Here’s a note I just received from a No More Mondays reader:
Yes, I still do 8.5 hours of time in my “human filing cabinet” each day. Yes, I still dream of breaking out and finding my true calling. Yes, I’m still scared to death to do so. I stopped dreaming so long ago that I can’t even remember what I loved to do when I was 20, much less 5. I just remember loving baseball more than anything else. Maybe I should get a glove and a ball and find a wall and play catch with myself for a dozen hours, and my dreams might start to come back. Hmmm. Maybe I will.
That actually is a great idea. Just breaking the cycle of our routine is often the jarring that our brains need to wake up. Go ahead and spend that 12 hours throwing a ball against the wall – I’m absolutely confident that in that time you’ll wipe away some cobwebs, peel back the scales from your eyes and begin to get in touch with your childhood dreams.
So often I see people who have become numbed to their dreams just because “life happens.” Mortgages come along, kids need school books, and it’s time for new tires on the car. Who has time to dream? But that’s why unexpected and even unwelcome events like a job loss or a business failure often break the normal day-to-day existence and wake up our best dreams. Take the initiative while things are okay – go spend a day at the zoo, walk 4 miles out in the country, call an old high school friend, get a massage, go on a cruise, or throw a ball at a wall for 12 hours – that just may be the tipping point to reveal your true calling.
Dan Miller's Blog 
March 26, 2009 at 1:07 pm
I totally agree with Dan’s assessment. I do my best thinking and come up with my best ideas when I’m running, driving my car, or mowing the lawn. Even when I was young, I’d do my best thinking when I was just outside shooting the basketball by myself. Doing “mindless” yet active things, like throwing a ball against a wall for an hour, or hitting a tennis ball against the side of a building, really get our brains working. Warning: if you going to do this type of therapy, you’ll want a pen and pad nearby to write down ideas as they come up!
March 26, 2009 at 1:54 pm
So true! When we had five acres, I would go out and get on the tractor or start hoeing weeds in the garden. All of the sudden, everything became much more clear.
Just this Monday, two days ago, I was fired from my church. That could have been a pretty hard blow but to me, it was a blessing. I knew I hated the job and began disliking the church and all it stood for. But I knew it was coming and was thrilled when they finally pulled the trigger, so to speak.
I have four or five ideas swirling in my head and one of them has the possibility of making $25,000 from one location alone….not to mention the explosive growth when I branch out to offering the service to other businesses in my town and state. This product serves a need, provides a local solution and helps people of all walks of life. And, is fairly recession proof. What more could I ask for?
Since we no longer have the acreage, I do my best thinking in the car, garden, right before I go to sleep or in the shower. And yes, I keep a note pad and pen close by. You never know when inspiration will strike!
Keep your body active and your mind will follow.
Oh yes, and always be open to all of the possibilities that surround you daily! Something you take for granted could be a real money maker! Just keep your No More Mondays Hat on and your eyes open. The world is full of incredible possibilities to those who just take a look around!!
March 31, 2009 at 11:44 am
Dear Dan,
I have just completed reading 48 Days To The Work I Love and learned yesterday that my job has been eliminated. I have been working in manufacturing management for the last 10 years and greatly desire to break out of the corporate hamster wheel. I have a wife and five children and had just relocated two years ago to take the job that is no longer. My goal in life is to wake up every morning doing what I was born to do. At 40, I really don’t know what that is, but I’m letting God lead me down the path of his will colliding with my desires. I would very much like a response from someone who could encourage me on this journey.
Sincerely,
Rick Frato
March 31, 2009 at 3:03 pm
In the past sixteen years, my husband and I have had 3 children and moved at least ten times. While living out my husband’s corporate adventure, it seems as though any dreams I might once have had, must have been lost in a box somewhere along the way. I had pretty much given up on ever finding them, thinking it would be easier to just dream new ones!
Thanks for the inspiring suggestions, Dan, …perhaps I will keep trying new ways to re-connect with those long-lost dreams.
April 3, 2009 at 2:00 am
Rick, I suggest reading No More Mondays and keep following this blog as both are encouraging. There are many ideas in the book for finding / doing your calling as i’m sure there are in 48 days. Be creative and try to stay positive. Good luck!
Dan, if you are reading, could you start a thread for readers to post when they find, begin, or create a new job. In this climate that would be very encouraging I think. They would not have to name the firm but just give some info. Thanks.
November 6, 2009 at 3:17 am
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