Project:IDWIL

The Project:IDWIL blog is an extension of Project:IDWIL (I Do What I Love), which is a movement to collect the voices of those who have aligned their personal passions with what they do for a living. The result is a catalog of personal stories that inspire young and old alike by exposing them to the diverse world of opportunity that is out there waiting for them.

[projectidwil-blog]

Accept or Deny?

Sometimes it can be overwhelming knowing there is so much going on in your community, especially in the Bay Area. RSVP to this, donate to that, join us in this. I find it difficult to decipher which events to attend and which to miss; accept or deny? What will guide me towards my discovery of doing what I love and what will distract me? 

I made the right choice in attending a stellar lecture, Edible Education, at UC Berkeley this week. No, I'm not a Cal student, but after this talk, I was snagging anything blue and yellow to represent my pride in the knowledge the university offers. My friend, Wyatt, and I decided to spend our Monday evening listening to powerful, thought leaders. This particular talk focused on the pros and cons of the Green Revolution, the Economics of the Food System, and what changes we can make for the future of our world. 

The Wheeler Auditorium was very warm but the speaker, Raj Patel, had an amazing knack of captivating his audience. Sweat rolling down my face, I was still on the edge of my seat wanting more information. How do we still have world hunger, why aren't more people growing their own food, did fences really destroy the future of feeding the world?  I was especially drawn towards a short, very moving video they played on a giant theater screen of a small village in Malawi. This resonated deeply within me because of my past summer trip to Rwanda. 

Malawian villages face similar struggles to the families I spent time with in Rwanda: How to feed their families, surpass the difficulties of gender inequality, eat healthy enough to take their HIV/AIDS medications. Learning how to grow and cook the right food, creating an irrigation system, and divvying the work between genders, the village grew stronger through the community investing in the land together.

Wyatt and I are still enthusiastic passengers of the inspiration express as Raj Patel invites 8 or so Cal student clubs with similar interests to share their initiatives on stage. This was an intimidating task as the auditorium had nearly 1,000 faces looking to them but each group proudly shared. I thoroughly enjoyed the moment Kelly grabbed the microphone and rocked out an amazing poetry slam about the harsh realities of a 5-year-old boy she grew fond of. He lives in Oakland and struggles with health issues due to inescapable, harmful substances in his daily life. 

"Unable to escape the toxins coming through his window from traffic driving right by his bedside..."  -- Kelly, UC Berkeley

Kelly's story was inspirational, but it was her burning passion of humanness towards this young child and desire to follow her passion in making his world a better place that hooked me.  She clearly grew attached and shared her affection with over 1,000 strangers. After the talk I made it a point to thank her for her willingness to be so vulnerable. Thrilled by her motivations in our brief conversation, we embraced each other tightly truly celebrating the inspiring evening. The emotions she sparked in the auditorium stand as proof she is a member of the I Do What I Love movement. 

Feeling like the world is at our fingertips, Wyatt and I explored Berkeley while processing the inspiration we were just served. After grabbing delicious cookies (What better way to celebrate knowledge than late night desserts?) we found a great message on an electrical structure. It read "Grow Your Own Food" with beautiful vegetables painted below. Now, what you need to know is Wyatt co-founded a company called SeedTabs with his brother. They sell seed packets in high traffic locations like cafes and bookstores to encourage more people to grow their own food. With purely good intentions he puts 4 free SeedTabs for any stranger willing to follow the structure's call to action. 

Much like the Berkeley electrical structure, life is what you care to have the patience for. If you take time to really open your eyes, find your drive, discover your passions, truly follow what you love -- you too may find free seed packets. When debating to accept or deny, ask yourself, "Why not?" You never know what moments are waiting to turn into memories.  

Follow your passion,

BreAnn

Click here to Like us on FaceBook! 

-- A more detailed introduction is soon to come. I am an active member inspired by I DO WHAT I LOVE's movement. I strive to create new experiences that transpire into memorable life lessons guiding me towards my many passions in life. I will try anything as long as my feet are warm. I am sharing my journey of self-discovery and hopeful to inspire others to find theirs as well. Contact me directly at [email protected]. --

[projectidwil-blog]

Accept of Deny?

Sometimes it can be overwhelming knowing there is so much going on in your community, especially in the Bay Area. RSVP to this, donate to that, join us in this. I find it difficult to decipher which events to attend and which to miss - accept or deny. What will guide me towards the discovery of doing what I love and what will distract me. 

