OR, AVOID ROUTINES – DO SOMETHING UNUSUAL!

By Dave Kelly

Are you in a rut, bunky? Feeling like every day is like the day before? And you are certain that you are not caught up in a “Star Trek” or “Groundhog Day” like time loop?

I have an idea for you!

Change things up! Do something impulsive, unusual, or out of your world. Go for a bike ride, take a dance class, or apply to be an astronaut. An astronaut? Sure! You might not make it, but would it not be cool to go through the interview process?

Or take a trip.

I am currently 9,500 miles short of making it to “Gold” status. I have a flight to Milwaukee at the end of the month that will get me 669 miles. So, how do I get to my coveted status? My goal?

I am doing something different!

I am going to get on a plane in Atlanta on December 15th and fly to LAX airport (1941 miles). Then, I am going to return to Atlanta an hour later (1941 miles). And after I get to Atlanta? I am going to do it again! 3882 miles! That is 7,664 miles in a 24 hour period.

That will leave me around 1,160 miles short of what I need to qualify as a “Gold”. So, upon my return to Atlanta, I will hop a flight to Milwaukee, and fly right back an hour after landing.

Crazy? Yes. Stupid, In some people’s eyes, sure. But, am I excited and looking forward to it? Absolutely! For over 20 years, I did the 9-7, on call all the time, many times working until midnight and hating it. Life is too short not to have some fun and do something goofy.

And I have submitted it to the “Guinness Book of World Records” for consideration as “Most Miles Flown in a 24 Hour period on a Commercial Airline within the Continental United States”. I’ll let you know if they accept it!

This plan of mine might not work for you. I got some incredible airfare deals, or else I would not be doing it. However, what can you do to break your routine? To give yourself something to look forward to? My wife and Little One became members of the Georgia state parks’ Canyon Club. They have already visited two of the four canyons in Georgia and are looking forward to the others.

Break your routine. Be crazy. Do something fun.

By the way, you can follow my adventure, which I am calling “Gonzo’s Great Gold Quest: Delta Airlines and Me” on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. The first of my video updates can be seen at YouTube.

Feel free to live vicariously through me those days. Happy skies!

If you are looking for a great speaker for your next event…

Look no further because I am the one!

Do you need a great inspirational speaker for your next event?

No matter what you call it, I am available for your next conference, convention, conclave, convocation, reunion, rally, workshop, ed session, orientation, meeting, before/during/after breakfast/lunch/dinner, gathering, commencement, groundbreaking, team building, staff development, leadership retreat, continuing education, ceremony, assembly, congress, council, confab, forum, roundtable, symposium, opening session, closing session, or any session in between. I present practical information in a fun and informative manner with humor, stories of overcoming obstacles, and with anecdotes about cats, football, and biscuits and gravy (among others). I can entertain and inspire your audience for 15 minutes to as long as you need me to. Please call or email me and we can easily work out the details! To see what dates I have available, feel free to contact me via email.

By Dave Kelly

One of my guilty pleasures is watching the audition shows of the various performance shows like American Idol and Last Comic Standing. So, of course, I was in front of my TV last month to watch the American Idol audition shows.

Some very talented people who auditioned received the golden ticket to Hollywood.

Some really bad singers did not and they were legitimately surprised when they failed to make it to the next round! (Don’t you think some of them just had to know how bad they really were?)

Then there were those who weren’t so bad, but they didn’t get the golden ticket. These people might actually have a shot at a career in music but, for whatever reason, did not pass the judges’ muster.

It is the last group that fascinates me. Some of them were so upset. Some even begged the judges for another chance, because this competition was their only chance to make it. They knew they were meant to be in the music business and if only they could participate in the competition of American Idol, they could prove that they were worthy of such a career.

And if not chosen? I guess that in their minds, they believed that their opportunities were over. At least, that’s how it seems from the post-audition interviews.

Gee, so there is only ever one vehicle or opportunity in life for us to achieve our dreams?

And your life can be over at the age of 19.

Really?

Are you kidding me?

Well, I suppose if someone is willing to give up on their “dream” so easily, then maybe it isn’t meant to be.

But, if it is real, if it is in your heart, then you can make your own break. You don’t have to be the next Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood. Maybe you are more like Taylor Swift, who is a huge country artist with pop-crossover appeal who has made it on talent and persistence.

