_1200ppi.png)
30 Days Of Genius Blog: Caterina Fake
If you are looking for motivation for following your dreams, or finding your path, Caterina Fake may be the last place you will ever need to look. What did following her path accomplish? Oh, I don’t know, how does founding Flikr, running Etsy, and being named one of Time Magazines 100 most influential people on the planet sound? Exactly. Wow is right.
I have taken her interview on 30 Days of Genius with Chase Jarvis, extracted the information, and used it to answer common questions by readers just like you, who are looking to take their lives to the next level, or at least a different level than the one there are on.
Please enjoy.
How Can I Step Out And Be Bold?
It takes conviction of what you are, who you are, what you care about, and what you are going to pursue.
It’s about being ignored for months or years and still pushing.
It’s about knowing who you are, what you want, and not caring about external rewards.
If you can handle all of those things, then you are ready to go for it. These are the markers of passion. If you have passion, then you will be willing to work hard, teach yourself, learn on your own, and adjust.
Why? Because passion is a powerful force to have behind what you do.
When I was first starting out, I offered to work for free just for information. 3 days a week for 2 months. What was my pay? I was able to attend all meetings and spend one hour a week asking questions of my boss. That’s it, and it was totally worth it. If I was not passionate about what I was doing, there is no way I would put in that kind of work.
Would you be willing to do that for your passion?
If yes, then go for it.
If no, then it is probably not your passion.
Is Your Passion Obvious?
If you are able to listen to your inner voice. If you can reflect over your life, remember your childhood and what you wanted to be when you were older, then yes it is. People are the same throughout their lives. Just because you stopped believing in your dreams doesn’t mean they disappeared, it just means you buried them under the responsibilities you took on as you got older.
Reconnect with your inner voice, your childhood.
Give it room.
It not only deserves it, it needs it.
What If I Don’t Have Time?
There are things you need to do, responsibilities you have to take care of, but then there are other things that you can eliminate in order to make time for your passion. Maybe it’s an hour a week at first, maybe its 30 minutes a day, but you have to start somewhere. Once it has space it will grow. How do I know? Because it’s your passion. It is a seed you have been carrying around that just needs a little water to start growing.
Create small, easily managed goals. Write one page a day. Paint 30 minutes a day. Squeeze it in. It doesn’t have to be a huge commitment, but it needs to be committed to. You need to put yourself and your day in a position to be creative. That could look like many different things depending on what your life is like. Some advice that I have received in the past was to move away from big cities. That may be counter-intuitive, but the less expensive it is to live, the more time you can afford to your creativity.
Clean up your time. Don’t check email all day. Productivity is easier without distractions, so you have to remove them. Have specific times during the day that you allocate to emails and phone surfing, and then have specific time for your creativity. Don’t mix the two. Give them their respective times.
Everyone has their own path. It is about finding what works well for you. There is no formula. People tend to focus on what they like, what they are drawn to, and their inner voice. Be sensitive to each of those things. Take advantage of what you are feeling, and always be moving forward.
Don’t Get Lost
The paths to success are clear. Starting as young as elementary school, the rewards are given to those that follow the rules. Conformity is the name of the game. The drive for success kills people. Just because there are paths laid out for you doesn’t mean that they can’t lead you astray.
Stop chasing prizes.
Chase what makes you happy.
And don’t worry, no matter where you are in life, you can always turn around.
Start where you are, with what you’ve got, and the time that you have.
Quotes
No matter how far you’ve gone down the wrong road turn back.
Stop chasing prizes
Start where you are, with what you’ve got, and the time that you have.
Caterina Fake Links
Chase Jarvis Links
