Escape from Cubicle Nation

5 Ways to Avoid Death by To Do List

This month's Get a Life article is now online:  5 Ways to Avoid Death by To Do List.  I was inspired to write it by my own state of temporary insanity.  My original topic was “Setting Positive Intentions,” since we are in the month of January and Chinese New Year starts on January 29.  But I stopped and took a look around my own life and chuckled when I realized that I am:

• Reading 6 books simultaneously in the bathtub where I take a bath at midnight after finishing the day’s activities. (click on the picture to see which ones!)
• Taking 5 teleclasses that relate to growing my business
• Working on a global corporate project
• Organizing a large family event here in Arizona at the end of March with over 100 guests
• Writing a book
• Doing the everyday things to keep the house running … shopping for groceries, cooking, laundry and the occasional swipe of the dust mop
• Chasing my very cute and active 10-month old son Josh around the house
• Being a supportive Bonus mom to Jeff and spouse to Darryl

Since I don’t drink alcohol or smoke crack, I can only blame myself for creating such a ridiculous workload. So if you are anything like me, you may need to stop, reassess your situation and re-evaluate the number of things you are trying to accomplish simultaneously.  I feel better already after writing the article!

Are you feeling overwhelmed?  Share your tale of woe here and maybe we can help each other deal with it more effectively.

How do you measure a year in your life?

My good buddy John sent me this email the other day.  He is currently in a corporate job but will bust out to start his own business as soon as the time is ripe.  He says:

"I made the fatal mistake of reading the lyrics while listening to 'Seasons of Love' from the Rent CD:

Company:  Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Moments so dear
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
How do you measure--measure a year?
In daylights--in sunsets
In midnights--in cups of coffee
In inches--in miles
In laughter--in strife
In--five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
How do you measure a year in the life?
How about love?
How about love?
How about love?
Measure in love
Seasons of love"

John continues, "Besides the fact that this song just kicks my butt emotionally, it made me think of two things...how do I really measure a year, and is it it the right measure?  And second, the things I do measure in corporate land do not hit the heart (in email, in voicemails, in hours commuting, in meetings, in comcalls, in Powerpoint decks, in airport security lines, in mantras recited to keep from freaking out on the overcrowded airplane).  Do these mesh with what I really like to measure (nights slept under the stars, days of silence, time, time with my kids, time with my wife - ok, espresso counts for me too, in chocolate bars eaten)."

Moments such as John experienced will give you the energy and forward thrust to create the kind of life that you want to measure with the right metrics. 

Time keeps rolling on ... how are you measuring a year in your life?

Support Habitat for Humanity with Paper Houses Designed by Marilyn Scott-Waters

I feel a bit like a proud friend at a wedding who introduced the wonderful bride and groom.  Last month, I wrote an article about my new buddy Marilyn Scott-Waters, known as The Toymaker, called  Use your superpowers for good: how to align your creative gifts with work that pays.  After I interviewed Marilyn for the article, I was talking about it to my best friend Desiree Adaway, who is the Director of Global Youth Programs for Habitat for Humanity.  Desiree got excited about the work that Marilyn was doing with paper toys and contacted her.  The result is  The Paper House Campaign.

As a way to help Habitat advocate for housing, Marilyn designed a cut-out paper house that can be decorated by youth around the world.  "These paper houses are meant to be reminders to government officials that simple, decent housing is on the hearts and minds of their constituency," says Habitat.  Parents, community groups and schools can work with their kids to color the houses, then send them with letters of support to their local representatives.  Each paper house represents a home for a family.

This collaboration supports Marilyn's mission to help grownups and kids spend time together making things, and Habitat's mission which is to provide decent housing for everyone.

Thank you Desiree and Marilyn for using YOUR superpowers for good!  May this project bring huge smiles to the faces of many children and families who experience their own roof over their heads for the first time.

My kind readers:  please pass on information about this project to other parents, schools, churches and community centers.  The Paper House Campaign.

Why Women Who Do Too Much Housework Should Neglect It for Their Writing

This is the title of Chapter Ten of one the most delightful and inspiring books I have ever read ... If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit by Brenda Ueland.  I heard about it on Guy Kawasaki's Blog and immediately bought it.  I am a sucker for books on writing since I am a voracious reader, and love to write as well.  It was written in 1938, but you would never know it by what she writes ...

