What’s Next?

It’s easy to get down and depressed when it seems like so many things aren’t happening the way you want them to. I meet with men and women who are working hard to find the next right thing for them and they come in stooped and frustrated. But they do perk up and become inspired once we scratch the surface and find the quiet possibilities that lie, often, just below the surface.

This shift we’re experiencing is creating a lot of second thoughts about career paths chosen and how they’ve been managed. Fact is that things just happen…We forget that the view from the ‘top’ is lonely because not everyone makes it there. But we’re coming from a time when it seemed that the top was accessible to so many. Now we’re all being pushed to think and act differently. I’m reading (or listening on my ipod, actually) The Long Tail by Chris Anderson. You’ve probably read it already, too, but if not…do. If you’ve been holding out on learning about changes in commerce, now’s the time to get up to speed. And if you have a long- standing but quiet dream of starting your own business now is the time to get started on making this happen. Be honest with yourself about what you really want and enlist someone to encourage you to go for what you envision. There’s room for everyone out there to make their mark…but let’s face it, many corporate work places have figured out that they can get by with fewer people on their payroll. Of course this will ultimately backfire because so many people are burning out. A major backlash will be coming — employees who have had it will walk when the economy shifts again. I talk to those people too ;-0

So get fired up, get out and learn. Get active. Let yourself be inspired by a dream you held long ago and then remember that feeling uncomfortable (this will happen after you decide to take action) is a great sign that you’re in learning mode. And everyone needs to be updating themselves and their notions of how work and commerce work now. What’s your next move?