I was over 40 when I made my big break to pursue a career as a professional speaker. But even my first year of being a full-time speaker was not great. I only had 10 speaking engagements and could have easily been discouraged. But, I persevered and pushed on and tripled that number the next year. Because of my persistence and determination, my career has grown every year since.

Am I famous? No. Have I been on Oprah? No. Has MTV called me to join the cast of Real World: Motivational Speakers? No.

Simply put, there is no single path to the achievement of your dreams. Find one that works for you. Even if you have to make your own.

There is, however, one attribute that is absolutely necessary: Belief.

Believe in yourself and you will do amazing things.

And if you believe in yourself…

…then I believe in you, too!

Dave Kelly is a professional speaker and host of the website Gonzospeaks.com, and a contributing writer here on OutOfYourRut.com. His career story is also a feature here at Professional Speaking—Turning a Hobby Into a Career. Dave is available for speaking engagements either through his website or by emailing Kevin at OutOfYourRut

By Dave Kelly

I spent 20 years in the mortgage business. During ten of those years, I had my own company. Nine of those years were with a business partner. He and I eventually broke up over a business disagreement:

He was stealing from me and I didn’t want him to.

About a year before we split up, he made a comment to me saying he felt he’d had a good career in the mortgage business. I distinctly remember replying, “This isn’t my career, this is just what I do to make money. A career is what defines you.”

And then I realized, “I’m a mortgage guy!” How did this happen? I had always envisioned myself in front of audiences, speaking, training, inspiring. What could I do to change the course of my career?

I decided to seek out the very people who were doing what I wanted to do: professional speakers! I was fortunate to find a number of speaking professionals who were willing to share with me. Some of them became mentors whom I still consult with even now. They knew what I would have to go through to get started, they gave me advice on how to prioritize my efforts, and outlined the steps I would have to take to market myself as a speaker.

A number of people advised me not to give up my successful career as a mortgage broker, that there would not be enough financial benefit to a speaking career, and no one would ever want to hire me anyway. I am go glad that I did not listen to them and instead found people who would support my dreams.

In anything you dream of, find someone who is successfully doing what you want to do and learn all you can from them. Then, do what they do, adapting for your personality, niche, and circumstances, and go forward with clarity and enthusiasm. Be prepared to treat your new venture/career change in a business-like fashion and nurture your enthusiasm so you can make the realization of your dreams a great success!

Dave Kelly is a professional speaker and host of the website Gonzospeaks.com, and a contributing writer here on OutOfYourRut.com. His career story is also a feature here at Professional Speaking—Turning a Hobby Into a Career. Dave is available for speaking engagements either through his website or by emailing Kevin at OutOfYourRut

By Kevin M

In 10 Ways To Survive a Down Economy (published on Christianpf.com June 1) we listed ten strategies to help you deal with the bad economy. Our topic for today, Strategy #3:

“Improve your repertoire of skills constantly. The better you are at what you do the more valuable you will be to your employer. The improvement can also be in preparation for future endeavors. It’s never a bad idea to have a skill or skill set which is totally unrelated to your primary employment. Hint: if it’s something you like to do, it may not even feel like work.”

The Importance of Skills

The job market today is largely skills driven. You may not get a job that you apply for if you lack a specific skill the employer is looking for, even if you have the education and experience for the position. In today’s job market there’s no shortage of credentialed candidates in most fields, so the advantage will often go to the person with the widest set of desirable skills.

Number of years experience may not be much of a factor either, if most of that time has been spent with a single employer. Often, the longer we’re on a job the greater the potential is to get, well…stale!

When we’re on one job for many years, we’re often not getting better at what we do so much as we’re becoming more comfortable at doing the job we have. But that comfort can be a negative when the time comes that we’re looking for a promotion or a new position entirely. Also, since multi-tasking becomes the order of the day following layoffs, the survivors may very well include those with the widest set of skills, not necessary the ones with greatest tenure.

But even if you aren’t learning new skills on your current job, you aren’t powerless to make changes.

Skills Worth Learning in Nearly Any Career

Here are some suggested skills which can either improve your abilities on your present job, prepare you for a new job, or perhaps even for a new career. There is also the very real possibility that a new skill could open the door to self-employment, especially in combination with other skills you already have. The key is to either go deeper in your ability with the skills you have, or to learn entirely new ones that will make you a suddenly more desirable prospect.

