The Freak Factor is based on the belief that your biggest weaknesses are also your biggest strengths. In other words, what seems to be bad is actually good.
Jonathan Fields, author of Career Renegade, applies this same principle to the recent economic meltdown in The Fire Fly Manifesto.
"What's going on in the world and the economy right now is frightening. . . But, I've got news for you. What feels like the end of the world to you now may, in fact, be the window you've dreamed of for decades. . . The meltdown has everyone re-examining how they earn a living and what they want out of their lives and careers."
"For those who've never explored a career with equal helpings of passion and prosperity out of a fear of being judged, unsupported or ridiculed, judgment has been suspended. . . This crisis has given you a massive, defensible reason to explore a radically different approach to the way you earn your living."
"What might unfold if you identified what you loved to do first, then tapped the wealth of tools, strategies and technologies that have only come onto the scene in the last few years to build a substantial living around what makes your entire life smile?"
Fields challenges traditional definitions of career success and offers a new standard. "Will this career allow me to: Spend the greatest amount of time, absorbed in activities and relationships that fill me up, while surrounding myself with people I cannot get enough of, and earning enough to live comfortably in the world?"
He also rejects the belief that jobs are the "safe" choice and entrepreneurship is risky. "As long as you're working for someone else, you'll never have the control you want." Additionally, your employer has priorities that can often conflict with your needs. "What's best for you is not their driving motivation."
Jonathan goes on to provide nine specific strategies for taking advantage of the current economic situation and how to begin to craft your own renegage career, whether it is inside an organization or in a business that you create. He also shares real-life examples of people who have applied these strategies successfully.
- Don't freak [he's not talking about the freak factor]
- Own up to your passion
- Research your passion
- Choose your renegade path
- Speeducate yourself
- Turn out your tribe
- Rally your rabbis
- Master your mind
- Get out of your head
He concludes by suggesting that you "get a bucket, not an umbrella."
"While the pundits scream about the sky falling, most people are running for cover, ducking into doorways and buying umbrellas. But, a small group of savvy entrepreneurs and career renegades are out there with buckets waiting to catch it, bottle it, and sell it."
"Everyone's worlds are being shaken, and in this shaking, sometimes violent thrashing, lies a massive opportunity -- the chance to come alive."
My students and seminar participants love The Freak Factor but they fear that this isn't the right time to look for a job or start a business that matches their unique characteristics. What Jonathan is saying is that this is the perfect time to try something new.
Now is the right time to freak out!
Are you ready to put away your umbrella and get a bucket?
If you want more great stuff from Jonathan, click here to download a free sample chapter of Career Renegade or visit his Awake at the Wheel blog.
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Hungry for more Freak Factor?
Hey,this is Syd, your other mother from the Missouri Child Care Summit. I sure enjoyed hearing you and knowing that God does have a plan for my oldest son. Which Ebook is the one you said was just put on your blog that is free for me to download for him to listen to your testimony? Thanks for being God's mouthpiece to me to give me hope! Thanks, God Bless you and all your girls!
Posted by: Syd Egan | November 16, 2009 at 10:41 AM