What Makes You Happy Can Make You Rich

One of the perks of working with so many different people is, I get to help folks from diverse backgrounds to conduct personal assessments into what they value, and then help them to pursue the dreams that they left behind years ago.

While many people refuse to follow their passions when then gave up on obtaining their dream job, I get to coach my clients how to figure out what they do best and what they love to do, then where those two overlap, we have identified their DREAM job which I teach them how to pursue in their next job.

With so many highly qualified people out of work, under-employed, and struggling to make ends meet, now is the PERFECT time to come up with a new definition of "wealth."

While America struggles to reinvent itself, now is the perfect time to adjust our notion of success. Can we alter our prevailing definition of the wealth as the successful acquisition of materials objects to a new concept of success as doing what's best for others?


We are already witnessing a change in what we value, with the proliferation in social corporate responsibility not as a PR goodwill ploy, but as a sincere effort made by organizations to have a positive impact on society. We see it in the Green movement, the increase in micro-lending, a relatively new societal pursuit for alternative energy/fuel sources, a more ethical treatment of animals, a movement to preserve our natural resources, etc.

Instead of arguing that you can't pay your bills by chasing your dreams (those interests/hobbies that you pursue on the side), I would argue that each of us should make a renewed effort to reconsider that what we enjoy doing "ON THE SIDE OUTSIDE OF WORK" that fulfills us, COULD be our next full-time employment opportunity.

What do you do to make you happy? Coach Little League? Volunteer in your church/synagogue? Serve on your children's school Board? Lead fundraising efforts for community projects?

So many people are doing this now as we pursue second careers. As our nation struggles to create jobs, each of us will have to create our own jobs, to ensure we are employed in the future.

So I ask: "What makes you happy?" It can make you rich, if you pursue it with passion and intensity.

How do you accomplish this? Create a list of all the things that you love to do. then, create a second list of the things that you do really well. Where these two overlap, you have identified your DREAM job. Once you find those things that could constitute your future calling, you need to develop an action plan.

This action plan will include all oft he steps required to turn your dream job into your next job. List all the actions, start and end dates, prioritize with a 1-3 ranking with 1 being critical To-Dos, priority 2 items are the things you must get done in a short period of time, and the 3s are the things you need to get done. Identify the contingencies for each action, those things that will prevent you from completing those tasks.

An additional step in conducting a successful personal assessment is to figure out which types of organizations you would like to work for. what are the values that matter most to you. Pick five key adjectives that you think define you. Next, create a short list of the top 4-5 things that matter most to you in your next job. Some things you might be pursuing include: creativeness, variety, ability to take risks, personal growth, positively impacting society, recognition, work-life balance, etc.

Next, complete a personal job search marketing plan. Here's what you need to include on this 1-2 page document:

Your Name
Your Address
City, State, Zip code
Tel. (xxx) xxx-xxxx
Cell (xxx) xxx-xxxx
Email: JaneDoe@gmail.com
LinkedIn profile: http://xxxxxxxxxxx

Section 1 - Summary of your professional qualifications:

I possess X years of experience in Industry 1, Industry 2, and Industry 3, with core competencies in:
* Competency 1
* Competency 2
* Competency 3
* Competency 4

Section 2 - My Target Job Functions and Job Titles Include:
Function 1 Function 2 Function 3 Function 4
Job Title 1 Job Title 1 Job Title 1 Job Title 1
Job Title 2 Job Title 2 Job Title 2 Job Title 2
Job Title 3 Job Title 3 Job Title 3 Job Title 3
Job Title 4 Job Title 4 Job Title 4 Job Title 4

Section 3 - The Key Responsibilities That I am Seeking Include:
* Responsibility 1
* Responsibility 2
* Responsibility 3
* Responsibility 4

Section 4 - My Ideal Company Characteristics and Locations Are:
Key Company Attributes Ideal Job Location
Entrepreneurial culture, small start up, and condones calculated risk-taking NYC, Northern / Central NJ, etc.


Section 5 - Target Industries and Organizations I might like to work for:

Industry 1 Industry 2 Industry 3 Industry 4
Organization 1 Organization 1 Organization 1 Organization 1
Organization 2 Organization 2 Organization 2 Organization 2
Organization 3 Organization 3 Organization 3 Organization 3
Organization 4 Organization 4 Organization 4 Organization 4
Organization 5 Organization 5 Organization 5 Organization 5
Organization 6 Organization 6 Organization 6 Organization 6

By achieving your DREAM job you will experience an entirely new experience in your next job...HAPPINESS. And that's a priceless position to be in these days.