"In the factory we make lipstick; in the drugstore we sell hope." That's what Charles Revson, Revlon's founder, supposedly said. Often self-help guides work the same way. They promise a new life, easily and effortlessly, starting tomorrow. Take Marsha Sinetar's best-seller, Do What You Love -- The Money Will Follow. Everybody remembers the title, but Ms. Sinetar's text spells out the reality. Sure, the money will come -- but not soon and not a lot. Or consider Martha Beck's Finding Your Own North Star, filled with inspiring stories of successful career-changers. Each story also includes a line or two like, "It was hard at first. Money was tight. But now..." Of course, moving to your dream may also allow you to simplify your life, saving money, time and hassles. Tama Kieves, author of This Time I Dance, says she bought objects to fill the empty space in her previous life as a frustrated lawyer. As a fulfilled writer and artist, she no longer craved shopping sprees at the mall. "Dressing for comfort" has always been part of my own dream. I suspect there's a dry cleaner somewhere in Silver City, but I couldn't tell you where. I'll wear a suit for a paid presentation, but my everyday uniform consists of shorts or jeans and very, very comfortable shoes. Can you pay the price? Only you can decide. Some of my clients could move from a palace to a hut with no regrets. Others feel deprived when they have to sell the yacht or give up one of their two full-time servants. Your family pays a price, too. Relocation typically includes family members who move and those who are moved, such as the "trailing spouse." A career change also creates a "trailing family." One of my former colleagues was reluctant to change careers because, "My partner likes being married to a college professor." Yet other career changers hear their families say, "We'd rather have a happy breadwinner than a rich one." The highway to your dreams is guaranteed to include some bumps and detours along the way. You may welcome the detours and get a laugh out of the bumps. You may actually enjoy changing a flat tire now and then. A few people do move to their dreams in a chauffeured limo with champagne in the minibar and soft music coming from the speakers, as they zip along a recently-paved express lane. But if rattling along in a bus signals torture, not adventure, wait till you can afford the limo. Resentment will cause your journey to grind to a halt, and you might be stranded in the middle of nowhere. I offer one-to-one consultations on career strategy. |
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