Self Made Guy

I’ve recently started using a nifty Mac software called FreeMind, a mind mapping software. It allows you map out your ideas in a sort of “brainstorm” without following any sort of logical sequence. It’s supposed to mimic the way your brain sees things.

Never has a piece of software had such a huge direct impact on my life.

I’ve always struggled to put my ideas down on paper. I would usually end up making an extremely long list of ideas, notes, and thoughts about a certain subject, but it was never satisfactory. I would always cringe at the idea of having to review that list and find *any* kind of useful information.

My first application of this mind mapping software was towards my career options for 2009. It started off small, but after only a few days I was able to discover my true passions and my most interesting career options. As mentioned in a previous post, I was trying to discover a way to merge my passion for travel, computers, and motorcycles.

The ideas flowed, and i’m currently putting them into production.

For starters, I would need to get my foot in the motorcycle industry. Last year I developed a website for a friend of mine, a fellow entrepreneur, who is organizing motorcycle racing events in Quebec. I used that as leverage and decided to apply as a motorcycle journalist / web developer / anything, for motorcycle magazines in Canada and the United States. I know it sounds crazy, but I would definitely relocate to California if it means I can ride a motorcycle every day in beautiful warm weather, and actually be paid for it

It’s a pretty big career change since i’m not necessarily going to do “a lot” of computer work, but I have a larger plan, which i’ll divulge when the time is right.

A few weeks ago I decided to follow-through with my life plan. I gave my employer my two weeks notice and resignation letter. My last day of work was scheduled for Dec. 31, 2008. Indeed, I am starting the new year the way I want to start it, happy and stress-free.

Unfortunately, my family and friends chastise me for making such a bold decision, especially considering the current recession and the fact that I don’t have another job lined up. I’ll let them worry for me while I do my best to make this work.

I have decided to take this time off to reflect on my previous work patterns, to discover my real talents and passions, and to devise a plan for a new career. At the moment i’m doing a lot of introspection in order to figure out how to merge my passions and create the job best suited for me.

My 3 passions

• motorcycles
• computers
• travel

Now that I have all this free time, I can focus better on trying to create my future life plan, and executing it.

Stay posted.

Once in a while, I tend to lose focus on my primary objective. Throughout our lives we’ve been drilled by our parents, teachers, and friends about how we should live our life. They have tried pointing us in the right direction, but what is that direction?

I have found the best way to know what real direction I should aim for, is by making a plan. My life plan is long, complexe, short, and simple at the same time. It’s not meant for anyone else to understand, although I could always describe each aspect individually.

When I sit back and take a minute to revise my life plan, I sometimes realize that i’m not going in the right direction anymore. I realize that everything I do must be in alignment with that plan. Most of the successes I’ve had in my life can be attributed to me following my plan, so why not follow it?

With that in mind, I want to make it known that part of my plan is to continue writing, another part is to move to California, and the other is to go back to being self-employed.

Being self-made isn’t just about discussing ideas and planning the ideal life. It’s also about living your ideal life and doing something about it.

I’ve added a section to this site not long ago and I think everyone should have a look… because they are very worth reading.

If you’re currently confused with life and your career, these books might make you even more confused. I see it as a good thing, because they will open-up your mind to new ideas and opportunities that will eventually help you get back on track.

Click here to visit my list of Great Books.

I’m constantly updating the list so check back often for new additions.

In contrast to my last post, I would like to discuss a few signs of success which have helped me realize I was on the right path.

A few months ago I had a discussion with a close friend, she’s a successful entrepreneur and a huge risk-taker. On her most recent business venture, I asked her how she knew this project would work. I was curious to know what made her continue. It turns out her answers were the same as my answers in regards to jobs and every other area.

Here are the most common signs of success:

• I have a gut feeling that makes me feel good and secure.
• I’m happy and smiling every day, no matter what difficulties I encounter.
• I have positive support from my family and friends who encourage me to keep going.
• My work feels effortless while remaining challenging, interesting and fun.
• Things just seem to fall into place when I need it.
• Time goes by real quickly and I notice improvements along the way.
• My success in one area spills-over to other areas of my life.

I’m sure you’re familiar with the saying “When it rains, it pours”.

It’s important to make changes to your current situation, whether it relates to work or relationships in order to get on the path to success. Whatever it is, you have to notice the signs and do something about it.

So the question is, are you on the path to success? Have you noticed these signs recently? If not, what are you waiting for?

Share your comments below.

I’ve read Seth Godin’s book “The Dip” a couple times but I still don’t think I get it (well, now I do, but I didn’t…).

• I understand the idea that in life, quitting isn’t always a bad thing.
• I understand what he means when he mentions choosing the right time to quit.
• I also know how to recognize whether I’ve reached a dead-end or a cliff, but for some odd reason, I still take too much time to do it.

Today I made a list of reasons I quit my previous jobs, and a pattern emerged. I realized that if I had noticed this pattern 3-months earlier, I would have quit my jobs that much quicker.

Here are my signs of trouble:

• I stopped learning and being challenged
• I frequently arrived late and/or woke-up dreading the day ahead of me
• I became irritable towards my family and close friends
• Evenings and weekends were spent learning new things and starting personal projects (as opposed to relaxing and enjoying life with my family and friends)
• At work, I spent more and more time surfing the internet, idling and sometimes pretending to work
• Work conditions slowly deteriorated
• I resented my superior(s) and didn’t enjoy working anymore

This list is probably familiar to many people out there. So what gives? Why do we let ourselves behave this way?