"...in fact that is why the lives of most women are so vaguely unsatisfactory.  They are always doing secondary and menial things (that do not require all their gifts and ability) for others and never anything for themselves.  Society and husbands praise them for it (when they get too miserable or have nervous breakdowns) though always a little perplexedly and half-heartedly and just to be consoling.  The poor wives are reminded that that is just why women are so splended-because they are so unselfish and self-sacrificing and that is the wonderful thing about them!"

But inwardly women know that something is wrong (footnote 6)"

(footnote 6) Menial work at the expense of all true, ardent, creative work is a sin against the Holy Ghost

(You have to love her footnote!)

She goes on to say ...

"They sense that if you are always doing something for others , like a servant or a nurse, and never anything for yourself, you cannot do others any good.  You make them physically more comfortable.  But you cannot affect them spiritually in any way at all.  For to teach, encourage, cheer up, console, amuse, stimulate or advise a husband or children or friends, you have to be something yourself.  And how to be something yourself?  Only by working hard and with gumption at something you love and care for and think is important."

"...And that is why I would say to the worn and hectored mothers in the class who longed to write and could not find a minute for it:

'If you would shut your door against the children for an hour a day and say 'Mother is working on her five-act tragedy in blank verse!" you would be surprised how they would respect you.  They would probably all become playwrights.' "

-pgs 99-100

Call in well today

In the last week or so I have been writing about how you can get back in touch with your real feelings so that your creativity flows for starting your own business.  I find that it is hard to get in touch with my creative self when I am doing the same old thing in the same old environment.  What is the solution?

Call in well to work.

That's right, take a day off for no other reason than to go dip your toes in a pond, make a snow angel or sit for hours in front of a painting at your local museum.  Getting outside of your regular groove will do wonders for the soul.  But there are a couple of boundaries I would put around this time:

• Don't do any work.  Period.  No blackberry, cell phone, voicemail checking or web surfing allowed.  As soon as you tune back into the work frequency, your creative vibe gets shut off.
• Go alone.  I love to spend time with family and friends.  But this day is for you to connect with you, so if you have anyone along, you won't be able to hear what you have to say.
• Take the back roads.  Even if you are going to a familiar place, go a different route than you normally would.  Pay attention to what you see along the way, as if you were a tourist in a new place.
• Don't make any plans. If you say to yourself "during this long walk I am going to refine my elevator pitch, set my goals for the next 6 months and define my target market," forget it.  It ain't about accomplishing anything, it is about enjoying doing nothing productive.
• Make it a full sensory experience.  Listen to your favorite CD in the car on the way there.  Stop and get a foamy, steamy cup of coffee and a delicious pastry, or whatever else delights your taste buds.  Enjoy the colors, shapes and sounds of what you experience.

One last thing ... if you are feeling slightly fraudulent about calling in work, you could say this:  "I can't come in today.  I am really not feeling like myself."  This is a true statement!  You are not feeling your normal bored, stressed, droned-out self.  You are feeling adventurous, creative and exuberant.

I would love it if you would take this day off then write to tell me about it. 

P.S.  I took this picture at Phoenix Lake in my hometown of San Anselmo, California.  It is the place where I would always go when I needed to connect with nature and free my stale mind.  Even here in the warm desert climate of Arizona, when I look at this picture, I immediately relax.  Such is the lasting power of a walk in a beautiful place.

