STOP! Reading the Headlines and Live Your Own Life First
Imagine! 40 is old. The California State Supreme Court has
said that when are you are 40, employers can discriminate
against employees using this age as the excuse.
I attempt to ignore all headlines in the newspapers. I
try not to react to how I feel when I read them.
I try I really do, but I cannot stop today.
It”s not new, but now, extremely blatant. I”m angry, but so
what. That”s my problem. Let it go and move on.
I gave up that particular battle years ago. I became
self-employed in various disguises. I chose to be in a
business that did not discriminate because I was a woman.
In my last salaried position I was paid half the salary of
the former male manager. Did more and received less.
I then decided only to work in a way that I was paid for my
skills, not my age, weight, gender or marital status.
This was my motivation. Enough was enough. Finished up,
walked away and never looked back. On to better things.
I started as an independent contractor, then went on to
manage other independent professionals. The next step was
owning my own business. I reinvented my business several
times over, and in the process, myself.
During all this time, I don”t recall reading a newspaper
or paying attention to headlines. Maybe I knew more
than I thought at the time.
As my wise daughter so brilliantly asks: “What does it
have to do with me?” Rightly so. Stop wasting time with
things that have nothing to do with you or things and
people you cannot change.
The solution?
Ignore what doesn”t serve you- in my case, news headlines-
and use that time to start your own business. Small, big,
it doesn”t matter. Just do something.
Hear the one about the Cat Massage Lady? She started a
business giving cats massages. Really. Then she went on to
books, tapes, CDs, videos and seminars. Now she”s training
others to do the same.
There is Art for Infants, Scrapbooks for Anything and not
one of the thousands of new businesses has anything to do
with the internet. They all have to do with necessity being
the mother of invention, desperation and a desire not to be
discriminated when you are 40. Oh, yeah, and making
money, too.
Walk through your house, room by room , including the
attic and the garage. What do you do well? What excites
you? If it excites you, it excites someone else. How can
you make it work for others?
Whether you are 7, 47 or 70, you can start your own
business. I saw a young girl in front of a Designer”s
Showcase house that was selling cake slices and cookies. I
asked how she was doing and who made the sweets. She
said she did, made $34.00 and was happy and proud.
So was I. No one told her she couldn”t. There may be no
limits to her desires.
By now you are saying, OK, that works for others, but not
me. On the contrary. No more excuses. If you already own a
business or are an independent professional, you can still
do something else. Create something new or invent a niche
within your existing business.
If you have a 9-5 job, set aside 10 per cent of your day,
that”s 24 minutes, and take inventory. What are your
hobbies? Look at what”s missing and fill the void.
But first, STOP! Stop reading headlines or doing anything
that provides no benefit to your life or does not align
with your own personal values.
Learn that living your own life will leave you with no time
to read the headlines and loads of time to be creative and
really Celebrate Your Life, no matter what your age.
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