I think my reason can be attributed to a lack of confidence and guts for taking big risks. I need to realize what I’m worth and what I can contribute to the world. With this knowledge, and the courage to make the right decisions at the right time, I will be able to recognize a dip worth leaning into in order to be successful. I’m not advocating quitting as soon as things appear bad, but rather being quick to know what’s going on and react accordingly (working harder/smarter VS moving-on).

On that note, I would love to know how others go about quitting their jobs. Do you wait until it is absolutely necessary?

Please leave your comments below.

I’ve been known to change jobs often in very short timespans. Interestingly, the longest “job” i’ve ever held was being a self-employeed freelancer/consultant. Despite this, i’m not what employers consider a “bad employee”. I’m usually always on-time, I have a great attitude and deal well with people, I’m pretty good at what I do, and I always help them save/make a lot of money.

When things go wrong, they are usually due to my inability to express my creativity, and the fact that I don’t like being told what to do… I guess it’s a problem with authority lol. Having a boss who prevents this side of me from surfacing is a sure-fire way to make me quit. Everyone wants freedom and the chance to use their imagination. Throughout the years I’ve learned that the corporate world is not the place showcase your creativity.

Sure, some jobs allow and even require you to do this, but there is usually someone or something there to stop you. I’ve discovered that working for yourself is the absolute best (and probably the only) way to have complete control over your time and creativity, thus allowing you to pursue your passions.

My mom thinks i’m crazy. Everytime I get annoyed or bored in a certain job, I quit. To her, my reasons are never valid, but to me they are the best reasons on earth. I want to enjoy life. I want to enjoy everything I do and be in control of it along the way. Most people don’t think it’s possible, but I know it is.

In retrospect, I think the real question I should ask myself is “Why do I keep taking new jobs?”. The answer for me has always been one of money. I’ve never actually made a sustained effort to make money as a freelancer & consultant. I always thought being a freelancer was the best way to be self-employed, but I was completely wrong because I still ended up working crazy hours.

Separating your time from your work is an important move to make. I need to start a business, go back to being self-employed, without relying on my TIME as the only way to make an income. I understand it requires a lot of time initially to start-up and get things rolling, but it has to be done.

This time I want to do things differently. I realize that doing the same things (which didn’t work) will not work the next time around. If I want to leave my job for good, i’ll need to stick to THAT goal and focus a lot of energy on working smarter, not harder.

I guess that’s what would really make me a Self Made Guy.

This post is inspired by another blogger who is trying to define her career.

I’m known to show passion and enthusiasm for many different subjects, so I thought defining my real passions would be easy. My indecisiveness in regards to “what I want to do” hasn’t helped either.

I’ve made lists, spoke with friends and family, and even blogged about my goals and interests. What I found most difficult was defining exactly what I am passionate about. I kept things simple by narrowing down using common denominators.

For each REAL passion I discovered, the recurring themes were: I have studied the subjects (school). I have consumed and enjoyed them for many years. They are subjects I can discuss for hours without losing a breath, and have no problem displaying my knowledge of the subjects.

I initially thought marketing was one of my passions, but the reality is that I can’t talk marketing for hours and I don’t have a large body of knowledge on the subject.

In no particular order, I have narrowed down my REAL passions to the following:

• computers
  - seriously, I think I was born to type. That probably explains my poor handwriting. I’ve always had a natural attraction and ease with computers. I can probably count on my fingers the number of days I spent without using a computer. Scary!
• motorcycles
  - there’s no way to explain how much I love motorcycles and all things related to them. I’ve even crossed an ocean just to see a MotoGP race. Twice! One of my biggest achievements in life was conquering my fear of actually riding one, and still enjoying it many years later.
• mixology
  - I know this might paint a bad picture of me, but it’s not in the form of alcoholism (abuse). I’m an advocate for moderation and enjoying alcohol for the taste, heritage, creation process, and the other good feelings it brings. Ever since I was of legal drinking age (18 in Quebec), I had a fascination with being “the bartender” and using my creativity to wow my friends with fantastic tasting beverages.

In the end, I don’t think there’s a real recipe to discovering your real passions. Some things simply re-surface without a conscious effort. If you can’t figure it out on your own, it might be fruitful to use the view from someone on the outside.

Good luck!

As mentioned in my “About” page, I have a so-so job and no post-secondary degrees or diplomas. On the other hand, I’m probably smarter than 83% of university graduates where intelligence is defined by your capacity to understand and adapt to change.

When I finished high-school, I was accepted into a Computer Science program in college. At the same time, I was learning other subjects outside of my required coursework. After 1 year of beating my head on the desk, I decided to stop attending class because I was offered a job doing exactly what I was studying to become: A programmer. I chose work experience over school. This worked out well because PHP was much more fun than COBOL.

I’ve read tons and tons of books throughout the years. At first they were mostly computer-oriented: PHP, C++, JavaScript, Networking, Linux… but with time I developed a growing interest for business-oriented books: Marketing, entrepreneurship, sales, management…

Despite not having official post-secondary papers, I must point out the importance of knowledge and education. If it weren’t for the hundreds of books, eBooks, tutorials, HowTo’s and other sources of information, I would not have sustained the life I’ve had up to now.

I’ve had a lot of help along the way, mostly from friends, family and people I’ve stayed in contact with throughout the years. Being a self-made guy requires you to maintain positive interactions with everyone you meet, while offering help to anyone who may need it.

I would love to hear from other self-made people, women too. Feel free to share your story in the comments below.