5 things you can do to get your business idea moving while still employed

If you are one of the legions of cubicle dwellers who long to do something about your great business idea, you may feel stuck in analysis paralysis.  Ideas, plans, concerns, questions, fears and excitement all swirl around in your mind and create a cloud of gooey muck that stops you from getting anything done.  Here are some ideas for breaking the muck free:

1. Write down a one-page summary of your idea.  Include the name and concept of the business, target audience and product or service ideas.  You may struggle while doing this, and that's good!  Because the process of describing your business will help you clarify it. For more complete guidance on writing a business plan, see Startup Nation's 10 Steps to Starting a Business
2. Do a google search to see who else is doing similar things.  Start gathering information about the competitive landscape and see what you like or dislike about what other people are doing.  You may get slightly discouraged to find out someone has the same idea as you.  But better you find out now!  Who knows, you could find some great joint venture partners who will compliment what you have to offer.
3. Search out someone who is very successful in this area and contact them.  Of particular importance is the "someone who is very successful" part of this step.  You want to surround yourself with people who have actually done what you want to do.  People are generally willing to share information, even if you may be in the same space as they are.
4. Answer the question:  How would I make money at this?  Do some simple math equations to see how much you would have to sell to reach your income targets.  If you are selling products, how many would you have to sell at which price?  If you want to be a consultant, how many hours would you have to work each month?  The more you quantify your efforts, the easier it will be for you to imagine different ways to generate income.
5. Get some structured help. Take a class at a local university, work with a SCORE counselor, join a Yahoo group like one that works with Robert Middleton's Action Plan Toolkit or get yourself a coach.  Working with others is very motivating, and can help get you moving.

I can't even guess the potential success of your new business idea.  But I will guarantee 100% failure if you just sit in your cube and think about it.

Get busy!

The sad downfall of Leif Garrett

I don't know why it struck me so hard, but I was very saddened to see the mug shot of Leif Garrett today on the news.  Back in the 70's when I was just a tweener, I was in love with him, Scott Baio, Matt Dillon, and a whole host of other teeny bopper stars.

How in the world do you go from the first photo to the second?

In the shot of him from the court room, he looked about 60 years old, defeated, ashamed and humiliated.  What in his life went so terribly wrong that he descended down the hellhole of drugs? 

This story was featured on the news with another local one from Glendale, AZ.  They arrested four 13-year old teenage boys for doing methamphetamines in the school bathroom.  That just scares me to my core.  The one thing I learned from many years of working with teenagers is that they need many loving, engaged and concerned adults in their life.  Sometimes they aren't comfortable talking to their parents since they are in the rebellion stage.  But they will listen to others:  their parents' friends, aunts or uncles, coaches or teachers.

I hope Leif and the four Glendale boys get the help they need.  I hate to see such promising young lives wasted.

And if you have the opportunity to hang out and share a good word with a teenager - even if you don't know them - please do.  It can make a big difference.

How to get back in touch with your real feelings so you can be an empowered entrepreneur

Yesterday I wrote about how you learn to lie to yourself about how you feel when you are in a corporate job.  If you are stuck in this rut, here is a great exercise I learned in a workshop with my heroine Martha Beck that helps you identify your "body compass" which will help you connect to your essential self.  Details are described in her excellent book Finding Your Own North Star: Claiming the Life You Were Meant to Live. 

• Close your eyes and deeply relax. Vividly recall an exceptionally painful or unhappy experience. Notice how this memory is making you feel, not emotionally, but physically. What bodily sensations or symptoms are connected to the negative event?
• Name this sensation with a word or phrase.
• Assign a score to this negative feeling from 1-10, with the worst possible score being a 10.
• Repeat this process, thinking this time about the very best time of your life. Notice your body symptoms, name the sensation, and assign a score.

Once you have this valuable information about your "body compass," you can use it to understand how you are really feeling about a situation. When you think about a particular decision, what do you feel in your body? Is it your "best" or "worst" feeling? What is the score? Martha says "your body never lies" and I wholeheartedly agree! 

The more connected you become to your essential self, the more energy, focus and motivation you will have to pursue your entrepreneurial dreams.

Go ahead, FEEL IT!

(And the amazing picture of the North Star is by Wally Pacholka)

Do you know how you feel?

In the high-flying late 90's, I spent some time teaching career development classes in Silicon Valley.  I will never forget a class I taught to managers at Cisco Systems, which was then the biggest fat cat on the block.  Administrative Assistants were driving to work in BMW sportscars and many people were retiring rich in their 40's.

In the middle of the class, I asked the group how they felt.

"Although you are all doing well financially, you do have to work pretty hard around here to get ahead.  How does that feel?"