I made the right choice in attending a stellar lecture, Edible Education, at UC Berkeley this week. No, I'm not a Cal student, but after this talk, I was trying to find anything blue and yellow to represent my pride in the knowledge the university offers. My friend, Wyatt, and I decided to spend our Monday evening listening to powerful, thought leaders. This particular talk focused on the pros and cons of the Green Revolution, the Economics of the Food System, and what changes we can make for the future of the world. 

The Wheeler Auditorium was very warm, but the speaker, Raj Patel, had an amazing knack of captivating his audience. Sweat rolling down my face, I was still on the edge of my seat wanting more information. How do we still have world hunger, why aren't more people growing their own food, did fences really destroy the future of feeding the world?  I was especially drawn towards a short, very moving video they showed of a small village in Malawi. This resonated deeply with me because of my past summer trip to Rwanda. 

Malawian villages face similar struggles to the families I spent time with in Rwanda: how to feed their families, surpass the difficulties of gender inequality, eat healthy enough to take their HIV/AIDS medications. By learning how to grow and cook the right food, create an irrigation system, and divvy out the work between genders, the village grew stronger.

The inspiration doesn't stop there. After Raj Patel finished speaking, he invited 20 or so Cal student clubs with similar interests to share their initiatives. This was an intimidating task as the auditorium had nearly 1,000 faces looking to them, but each group proudly shared. My favorite was the moment Kelly grabbed the microphone and rocked out an amazing poetry slam about a 5-year-old boy who lives in Oakland and struggles with health issues due to inescapable, harmful substances in his daily life. 

I wasn't necissarily inspired by the story, but more so by how passionate she felt about this young child. She clearly grew attached and shared her affection with over 1,000 strangers. After the talk I made it a point to thank her for her willingness to be so vulnerable. We ended up hugging tightly after our brief conversation. The emotions she sparked in the auditorium stand as proof she is a member of the "I Do What I Love" movement. 

Feeling like the world is at our fingertips, Wyatt and I walked throughout Berkeley processing the inspiration we were just served. After grabbing delicious cookies (what better way to celebrate knowledge than late night desserts) we found a a great message on an electrical structure. It read "Grow Your Own Food" with beautiful vegetables and fruits painted below. Now, what you need to know is my friend co-founded a company called SeedTabs with his brother. Their goal is to sell seed packets in cafes and bookstores to encourage more people to grow their own food. Without a blink of an eye, he puts 4 free SeedTabs for any stranger willing to follow the structures call to action. 

Much like this Berkeley electrical structure, life is what you care to have patience for. If you take the time to let it all in, truly open your eyes to see what is before you, to find what you love to do in life, you may find free seed packets. When debating to accept or deny, ask yourself, "Why not?" 

Follow your passion,

BreAnn

[projectidwil-blog]

Accept of Deny?

Sometimes it can be overwhelming knowing there is so much going on in your community, especially in the Bay Area. RSVP to this, donate to that, join us in this. I find it difficult to decipher which events to attend and which to miss - accept or deny. What will guide me towards the discovery of doing what I love and what will distract me. 

I made the right choice in attending a stellar lecture, Edible Education, at UC Berkeley this week. No, I'm not a Cal student, but after this talk, I was trying to find anything blue and yellow to represent my pride in the knowledge the university offers. My friend, Wyatt, and I decided to spend our Monday evening listening to powerful, thought leaders. This particular talk focused on the pros and cons of the Green Revolution, the Economics of the Food System, and what changes we can make for the future of the world. 

The Wheeler Auditorium was very warm, but the speaker, Raj Patel, had an amazing knack of captivating his audience. Sweat rolling down my face, I was still on the edge of my seat wanting more information. How do we still have world hunger, why aren't more people growing their own food, did fences really destroy the future of feeding the world?  I was especially drawn towards a short, very moving video they showed of a small village in Malawi. This resonated deeply with me because of my past summer trip to Rwanda. 

Malawian villages face similar struggles to the families I spent time with in Rwanda: how to feed their families, surpass the difficulties of gender inequality, eat healthy enough to take their HIV/AIDS medications. By learning how to grow and cook the right food, create an irrigation system, and divvy out the work between genders, the village grew stronger.