Computer software systems. Most every industry today uses some form of computer software that is unique to that industry, in addition to more general packages that are common across different industries, such as Microsoft Office. Move from being a general user of the software to an expert user.

Take a course on the software system used in your business, find out all that it can do, and become The Expert in your company, the person others come to when they want to know “how do you…?” Find ways to improve system usage, or to incorporate new uses into your company’s workflow, and you may become a key player in your company in short order. Learn other systems in use in your industry and you may expand your employment possibilities beyond your current job.

This can often be accomplished by taking a course at a local college, or with an online training program or a tutorial package you can purchase.

ANY type of repair skill. If you can fix just about anything, you’ve ensured yourself a place in the workforce. We’re not just talking about office work here! If you work in the trades, or in any capacity close to them, learning a parallel skill can enhance your career, or open up new paths. In Can You Fix Things? Try Elevator Repair, Larry McMahon told of how an auto repair course taken in high school helped prepare him for a career in elevator repair, a field that often pays in excess of $100,000.

Pubic speaking. A lot of people have a mortal fear of speaking in front of groups, and that’s precisely why the people who can are usually the ones running the company! Take a course in public speaking to learn the mechanics, but more than anything, this is a skill that improves with practice. The more you do it, the more comfortable you become with it, and that’s the major hurdle that needs to be crossed. There are many jobs and careers that could be better performed if you had the ability to speak before groups, and a confident speaking manor will come across as a major plus in job interviews.

A foreign language. Bi-lingual—we’re hearing that word more all the time, and with good reason! Interaction with foreign entities is becoming more common in an increasing number of industries. One of the best ways to make that trend your friend is to learn a major foreign language. Almost any career you have can rise to almost exotic status by adding a bi-lingual dimension to your quiver of skills. Start by taking a course at local college, or one of the many online programs available. Connect with native speakers of the language so that you can sharpen conversation skills. This may be a long term process, but the more fluid you are at speaking any language, the more doors you’ll be opening for your future.

Web design. It’s not necessary to learn how to design a website from the ground up, but the more you learn about this increasingly valuable skill, the greater your value to a current or future employer. Most businesses have websites today—they’ve become an important part of marketing. If you can write web code and make site modifications, the business can improve it’s site and increase sales without having to pay for outside services. Again, local college courses are a good way to start.

Writing skills. How many times do you hear about communication skills? This of course includes speaking ability and phone skills, but is increasingly centered on writing. Email is driving this. Writing courses can help in this area, but should be focused on writing short, cohesive letters typical to emails and business letters. The abbreviated prose that’s common in text messages won’t cut it.

Sales skills. Like public speaking, many people have a phobia about sales. The “I’m not a sales person” defense flies in the face of the fact that businesses of all stripes need to generate sales, and at a minimum, developing some sales skills can improve your work performance and your value to your employer especially if you have regular customer contact. Sales departments always need support and troubleshooters, and you’ll be better able to do this if you have some basic understanding of what sales involves, and can do your part to in the process. Get some good books on sales, and try to work with established sales people to see what it is they do that works. The closer you get to it the less intimidating it is.

These skills can be acquired on a part time basis; in some cases your employer may pay part or all of the cost of a course if the new skill is relevant to your job. It isn’t always necessary to become an expert in a skill; sometimes all that’s needed is familiarity. This is especially true if you’re applying for a new job; the fact that you have at least some understanding of a certain skill may put you ahead of other candidates who have more experience or educational credentials. It’s well worth giving up some evening or weekend TV time for!

By Kevin M with Dave Kelly, Professional Speaker

With confidence I tell you, I’m living my dream! As a professional speaker and trainer, I provide programs for colleges and universities, corporations, and associations, including keynote addresses, workshops, break-out sessions, and retreats. I work for myself, and I’m running my own game!

Professional speaking is a creative field. It allows me to have the opportunity to use my creative abilities and talents and to have the freedom to have a lifestyle that I enjoy. I work from home and am able to schedule my days as I wish. There are no heavy demands on my time outside of my speaking schedule. The potential for this career truly is unlimited. And one of the really cool things is that professional speaking can be used to promote other business ventures–yours or anyone else’s! It’s not hard to see the potential in that alone! And that’s the point–you can take a professional speaking career just about anywhere you like.

