited vacation time.

Today we are looking at rising gas prices and the outsourcing of jobs to countries who have grabbed the Technology Bull by his horns and made the virtual world work for them!

What Are You Going To Do?

Have you considered working from home? Have you spent years dreaming of owning your own company? Do you crave an alternative lifestyle? If so -- what's stopping you?

What Are You Going To Do?

Today's world requires creativity. Can't find a job? Maybe you need to change directions. What always worked before isn't necessarily what will work at this moment in time. Being flexible is truly an asset.

Working from home (or an RV) offers unique opportunities to redirect your energies into things which are truly important to you. Setting up a v

irtual office is not difficult. I've spent a number of years doing just that -- I've been a virtual specialist for more than 10 years. I've lived full-time in my RV for nearly 3 years -- traveling and working all over the country. Not only have I cut my expenses, I'm living a greener lifestyle with a much smaller footprint.

"You Are Living My Dream"

How many times have I heard those words in recent years. My response is always the same: "You could do it too." Amazing how easy it is once you decide to do it.

Tell Me More

Interested in learning how to establish a virtual office? Need help in deciding what kind of work you should do? Do you crave an alternative lifestyle, but wonder how to accomplish it?

This Is Your Opportunity

Starting in April Cardinal Point Virtual Assistants will be offering a course entitled Finding Your Wings. You are welcome to join me on this journey. The course will combine weekly 1:1 mentoring with a series of exercises which combine reading original material (written by me) and homework assignments (completed by you!). This is an in-depth course aimed at getting you up and running in a new direction in months -- not years.

It covers everything from determining what you want to do and finding your niche, to marketing, setting up and operating a virtual office anywhere you wish, and maintaining your sanity through it all.

"Problems worthy of attack, prove their worth by fighting back."

I've always loved Piet Hein's grook, quoted above. In the end, you are the only one preventing you from realizing your dream. Working for yourself is not easy, but it may be more freeing than continuing to work for someone else in a conventional office. If you are to succeed in realizing your dream you will need to do some real soul-searching. This course should help you make that journey.

In today's world we are all faced with changes, challenges and issues that seem unsolvable. Sometimes we must make a U-Turn -- change directions, take a detour through town; stop for a few moments and watch the parade.

Remember how much fun new things were when you were a kid? Learning to ride a bike; playing marbles; jumping into the swimming hole? As adults we invest huge amounts of money in things we quickly find boring. Why? Because we seek a new thrill --- something that makes us feel like a kid again. I guarantee, moving into a virtual office situation will be a thrill. The challenge of changing your way of life will keep you excited and interested.

Finding Your Wings!

If you are interested in this course, please email me at: assistant@cardinalpointva.com before March 28, 2011. You will be provided with more details and we can discuss your expectations and needs. I look forward to hearing from and am anxious to get started "turning your boat around." Finding Your Wings will be a joyful experience.