By Thomas Reed
Not long ago, Gadd Business Consultants (GBC) posted the following quote on their Facebook page:
“If you do not feel yourself growing in your work and your life broadening and deepening, if your task is not a perpetual tonic to you, you have not found your place.”
–Orison Swett Marden, American writer
In one of my first conversations with Ken Gadd, founder of GBC, he impressed upon me that his entrepreneurial journey has included several different endeavors. He told me that the joy of being self-employed was the ability to creatively use your gifts in a variety of different ways.
In January, I had a chance to hear several inspirational speakers on subjects ranging from the art of networking to turning passions into careers. One of the most interesting was from Jeffrey Post of Ann Arbor.
Post spent an earlier life chasing the dream of being an actor. While in LA, he got a call from his mother asking him to join the family firm, a vinyl production company. He considered it a little less glamorous than the aspirations he was following, but he felt that if the family that had given him so much was asking for help, he had to do his part.
He related that when he got there, he discovered ways to apply the vinyl; this was a creative outlet for him. By following the creative thread, Post found his way into Ford Motor Company designing interiors. Three or four more steps down the line, he is now a real estate professional in Ann Arbor and starring in community theatrical productions.
Speaking to others that have known Post for many years, they all related that there were so many layers to him that cannot possibly be explored in just an hour or so. The lesson I learned there, is that too often we let tunnel vision point us toward the goal directly in front of us.
We need to be aware of the opportunities all around us and keep as many in our crosshairs as we can realistically expect to target. Our aim will improve as well if we are hunting game that intrinsically appeals to our own nature. Ken Gadd feels rewarded when he helps a client’s dreams become a reality, witnesses companies turn around or pass from generation to generation; Jeffrey Post found creativity in the family vinyl business and the real estate field.
The point I am going for here is: it has long been the aspiration sold to us as children that we should find a secure position with a large company and ride the wave until we retire. That’s not realistic anymore. I predict that in the future more of us will be finding creative ways to meet our financial goals; starting business(es) of our own, working as freelancers or consulting with others to build their own empires.
Without having a passion driving us to whatever employment option we choose, success is that much harder to achieve. We will know when we’ve “found our place” because we are more than feeding our family, and we are growing as people and our lives broaden around us.
Gadd Business Consultants, helping entrepreneurs effectively follow opportunities and passion in the business, non-profit and faith-based communities for over 30 years. Contact us today.