A career in professional speaking isn’t routine in any way. Each day, each assignment brings something new. Now that I’m established as a speaker, I’ve been able to primarily outsource my marketing to a speaker’s bureau, so I spend only a couple of hours each week working on marketing and sales. Most of my “down time”—the time when I’m not on speaking engagements–is spent working on program development, and that comes in blocks of time as I am requested by clients or as I get inspired to work on a topic. It’s a blank canvas that I can paint any way I like!

There are risks in this career–there are anytime you’re self employed. But some risks I don’t have include: an income ceiling, a daily commute, layoffs, industry collapse, outsourcing of my job, boredom, burnout, or having to deal with the nagging question that hangs over millions of heads, what am I going to do when I grow up! I’m doing what I love and setting my own limits!

It is difficult to evaluate the exact income potential in professional speaking. Much depends on individual ability, time committed to the business, the specific market segments pursued and topics provided for those segments, and of course, the degree to which you’re willing to invest in yourself. It is critical that you make a commitment to “grow” continually. The longer an individual pursues this field, the more their income will grow. I have known speakers who have been able to accelerate to six figures in their first year. This is not typical, of course, but the potential to hit that level within two or three years is very real. The keys are picking topics that the market you are pursuing is interested in, treating your business like a business, not a hobby, and investing in yourself and your abilities.

The future outlook for professional speaking is outstanding. I have experienced no negative affects from the weakening economy—a blessing after my years in the mortgage business–and my speaking schedule continues to fill with paid engagements. Associations will always be looking to bring speakers and trainers to their events. The same is true for colleges and universities, which are not affected by the business cycle, and have to provide entertainment and education to students from the fees every student pays through their tuition. Special opportunity is opening up in the corporate area as companies look to reduce costs by eliminating internal training and employee development departments and replace them with independent contractors in the speaking industry.

I didn’t come into professional speaking in the way you might think. I had worked in the mortgage business for 20 years, and was working as a loan originator for a mortgage broker–not the ideal platform from which to launch a professional speaking career! The mortgage industry began slowing several years ago, and I decided that I needed to consider my next move. Being over 40 and having twenty years in the same (declining) industry didn’t leave me with many options! But I dared to ask myself, what is it that I like to do? That’s was a revolutionary question for me, because while I had worked in the mortgage business for so long, and earned an above average income, I never actually liked it! I had spent 25 years as a member of the Kiwanis Club, primarily working with students. In that capacity, I had many occasions to speak before student groups throughout my home state, something I really liked doing. For most of that time I had entertained the fantasy of doing what I was doing with Kiwanis, speaking before groups, as a career, but I couldn’t figure out how to get paid for it. With the mortgage business in decline, I found myself focusing more energy speaking for Kiwanis, and decided to work toward converting my dream hobby into a career.

The jump into speaking as a paid career didn’t come easily. I loved the speaking assignments I was doing through Kiwanis, and I took nearly every opportunity available to speak in front of groups at my church and elsewhere. But to step out and do it as a career was something that seemed almost like a dream in itself, and I didn’t know anyone who was doing it professionally from whom I could get direction. Then there was the well-intentioned advice of so many people who advised against it. Let’s face it, when most people think of a career, they think of a nine-to-five job, a big company and a salary with benefits. If I could give one piece of advice, it would be to follow your passion! I delayed following mine for years, and time has proven that my hesitation was entirely unnecessary. If you have a deep passion to enter a new career, a dream you’ve harbored for a long time, don’t let anything stop you. I was in my 40s and lacked both formal training and necessary contacts when I started speaking for pay. Get started now–YOU don’t need to go it alone!

If you’d like to start a career in professional speaking, I’d love to help you! To obtain my program, A Career in Professional Speaking, which will provide you with critical information, including how to gain speaking experience, market yourself and your business, set fees, entry requirements, what steps NOT to take, and a whole lot more, as well as an opportunity to hire me as your career coach, click the BUY NOW button below and begin investing in yourself! Only $29.95.

Also, I am available for career coaching, and if you’d like to have me as your professional speaking coach, you can contact me through Kevin at OutOfYourRut.