A J-O-B is just a day job that allows you to pursue your main interests/passions (your focal points) by providing some sort of resource, like:<ul><li>networking opportunities</li><li>access to relevant classes or special equipment</li><li>an energy balance (if your focal points are solitary activities and your J-O-B is very social, for example)</li></ul>Your identity does not live in your J-O-B, it lives in your focal points. A J-O-B allows you to pursue your focal points without any pressure to earn money from those focal points.

Get a J-O-B to support your interests

Having some help along your journey is a huge asset. A mentor = has already done what you're trying to do and can guide you along the path A life coach = can help you problem solve from a completely neutral viewpoint (in a way that your friends and family can't)

Mentors and life coaches can be a huge help

Holding events can connect you to valuable resources and inspire new ideas.<ul><li>Brainstorming party = invite friends, relatives, and colleagues to do some brainstorming on how you can pursue your interests</li><li>Resource party = an event where everyone looks for and contributes equipment, materials, useful information, and contacts </li></ul>

Tap into your network for ideas and resources

These days, traditional fields are not necessarily a ticket to job security. You can be passionate about many things and still be successful - you find a way to fit all of your interests into your life or even tie them together into one career.

It's okay to have many interests

Umbrella career = encompasses many interests Ex. Blogging is a popular umbrella career that combines writing, marketing, business, and any interests that you are blogging about. Ex. A filmmaker who makes films about Roman history, high fashion, subatomic physics Ex. An innkeeper who is a storyteller, decorator, gardener, chef

Find an "umbrella career"

Perfectionism often causes people to overwhelm themselves, freeze up, and not take any action. Be methodical about your perfectionism by looking at your to do list and deciding:<ul><li>Which tasks call for 100% perfection?</li><li>75%?</li><li>50%?</li><li>Just 25%?</li></ul>

Be a "perfect perfectionist"

If you have tons of interests, choose a few to focus on at a time, called your "focal points". How many? 4 is recommended so that you can stay engaged by pursuing multiple things at once, but not get overwhelmed. You can change your focal points at any time or keep them around as long as you like.

Narrow your many interests by choosing "focal points"

Updated edition of the author's The Renaissance soul: life design for people with too many passions to pick just one, published in 2006.

books

Books

The guide to leading a creative, passionate, and multifaceted life—big enough to embrace all your dreams Are you unwilling to settle on doing just one thing “for the rest of your life”? Do you jump at the chance to learn something new—or, after achieving success in one field, find yourself yearning for new challenges and looking around for something different to do? If so, you may be a Renaissance Soul. The Renaissance Soul is the first book devoted to this personality type, and in this updated edition—in paperback for the first time— author Margaret Lobenstine offers a life-planning strategy perfectly in tune with those who fear becoming “a jack-of-all-trades and master of none.” Discover how to design a vibrant, fulfilling life and how to: • Manage your time the Renaissance Soul way • Thrive on many interests without feeling scattered or overwhelmed • Pursue your passions even if they “don’t pay” • Carry your dreams forward no matter what your day job is. Stocked with creative, doable exercises, relevant resources, and interviews with successful Renaissance Souls, this is “one self-help book that is exactly as advertised, well thought out and offering sage advice” (Boston Globe).

Narrow your many interests by choosing "focal points"

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