The inspiration doesn't stop there. After Raj Patel finished speaking, he invited 20 or so Cal student clubs with similar interests to share their initiatives. This was an intimidating task as the auditorium had nearly 1,000 faces looking to them, but each group proudly shared. My favorite was the moment Kelly grabbed the microphone and rocked out an amazing poetry slam about a 5-year-old boy who lives in Oakland and struggles with health issues due to inescapable, harmful substances in his daily life. 

I wasn't necissarily inspired by the story, but more so by how passionate she felt about this young child. She clearly grew attached and shared her affection with over 1,000 strangers. After the talk I made it a point to thank her for her willingness to be so vulnerable. We ended up hugging tightly after our brief conversation. The emotions she sparked in the auditorium stand as proof she is a member of the "I Do What I Love" movement. 

Feeling like the world is at our fingertips, Wyatt and I walked throughout Berkeley processing the inspiration we were just served. After grabbing delicious cookies (what better way to celebrate knowledge than late night desserts) we found a a great message on an electrical structure. It read "Grow Your Own Food" with beautiful vegetables and fruits painted below. Now, what you need to know is my friend co-founded a company called SeedTabs with his brother. Their goal is to sell seed packets in cafes and bookstores to encourage more people to grow their own food. Without a blink of an eye, he puts 4 free SeedTabs for any stranger willing to follow the structures call to action. 

Much like this Berkeley electrical structure, life is what you care to have patience for. If you take the time to let it all in, truly open your eyes to see what is before you, to find what you love to do in life, you may find free seed packets. When debating to accept or deny, ask yourself, "Why not?" 

Follow your passion,

BreAnn

[projectidwil-blog]

Amy Vineyard - Preschool Teacher

Amy Vineyard is a preschool teacher who is able to channel her strong work ethic and energetic personality so that she can reap the benefits of educating young minds. She takes her responsibility seriously and both inspires her students and gets inspired by them.

Video Transcription coming soon...​

[projectidwil-blog]

5 Responses to Detractors of IDWIL

I realize that I am so close to Project:IDWIL that it is easy to be blind to potentially obvious arguments. In an article on Forbes.com last month, author Rob Asghar, wrote the article Five Reasons to Ignore the Advice to Do What You Love. Now I think it is safe to assume that Rob doesn't know my project exists, but nonetheless, I wanted to take a hard look at his points - either to defend IDWIL or maybe see if I am living in a fantasy land. 

​

Since he cites the specific IDWIL-esque evangelists Joseph Campbell and Steve Jobs as those he provides a counter to, I feel that I have a chance to weigh in as opposed to completely defending anything. I will leave it to you to read his full article, but for this post' sake, his 5 points were:

Most gifted people don’t have one overriding passion.

The money just might not follow

The search for one’s passion can be a distraction from living in the present

Your bliss can become hell once it becomes a job

Steve Jobs didn’t follow his own advice

​

1. Most gifted people don’t have one overriding passion.

I agree with this statement, but I don't know that I take away the same perspective. I think that maybe he is being a bit literal - I don't know that either Campbell or Jobs said "one" thing - the closest being Jobs saying (about "loving what you do") "if you haven't found IT yet..." This site is about embracing the variety of work that is out there and how applying each's unique talents, passions, values, etc. can make a harmonious fit with one's work.

2. The money just might not follow

True. So what? Plus, this #2 Topic ends up being misleading compared to the content that was written to support it. The statement is made to scare a reader. I get it. But the supporting points were pretty loose - one just tried to be clever/funny and the other used a Seth Godin story, which I feel is ironic having read The Icarus Deception not too long ago. (I will need to review some more stuff before I argue his choice of reference.) In the end, I think we know that if you are so fulfilled by what you do, then the money is not a factor, either because the money does come or because we understand that money doesn't equal happiness. Insert a picture of some undiscovered singer/songwriter, fine artist, stand up comic, Major League Lacrosse player, minor league baseball player, school librarian, small town newspaper, etc. in your head here - people or communities that work for the good of the bigger "thing."

​

3. The search for one’s passion can be a distraction from living in the present

I can see this one being true. However, does that mean that we accept this statement or say "well, if there is still value in searching for one's passion(s), then let's figure out a better way to do it so it isn't a distraction"? Like maybe start helping individuals best understand their motivations and values earlier in life instead of just letting the educational system herd them through a process and then try to figure everything out later. Plus, why are the two points in this statement diametrically opposed? Maybe searching for one' passion is part of living in the present.

