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Done any
Whittling Lately?
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In This
Issue:
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Issue 379 -- October 23,
2007
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3. Could
you be a Lego Sculptor?
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1. Done
any Whittling Lately?
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4. Humor
-- Tough Interview Question
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2. 48
Days Online Radio
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5.
"The Ultimate Small Business Bootcamp 2007"
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Dear Kevin,
We are finally getting some much needed rain here in Tennessee. I
love to see the water running down the lane again and see the
neighbor’s horses playing in the soggy field.
It’s interesting to hear people complain about the long dry period
with dying trees and water restrictions, only to hear them
immediately complain about the rain. Outdoor picnics have to be
cancelled, construction has to be rearranged, and new wiper blades
must be purchased.
It would appear the comments ultimately say more about the people
saying them than it does about the weather. People who complain
find reason to do it no matter what the circumstances. People who
see the glass as “half full’ see the rainbow instead of the storms.
Now please excuse me – I have the opportunity to go check on a
raging leak in our barn roof.
********************************************
“A pessimist only sees the dark side of the clouds, and
mopes; a philosopher sees both sides and shrugs; an optimist
doesn’t see the clouds at all – he’s walking on them.”
Leonard L. Levinson
*To view this newsletter on our website in full html, please go to http://www.48days.com/newsletter.php
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Webster’s Dictionary
defines whittle as ”to cut away aimlessly at a stick.
Okay, but is “cutting away aimlessly on a stick” a waste of time –
or a useful part of a balanced life?
Last Sunday on a leisurely afternoon drive, Joanne and I found
ourselves in Lynchburg, TN. This is the town made famous for one
product only – Jack Daniels. It’s not all about making whiskey;
obviously, lots of people there were involved in growing corn,
barley and rye as well as other components of a vibrant community.
But we found some very quaint memorabilia around this little town,
calling people back to a simpler kind of life.
One small sign read:
To the casual observer, carving and whittling may appear to
be similar pursuits. But the two are related only by the fact that
each requires a sharp knife, a good piece of wood, and, as with
most things round here, a fair amount of time. Here’s how to tell
the difference. If a person is carving, he is making some sort of
useful object. Odds are he will end up passing this object on to
somebody who will appreciate the gesture greatly. In whittling, on
the other hand, the process itself is the thing. The result of this
effort is simply a poke of wood shavings. It is important to note
that this does not make whittling any less important than carving.
Each is useful in its own way, and rarely does a person excel at
both.
I remember as a small boy running up to the old guys sitting on the
park bench in our little town, to see what they were making with
their knives and sticks – only to be disappointed as the stick
disappeared totally with no meaningful object appearing at all. I
always assumed they were disappointed as well as they somehow
missed the critical cut where they could have shaped a dog or a
whistle. Now I see that perhaps it was I who missed the point of
the process.
Maybe in our rush to “do” we miss some of the opportunities to just
“be.”
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48
Days Online Radio Show
Yes, there’s been an upgrade in the quality of the podcast.
Starting this week I’ll be going straight to the computer rather
than over the telephone. We experimented with a cool new system,
but the recording quality was not what we required.
Thanks for the variety of interesting questions you are submitting
each week. As you know, I then scan through and answer as many as
possible in each week’s 48-Minute podcast.
Just click on this email link and you shoot your question in: AskDan@48Days.com
If you click on the 48 Days Podcast Player here you can listen to
this week’s broadcast immediately – no downloading – no wait. http://www.48days.com/podcast.php
Here are some questions answered in this latest 48-minute
broadcast:
- I am returning to
the work force and have a question regarding my resume. For
the past ten years I have stayed at home to raise and help
educate our son. How do I cover the past ten years where I had
no employer?
- I am currently 55
years old and am struggling to change careers. Four years ago
I got the photography bug. I had been praying for years that
God would put a new interest or guide me to do something I
really love. I believe this is my answer. My biggest problem
is promoting myself. Can you give me some suggestions on how I
can get my photography business really off the ground?
- Dan I read your
article of someone that earns $35,000/yr and has $275,000 in
college debt. I have a bachelor's in biology and I have
started a master's degree in teacher education, public health
- toxicology, and public health - health care org. I plan to
pursue my masters in social work and my doctorate in
counseling psychology. I have $50,000 in debt and I want to
get these degrees, but if you have another suggestion can you
help me out?
