One of the common misconceptions I seem to be coming across a lot lately is that to be self employed means needing to find that special niche, that diamond in the rough, a product that no body offers but you. This is simply not the case. Being self-employed can be as simple as take what you are doing for one company and provide that same service to other companies on a contractual basis. Of course now what you have essentially done is given up the stability of receiving a regular paycheck, benefits and a 401k, but what you have gained is the potential freedom to have more control over your world.

Now self-employment isn’t for everyone and there is absolutely nothing wrong with having a regular job. There are ways of structuring your life with a job that are freeing and incredibly empowering, but that is a story for another post. Essentially the most important part of “Boss or No Boss” is knowing what is right for you.

Today more and more people change what they do for a living all the time. The US Department Of Labor estimates that today’s worker will have 10 to 14 jobs by the age of 38! That’s amazing! Ok so for those of you who are ready to jump ship, here is an idea to brainstorm. What is it that you do really well? Ok so your training is in marketing, do you draw, design, have an incredible knack for public speaking? What I’m getting at is that we all have a variety of skills and personality attributes that we can use in all sorts of ways. If you are self-employed you might like to think about creating various streams of income. Create a portfolio of all the things you do, you don’t have to limit yourself to only looking for work in the marketing world. In today’s climate of rapid and monumental change the more hats you can wear the better off you will be.

In my short self-employed professional career I have been a performing songwriter, a project manager, an assistant to project managers, a technical director for large corporate functions, an audio technician, a video technician, a jingle writer and a life coach all on a free-lance contractual basis. You would be amazed at how the skills required to perform one task can bleed easily into others. For example, putting together and carrying out a tour of the Eastern United States for a band takes logistical prowess, attention to detail, administrative ability and an incredible amount of resourcefulness. All of the same attributes were used in being an assistant to the project manager responsible for putting together a massive exhibit at the 1998 world’s fair.

You don’t have to come up with nuclear fission, create a widget that stops coke from going flat or invent a time machine to go solo. You do need some creative thinking, a lot of enthusiasm and guts. You can do it, no matter what your background there is a ton of room for you in the new world free-lancers.

Awakening

I have just had an amazing experience, a life changing experience. I feel as though I have truly discovered and understand the secret of life. I have had an awakening.

I love coaching. The principle that we are defined not by our circumstances but by our perspectives on those circumstances has always rung true to me. Perspectives are so powerful, and I have always had the ability to be incredibly agile with them. I also recognized the effect this has on other people and I love it.

The fantastic Mrs. Lucy River has coached me for about 9 sessions now. Lucy is a phenomenal coach. She is intuitive, direct and wastes no time in getting down to business. In my first 7 sessions I felt like I was blasting through allsorts of fantastic self development, but it wasn’t until the most recent 2 sessions that something amazing happened. I was having difficulty feeling confident as a coach. In particular when people challenged me to explain myself. Every now and then I would come across someone who would shun the whole idea of coaching. I was having difficulty not letting this affect me negatively. I was questioning my ability and my legitimacy as a coach. My outward persona is one of energy, confidence and optimism. Anyone who knows me would tell you there isn’t anything Joe can’t do. He is extremely confident. I would like to agree fully but that isn’t the way I always feel inside.

Through a solid session with Lucy I unearthed quite a dramatic UAC (Underlying Automatic Commitment). Every now and then unconsciously I tell myself that I am completely full of shit. Wow! I shudder to type that statement, it makes the hairs on my arms stand on end. Where does that come from? I haven’t quite figured that out just yet. No matter Lucy asked me if I’d indulge her in an exercise. She then asked me to call 9 people and ask them this question: What shows up when I do, what qualities to I bring to a room? After a week and ready for our next session, I had a list. We called this list my essence. No matter what I’m feeling inside these nine people described the essence of Joe as: Positivity, Happiness, Constant Optimism, Energy, Lightness, Compassion, Unselfish, Smile glows, Easy, the list goes on. We then wrote down ten perspectives I hold about myself. Some of them matched up with my essence some did not. Some were positive and some were negative. The point being no matter what we feel or think about ourselves our essence or what we bring into a room remains the same. I now have the list of “Joe’s essence” plastered up around my house.

Next we wrote down a goal that I am working towards in each area of my life, career, family, finances etc. Lucy asked me what would happen if I consistently and reliably showed up as positivity, optimism, energy, easy with each aspect of my life. Of course the answer every time was wonderful things, in fact I am completely sure that if I showed up as my essence towards all aspects of my life then the sky would be the limit for the amazing things I could achieve. I was getting excited. As Lucy went down the list asking me the same question again and again, but each time in regards to a different facet of my life. She kept repeating positivity, optimism, energy, easy I started to see the amazing possibilities. Then it came

“What would happen if you consistently and reliably showed up as Positivity, optimism, energy, easy and lightness in regards to what you were thinking about yourself?” Lucy asked. At that moment I felt like I could see the rest of my life in front of me, and it was wonderful. If I showed up as my essence towards my UAC’s and my perspectives towards myself, I would feel light and confident whenever the unconscious thought that I was full of shit came into my mind. Every time I felt irresponsible or guilty I would chuckle to myself and recognize through my essence that I was fun and eternally positive. All the precious prescious time that is wasted every time I procrastinated making a decision out of fear would be saved, I felt as if my life was just extended 3 times over. By being aware of truly who I am, I have the power in me to squash these ridiculous unconscious negative beliefs. This, my fellow friends, clients and coaches is the secret. If you can apply your agile perspectives to how you feel about yourself then there will be nothing in the world that can stop you from being awakened, from being fulfilled, from having it all.

Thank you Lucy River, I feel like I had been waiting all my life to realize this. In my former life as a musician all my songs evoked melancholy and a longing for something that I didn’t quite understand. I thought what I was missing was someone to give to me what I give to the world. I know now that what I was missing was inside myself all along. We all have the power to be incredible. I’m awake. Watch out world here I come!

This blog will feature the observations, experiences and insights of Coach Joe “the international man of mystery” Faulder as he begins his journey through The International Coaching academy and starts his coaching practice.