 ​

4. Your bliss can become hell once it becomes a job

Immediately refuting the proverb of 'do what you love = not working a day in your life,' the author, again, doesn't give too much support to back up the refutation. The point here is that yes, the grass is often greener on the other side - but if it is indeed hell once it becomes a job, then I would say either 1) it wasn't truly your bliss or 2) if it were truly your bliss, absolutely nothing could ever make it become a job. This reminds me of the cool statements made by Orson Welles that I wrote about earlier this month.

​

5. Steve Jobs didn't follow his own advice

This may be true - the guy (Jobs) is relatively famous for the reality distortion field that he used, but I don't know that this point is a reason why NOT to pursue doing what you love. (I guess the title is 5 reason to ignore the advice, so okay - you can take this one however you want.) We all know the golden rule is a good thing to follow, right? Many of us do not follow that rule - not because it is a rule to be ignored, but because it takes a certain strength in character to really live by that standard.

​

[projectidwil-blog]

5 Responses to Detractors of IDWIL

I realize that I am so close to Project:IDWIL that it is easy to be blind to potentially obvious arguments. In an article on Forbes.com last month, author Rob Asghar, wrote the article Five Reasons to Ignore the Advice to Do What You Love. Now I think it is safe to assume that Rob doesn't know my project exists, but nonetheless, I wanted to take a hard look at his points - either to defend IDWIL or maybe see if I am living in a fantasy land. 

Since he cites the specific IDWIL-esque evangelists Joseph Campbell and Steve Jobs as those he provides a counter to, I feel that I have a chance to weigh in as opposed to completely defending anything. I will leave it to you to read his full article, but for this post' sake, his 5 points were:

Most gifted people don’t have one overriding passion.

The money just might not follow

The search for one’s passion can be a distraction from living in the present

Your bliss can become hell once it becomes a job

Steve Jobs didn’t follow his own advice

​

1. Most gifted people don’t have one overriding passion.

I agree with this statement, but I don't know that I take away the same perspective. I think that maybe he is being a bit literal - I don't know that either Campbell or Jobs said "one" thing - the closest being Jobs saying (about "loving what you do") "if you haven't found IT yet..." This site is about embracing the variety of work that is out there and how applying each's unique talents, passions, values, etc. can make a harmonious fit with one's work.

2. The money just might not follow

True. So what? Plus, this #2 Topic ends up being misleading compared to the content that was written to support it. The statement is made to scare a reader. I get it. But the supporting points were pretty loose - one just tried to be clever/funny and the other used a Seth Godin story, which I feel is ironic having read The Icarus Deception not too long ago. (I will need to review some more stuff before I argue his choice of reference.) In the end, I think we know that if you are so fulfilled by what you do, then the money is not a factor, either because the money does come or because we understand that money doesn't equal happiness. Insert a picture of some undiscovered singer/songwriter, fine artist, stand up comic, Major League Lacrosse player, minor league baseball player, school librarian, small town newspaper, etc. in your head here - people or communities that work for the good of the bigger "thing."

​

3. The search for one’s passion can be a distraction from living in the present

I can see this one being true. However, does that mean that we accept this statement or say "well, if there is still value in searching for one's passion(s), then let's figure out a better way to do it so it isn't a distraction"? Like maybe start helping individuals best understand their motivations and values earlier in life instead of just letting the educational system herd them through a process and then try to figure everything out later. Plus, why are the two points in this statement diametrically opposed? Maybe searching for one' passion is part of living in the present.

 ​

4. Your bliss can become hell once it becomes a job

Immediately refuting the proverb of 'do what you love = not working a day in your life,' the author, again, doesn't give too much support to back up the refutation. The point here is that yes, the grass is often greener on the other side - but if it is indeed hell once it becomes a job, then I would say either 1) it wasn't truly your bliss or 2) if it were truly your bliss, absolutely nothing could ever make it become a job. This reminds me of the cool statements made by Orson Welles that I wrote about earlier this month.

