Dont laugh at this one....

[jlgntn]

I do not have a business background..exactly. I am 27 and took time away from school to focus on a career in a cosmetis direct sales company. I ended up earning a cadillac, breaking company records, good money etc... However I have lost my drive in this business and although I do not want to give it up I cant seem to get "in the zone" with my drive for this. I have a large family..great people but uneducated lacking drive to change lifestyle grow etc. I have no business experience personally and no way of finding a mentor..every successful person I know on that level is involved in my company. I feel so out of focus!! I am a strong person who has a positive outlook on life but I am starting tot feel negative as I am searching googling every night new business adventures! One positive is that I am already leasing a building I use for training local consultants, marketing nights etc.. I need something to sell... Any ideas? Forgive me in advance if this seems like "too much information" !

[Kardi]

watch the secret a couple times and see if things change for you

[akula]

Any ideas? Forgive me in advance if this seems like "too much information" !

not at all..i think you're genuine and rather pleasant

ideas?? well...tell me how would you advise a person who is asking the sdame question as your self

maybe this could be a good conversation starter

[jlgntn]

Thanks for your reply! I have watched the secret..I own a copy...Just not sure of what to do,, I thought about starting a beading jewelry business...check out www.femgems.com
How can I find out or project possible return and or profit the first year?
Can anyone give me advice on something such as this?

[jlgntn]

I would ask them what they want ultimately to achieve and who do they know! Thanks for the encouragement.. not sure if this was what your looking for...

[jlgntn]

And I would ask them what they were passionate about, if anything and what they would do for free.

[akula]

Thanks for that, I really like how you mention the need for achievement, the person's circle of competence and the individuals access to resources. These are all important factors for making an informed decision about choosing the appropriate career or the appropriate business opportunity. But note something interesting. I'm using the word "appropriate" rather than "right" because that's the closest we can get...me, you and everyone else changes over time. Because we change, the career decisions we make at this age may not always turn out to be "right" but we can make sure that they're "appropriate". "Appropriate" is good enough. "Right" is a mirage. Anyway...

Positive point 1: You're not alone. Statistically, the average person changes their career at least 5-10 times. Only about 20% of the workforce have been in the same role for over 2 years at any given time...and personally, I'm in the same position as you (and so is my brother, and so are lots of other people I know). I'm 24, I've always thought I knew what I wanted to do, I did it, I found out it sucks, and now I'm lost because I never imagined doing anything else. In other words, because this is such a common problem (i.e. career change), anybody in the workforce will be able to help you with it because anyone who works will identify with it.

Positive point 2: There's a way out. There's literally hundreds of recruitment agencies out there who can give you feedback on what it's like to work in any given range of roles. They're good people to talk to because they provide focus. Recruiters work for the employer, so they will totally sucker you in which is good because you don't have to agonize over decisions. You can use the recruitment person to take away your feeling of uncertainty. Likewise, that's what I did to solve my problem of being confused about my career.

So...look, I think I understand the problem you've got (because I've got the same problem) and there is a range of solutions for it. The issue of course (as I've experienced it) is regaining emotional control, conquering analysis paralysis, making the choice to be irrationally optimistic rather than rationally pessimistic and moving forward, because at the end of the day making one decision (which may turn out to be wrong) is better than not making any decisions (which may turn out to be right).

Finally: The substantive bit....I've worked in technology commercialization, law and finance...I can tell you about what these careers are like in case that's something you wanna pursue....other than that, what time frame are you giving your self for making this career change decision that you've gotta make?

[ltressel]

Hi,

I feel I should jump in to this conversation since I've really been been there. My only risk by joining this conversation is telling my age to justify the experience. I am 34 (yes grandma in this very young group).

Just like you I experienced this crossroads feeling at the same age. The difference is that you got a Caddy, I got a dying Caravan then. The point is you feel like your out of your element now, perhaps even feeling that you have plateaued your potentials.

In my experience, I literally shed some things and began a life changing over haul inside. I began to rediscover the passions that I've set aside to "survive this world." I went back to do creative things just to take away the seriousness of the business.

You must have some things that you loved doing before the consultant meetings, recruiting, and competitions began. Go back to these things-you might even want to take a trip somewhere. You need replenishing, re-educate your views. Something should start up in your head that should give you ideas for your next venture.


Good luck to you-the journey has just began.

LT

[jlgntn]

I am so thankful for this forum. It's great to connect with people of like minds. I was hesitant well maybe a little afraid to share my heart on these matters. I will respond more in detail to the last couple of post this evening. Thank You so much for the time you have invested in seriously replying..not just "fluff".

[cyberturbine]

jlgntn,
You seem to have the ability to network and build organizations. I'm promoting a couple, maybe you're interested in channeling your desire there..take a look. http://cyberturbine.ws
Thanks and best of luck to you in whatever you do.