- I have gone through
the process of finding out what I would love to do. Now to
figure out how to make a living at it. I believe I am meant to
preserve and restore historic buildings. I love the feel of
them and love museums and restoring other old things. I have
little experience in actual construction, other than doing my
own work on things, but have worked in the insurance industry
around contractors for 30 years and am not a complete dummy. I
am thinking of retiring from a job that I hate in April of
next year and will have a moderate income by doing so. Are you
willing to give me some suggestions for making the transition
to this end?
- How do I answer
questions about my current salary? I've been asked outright
during an interview, and recently, when I was applying online
with a company, one of the questions asked my current salary.
I'm afraid if I state my current salary (of $57,000) that the
company with which I'm applying will offer me a similar
salary. I'd like to move up in salary with my next job.
- A few years ago I
presented an idea to a couple of friends, but we never really
developed the idea or the company. I'm thinking about fully
developing it now. There was no formal paper work or anything.
I want to be fair. How much percentage if anything should I
offer them in the new company?
And this ends with a great golf story -- that displays an important
life principle. "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is
he."
You can submit your question right now – I’ll work as many in as
possible for this week's broadcast. AskDan@48Days.com
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What do you do with
talent and passion in creative areas like art, music, or writing?
Doubt that you can really earn a living using your creative skills?
Heard comments like "Be sure to keep your day job" or
"That's a hobby, not a career"? Or even Thomas Mann’s “A
healthy man never acts, paints, writes, or composes.”
Don't believe the hype. Your dream job doesn't have to be just a
dream. Recent clients of mine have become a professional clown, a
dance instructor, a music theme artist, a hypnotherapist, a
meditation room designer, a wicker importer, and an image
consultant.
Are you great at cross-word puzzles? How would you like to be the person
who creates those? Maybe you’d like to dress up in a chicken suit
and be a sports team’s mascot. Or maybe you’d just like to have an
opportunity to use your talents in music in a way that would help
children build confidence (music therapist). You may not be the
next Danielle Steel but perhaps you could write the text of a
dramatic story that is then set to music by someone else
(librettist).
I am delighted to offer the brand new edition of Carol Eikleberry’s
book, The
Career Guide for Creative and Unconventional People in our
48 Days resource section.
Incidentally, Nathan
Sawaya did the illustrations for an article I wrote in the
current issue of AARP
magazine. Recently Nathan appeared on the Stephen Colbert show
and talked about making the switch from a New York corporate lawyer
to a Lego sculptor.
*********************************************
“When I told my father I was going to be an actor, he said,
‘Fine, but study welding just in case.’” Robin Williams
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The executive was
interviewing a young MBA graduate for a position in his company. He
wanted to find out something about her personality so he asked,
"If you could have a conversation with anyone, living or dead,
who would it be?" The proud graduate quickly responded,
"The living one."
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Here’s an event that can
put you into a totally new level of success for 2008. As you know,
Tim Knox has been my radio co-host and regular contributor of
workplace humor and solid business advice. Tim’s "The Ultimate
Small Business Bootcamp 2007" is just weeks away and if you
are 100% deadly serious about starting your own business or kicking
your current business into high gear, I'd like to invite you to
attend.
My son Kevin and I will be there for the Saturday lineup -- you can
see that my focus for this event will be on turning your writing
into money. Others will guide you through the process of using
eBay, podcasting and coaching as potential tools for your success.
$50 Discount Now – Tim is allowing me to offer a discount to our
48 Days crowd. In addition, we’d like for you to sit with
Kevin, Chuck Bowen (new president of 48 Days Coaching
Connection) and me for dinner on Saturday night, Nov 10th. Just
use this link for your registration to "The
Ultimate Small Business Bootcamp 2007".
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48 Days
P.O. Box 681381
Franklin, TN 37068-1381
(615) 373-7771
www.48days.com
Kevin - you are subscribed to Dan Miller's 48 Days weekly
newsletter with this email address: realityparents@gmail.com
If you wish to change your address, just choose 'Update Profile' on
the link below.
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