​

5. Steve Jobs didn't follow his own advice

This may be true - the guy (Jobs) is relatively famous for the reality distortion field that he used, but I don't know that this point is a reason why NOT to pursue doing what you love. (I guess the title is 5 reason to ignore the advice, so okay - you can take this one however you want.) We all know the golden rule is a good thing to follow, right? Many of us do not follow that rule - not because it is a rule to be ignored, but because it takes a certain strength in character to really live by that standard.

​

[projectidwil-blog]

[VIDEO] TED Finds Another Artist Following His Passion

I had to share this one. Watch and you'll understand why. Sometimes our passions may seem odd to others, but when we strive to fulfill them, the results are often absolutely amazing.​

[projectidwil-blog]

[#MosaicMonday] Experiential Learning

I ran across this article the other day about Benedictine Academy (NJ) in which students from the junior class were able to learn outside of the classroom - basically by shadowing local professionals.

"(from the article) The purpose of Bee Week is to provide a professional work site or experience that will motivate students to see the importance of their academic studies in relationship to future success in the workplace,"  -- Benedictine Principal, Kenneth Jennings

This reminds me of the my local school district's Chelsea Center that does a similar program and more.

Do your local schools do anything similar? Have you participated? It would be pretty cool if your outreach inspired a student, and we'd love to hear about it!​

[projectidwil-blog]

[#MosaicMonday] Experiential Learning

I ran across this article the other day about Benedictine Academy (NJ) in which students from the junior class were able to learn outside of the classroom - basically by shadowing local professionals.

"(from the article) The purpose of Bee Week is to provide a professional work site or experience that will motivate students to see the importance of their academic studies in relationship to future success in the workplace,"  -- Benedictine Principal, Kenneth Jennings

This reminds me of the my local school district's Chelsea Center that does a similar program and more.

Do your local schools do anything similar? Have you participated? It would be pretty cool if your outreach inspired a student, and we'd love to hear about it!​

[projectidwil-blog]

Work - Life Balance

I had found this great set of videos via a recent post over at brainpickings.org - the second one was what really grabbed my attention. In case you don't want to bounce around, here is the video I appreciated:

When asked whether he lives to work or works to live, Mr. Welles gave a beautiful answer.

"I think that working is part of life, I don’t know how to distinguish between the two....I honestly think that the best answer that question, that I can give you, is that the two things aren't separate in my mind...I don't separate them...work is an expression of life for me."  -- Orson Welles

[projectidwil-blog]

Is Project:IDWIL Worth Sharing?

Okay folks, time to walk the walk. Right now, this is mainly a blog. In the coming months, it will becoming a growing video library. In the coming year, it will be a tool to help "Mine & align" your passions/values/motivations to lead to a happier life.

You are my early adopters, and if you are coming to this sight, then please know I am grateful for your attention. More than that, I am open to you input. To help get the ball rolling, I created a quick poll.​

Who is someone you know that you will share Project:IDWIL with?Your spouse/significant otherYour child/childrenYour parentYour studentsYour siblingsYour niece/nephewYour friendOtherI want to keep it all for myself! mwuu ha ha ha ha!  pollcode.com free polls 

​See how easy that was? Thanks for your input. 

Ha! I tricked you! now actually share this site with the person you just voted for!​

Also, now that I have you in a particiaptory mood, please click the Subscribe button below. Ultimately, this means that new posts and information come straight to your inbox (about 3 times per week) instead of you having to come allthe way back here. It is a sweet deal.​

Subscribe to our newsletter

[projectidwil-blog]

[#MosaicMonday] World-Famous Jazz Guitarist Ferenc Snetberger

Subscribe to our newsletter

Okay, let me explain #MosaicMonday really quickly.

In order to add a little organization to this blog as we move forward, I thought that I could develop some themes to repeat from week to week. The first of these themes is #MosaicMonday. The idea is that Mondays will be reserved for posts, links, videos, and other  various forms of media that convey "IDWIL" in a less direct way. Since starting this project, it is amazing how one way I now categorize life experiences in my head is whether of not something is IDWIL-esque. (Kind of like noticing how many people drive the same car that you do once you get a new car.) 

For example, today, I have an article below that may not immediately be 100% IDWIL, but by reading it in combination with other #MosaicMonday pieces, you will undoubtedly get a clearer 'big picture' of Project:IDWIL.

Link to the original article: http://bit.ly/12cj24a

A short article that tells a cool story about a jazz guitarist who used his prestige to come full circle and give back to kids in a way that he would have wished was available to him when he started. 