Almost in unison, everyone stated that things were fine, it wasn't that bad, and working hard was just the price to pay for reaping big benefits.  Everyone's body language showed puffed out chests and confidence.  It was very different, however, when I did follow up coaching sessions with each of them one-on-one.

"My life is a complete disaster," one manager told me with tears rolling down his cheeks.  "My wife is leaving me, my kids hardly know me and I am so stressed out I am worried about my health."

When we work inside large corporations, we are taught to swallow and disguise our real feelings for fear of appearing weak, lazy or not a "team player."  Over time, this tendency to lie in public about our feelings seeps into lies we tell ourselves. 

This is why you may struggle to get up in the morning and face another day at the office.  You may feel lower back pain, tense and tight muscles in your neck or have stomach problems.  You ask yourself "Why am I such a slacker today?" or "Why can't I just get on with it and complete this report?  I have done it a hundred times before."

What you may not realize is that your essential self is answering the questions for you, you just aren't listening.  It is saying:

I CAN'T GET OUT OF BED BECAUSE I HATE MY JOB AND IF I HAVE TO PRODUCE ONE MORE POWERPOINT PRESENTATION ABOUT THINGS I CARE LESS ABOUT, I WILL KILL MYSELF!

If you are serious about walking down the entrepreneurial path, you must get in touch with your essential self and get real about how you are feeling.  It is the only way to discover the work you are meant to do, and the business structure that will assist you to thrive.

Tomorrow I will write about ways to get back in touch with your essential self.

Does anyone have advice for an entrepreneur's dream business?

I received the following email from Dan last week:

"Pamela:  I just signed up for your free reports.  I have had a life-long dream of starting a business of historical and authentic Old West and Frontier "reenactments."  Instead of the "annual" dates that are celebrated in this country, I would like to take important events in US and Idaho history that for the most part have been forgotten. Instead of the "annual" amateur approach, my idea was to have a continual reservoir of historical and entertaining events for businesses functions, private celebrations and public events.  Help.  I am still hanging in there, but my friends, fellow actors and even the "Small Business Administration" have informed me that this idea is just not practical.  I have invested all of my time and money on costumes, guns and holsters, and properties, but I no longer have actors or investors.  I need to either do something with this idea OR put it to sleep.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you, Dan."

Here is what I sent him in response:

I like to use the backbone of a business plan as a way to analyze any business idea.  The Sloan Brothers from Startup Nation have a great list of twelve questions that lay the groundwork for a business plan that works in their book Startup Nation:  Open for Business.  They are:

1. What's your idea?  Describe it in simple terms as you did for me.  Your audience (prospects, investors, potential employees) should be able to easily understand what you do.
2. How does your idea address a need?  This is the biggest question for me with your idea.  While I know that you are very passionate about it (which is great!), does anyone else see it as a solution to their problems?
3. What model suits you best?  Your model may be resource-intensive, or hard to replicate.  Would a movie/video/travelling theater work best?
4. What's so different about what you offer?  This assumes that you know about competition in this area.  Who else is doing like things? 
5. How big is the market, and how big will you grow?  Who are all your potential customers?  Is it a growing market, or a finite one?
6. What's your role going to be?  Will you be the promoter/actor/invester, etc?
7. Who's on your team?  Who else can make sure you succeed with your idea?
8. How will customers buy from you, and how much will they pay? 
9. How much money do you need and how much will you make?  What expenses will you have, and what are likely income projections?
10. Where's the startup money coming from?  It sounds like you already have gone through some of your own and others' money.  Are there any other sources?
11. How will you measure success?  Is it purely in revenue terms?  Realizing your dream?
12. What are your key milestones?  Do you have a plan for how to grow this business?  What needs to happen, and it what order?

The main gap that I see from the limited amount I know about your plan is the market for your idea.  While you have great passion about it, does it address a real need, and is anyone willing to pay money for it? 

I never want to discourage people from realizing their dreams.  If this doesn't turn into a viable for-profit business, perhaps you could make money in another way, and fund this as a non-profit?  Even in this case, you would have to prove that people are interested in this type of offering.

What other advice would you give Dan?  I know he would appreciate your ideas.  Thanks!