What is your passion?
Certainty vs. Exploration
Years ago, while teaching Professional Development at St. Philip’s College, I worked with two distinct types of students. For those with a defined career goal, my job was clear. We outlined the necessary steps, starting with getting a job within their chosen industry or in one that was closely related.
Working with students who were unsure of their career goals was a more difficult process. I used two exercises.
- “Losing time” I had my students list activities that, when they did them, they would look at the time and wonder where the last few hours had gone.
- “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Phrasing the question this way helped my students think back to their original dream, before family, friends, and teachers told them that their dream was unrealistic.
My follow-up question would be, “What was it about that activity, job, or career that interested you?” One student who wanted to be a ballerina realized she actually wanted to be on stage. At that point, we were able to come up with other careers that would give her that opportunity.
I did have one that totally flummoxed me. She wanted to be a boy. She was not suggesting a gender change. She simply envied her brothers’ outdoor freedom. She ended up deciding that working in the forest service was a good fit.
The Engine of Entrepreneurship
Owning a business is a marathon. There will be times when the process depletes all of your reserves – financially, physically, and emotionally. Passion, remembering why you wanted to do this in the first place, becomes the only thing that can get you through those difficult times.
If you are an “accidental entrepreneur,” you already have a passion. Your next step is to learn as much as you can about how to run a business. Do you need an MBA? Absolutely not. The most successful entrepreneurs I’ve met have had little formal education. They have, however, sought out training that helps them start and grow their businesses. We are so fortunate in San Antonio to have tons of no-cost resources, especially https://launchsa.org/, where I work now, and https://sasbdc.org/, where I worked for 14 years.
Identifying Your “Blind Spots”
For those who are in their second act, look for what I call “blind spots,” those effortless tasks that we mistakenly assume everyone can do. Because these skills come naturally, we fail to see that they are both rare and valuable.
In all the jobs I’ve held over the years, coworkers constantly asked me for writing and editing help. Because good writing instruction had made the skill natural to me, it took decades to recognize it as one of my primary strengths.
Monetizing Talent in the Age of AI
What strengths do you have that you have overlooked? Once identified, plug them into an AI platform and ask, “How can I monetize (or build a business or career) out of my ability to ________?”
Next month, we’ll explore more ways to identify your blind spots and leverage those skills with AI.