[projectidwil-blog]

What My Friends Think I Do....

Okay, so I got the bug today. The bug that said, "you need to start populating ​Project:IDWIL with the video that you talk about!" True. True. I will have one up by the end of the week. More importantly, I decided that I just need to start interviewing people guerrilla style - getting some real content to work with. In the end, people would like higher-production, but they don't need it if the content is solid and memorable, right? Think of it like this: when you think of an older movie that you really love, you don't remember that it wasn't in HD right? If you watched it now, you might think that is looks nicer in HD, but it wasn't even a factor when you just thought about the story or the characters that resonated with you so much.

Okay, so step 1 - be bolder about "going out there and getting interviews."  CHECK! As I started thinking about how to do this in an efficient manner, I decided that I need to have some standard go-to questions - the tricky part will be how to enhance the uniqueness of each individual's story, but have a common IDWIL theme come through. As I was thinking about some quick yet valuable questions, one of the pictures that popped into my head was one of those 6-pack images that were popular about a year or two ago, the "what my friends, mom, society, boss, I think I do vs. what I actually do." (like the one below).

This type of image popped up, because I think that one thing that I would like to draw out of the interviewees is to allow them to showcase why they love what they do as well as debunk any misconceptions that people may have. I realize it isn't a perfect analogy, but hey, it's what popped in my head!​

What do you think?​

I'll take input on what kinds of questions you would like people to answer during a quick and casual "IDWIL Interview."

​

Subscribe to our newsletter

[projectidwil-blog]

Should I Tell My Kids NOT to Go to College?

Whoa! How is that for question to get some attention? I guess you do have to realize that my daughters are five and two, so I have a lot of time to really explore that question.​

As I have be developing Project:IDWIL and having to deal with finding a new job, I have had plenty of time to think about what I can offer the world as far as "work and contribution." One thing I have noticed is that an individual who is TRULY confident can apply his or her skills in a meaningful and lucrative way. But the trick there is that you can't fake that confidence.  And obviously, the confidence without skills and the ability to apply those skills isn't enough either. Something I noted in a different article I wrote was that with the recession and our continual population growth, the educational system doesn't quite work these days – as students come out of primary and secondary educational institutions, they are "dumped" into a workforce that just doesn't have room for them. No matter how great their skill set or knowledge base may be, they are having to compete with older folks with more experience. I am no expert in this field, but it is an observation that I don't think many would argue with. Project:IDWIL may not be able to solve this problem, but this does give me a chance to talk about a bigger vision of "what could be" from the Project:IDWIL point of view:

" The environment in which Project:IDWIL would be most at home is one in which our communities and cultures are created by the skills and services that it's individuals contribute. This is in contrast to the culture we live in today that has pre-designated "needs" in which individuals are shaped and train to perform."  -- Jake Simon, creator of Project:IDWIL

That's right, I just quoted myself. I am a little embarrassed, but I guess it is one of the advantages you have when you are the one who owns the blog.

Now I realize that it is a bit "head in the clouds" to think this way, but you have to have some sort of vision of where you would like to go before you can go there – plus, why not make that vision a cool one where everybody is happy? Someone might easily pose the question, "Well if everyone is doing what they wanted to, then there won't be anyone around to do the stuff that no one wants to do, right?" I guess that my short and quick answer would be something along the lines of "I don't particularly LIKE taking out the trash, or cleaning out the disgusting stuff from the shower drain, or unclogging a toilet, but because I love my house and my family, these things get done – for the benefit of my community (i.e. family)." So, my position is that if you build and participate in a community in which you love to be in, you do whatever the community needs, not just what you're good at.

​

Okay, so that his big picture stuff. Getting back to the original question, I have to say that I don't know that college is the only and perfect way to go, especially since I don't know what things will be like once my daughters are of that age. To prepare for that question, I hope to leverage the Project:IDWIL philosophy, and help them develop into individual artists/professionals/lovers-of-life. By doing this, my hope is that they will have built themselves into unique individual experts that could provide whatever field might need them talents that could not be found anywhere else.

header image attribution to flickr creative commons: UniversityBlogSpot ​

[projectidwil-blog]

Infographic on Career Outlook

So, having interests in both graphic design and new media and living in this day and age means that infographics are right up my alley. I found the one below on visual.ly, a website devoted to telling stories with data. Obviously, the simple graphic relates to Project:IDWIL, and I think we see both some good things being done as well as some things to improve. First of all, it looks nice, right? The information is communicated pretty effectively, and I can make my way around the information pretty easily. The set of icons just below the header are really what drew my attention in because the viewer is initially given some generic qualities and interests. With those set, you can quickly interpret some of the innate qualities of the careers that are listed later.

Unfortunately, my hopes of what the infographic would be before I looked over the entire thing outweighed what I took away from it. Mainly, the information just seems limited – there are relatively few careers provided, and data sets such as "satisfaction"  don't really have any reference for me to go off of. And at the bottom, there is an interesting touch of showing some public figures along with their college major, but I don't understand what the intent is other than providing a "hmm" reaction.

Of course, I can't be too critical because I appreciate the fact that this was even made. But you all probably understand that any time I come across something that is in line with Project:IDWIL stuff, I get a little excited. Maybe it's time for me to make my own infographic!

Which Career Is Right For Me infographic

[projectidwil-blog]

What is to the Left of Inspired?

Not too long ago I was talking with a friend – friend of mine, but also a friend of Project:IDWIL.  Although I'm at a place where I'm still growing this project, and like to think that I am wide open to opportunities, it took a couple of his basic questions to really make me think about the big picture.  As I explained what my vision for Project: IDWIL is, he noted that it could benefit from some deeper analysis.

" so I like what you have to say about inspiring people. The website sounds like a great place for people to find inspiration… got it. Then from there, the viewer can align their thoughts and feelings to find a path to follow. If you think of it on a timeline, watching an inspiring video is like an event – a point. Everything to the right of that point is the viewer continuing on, now inspired. One thing I would like you to think about is what is 'to the left of inspired.'"

I love this idea! It is one thing to be exposed to possible inspiration, but I need to take another step back to see an even larger picture. I've come from position that the processes that we've used in the past should just be put to the side while developing this project, and I realize how limiting that can be. For example, I've known of, though have never taken, career assessment tests. I realize that it is one of those tools that helps students get some direction when thinking about their career path. So I decided to look into this more, Because this seems like an obvious answer to help find what is on the left of inspired. In essence, we need to "mine" for information that can help us figure out what we can align to later.

I took a couple tests that were easy to find on the internet. Something I noticed was that, regardless of the "correctness" of the possible careers that the tests were giving me, there was a consistent problem: the test would spit out a list of possible jobs for me to look into – some of which even had hyperlinks – but all of the information was so static...like reading a textbook.  I saw a huge possibility here where an assessment test could be built and linked to the eventual content of Project:IDWIL. So, think about taking a test that provides results for you to look into, and on the end of those links are professionals that not only describe what they do, but why they do what they do, and most importantly, why they LOVE what they do.  I'd love to figure out how to create an assessment test with some accuracy. Maybe just as importantly, I'd love to figure out how to provide results that are wide-ranging. (even when we find certain things that were interested in,  I see value in finding out about other – perhaps not obvious – options.)

Have you ever taken any career assessment tests? Have the results been helpful to you? If so, what are some good ones? If not, what are some that I should avoid?

[projectidwil-blog]

Recognition

Just a quick thought today. I was listening to a podcast in which the interviewee was able to concisely word something that I have recently been thinking of / dealing with - recognition. Now, the whole podcast wasn't about recognition...in fact, it was just a blurb that, had my thoughts drifted for just a minute, I might have missed.

The setup: the speaker, Dan Martell, is successful now, but when he was 18 or so, found himself in jail for a second time - it was just kind of his life at the time.

"...one of the guards came up to me and essentially asked me why I was there, and I kinda laughed because I was obviously there for specific reasons. He went on to say that he had been watching me interact and he kind of felt like I didn't belong. Which was the first time in my life that I had somebody believe in me. You know, I always felt like I was a good person, but obviously my actions didn't reflect that..."

Okay, so maybe he didn't necessarily come up with the concise version - I must have done that, because as I listened to him, I thought of some strangely coincidental things that my wife is dealing with as well as what I am dealing with looking for a new job. So the concise version (even perhaps shareable, ahem​) is:

"Providing recognition to someone who is in a good place is great support – a pat on the back; providing recognition to someone who is in a dark place can be life-changing"