Part 2: the
MapMaker Filler-Outer
Well done on your 29 responses! It’s nearly time to fill them into the MapMaker here.
Our first big step is I would like to talk to you about the context of this Map. I believe it
brings up important distinctions. I’m going to be making a case here for thinking about
designing our work less as something we ‘do’ and more like a ‘space’ (like a home or
garden) and also like an ‘instrument’ through which we can express ourselves.
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Firstly, what this Map is not... Your Map is not a step-by-step, do this, then that, talk to
this person, and on Tuesday write that proposal, kind of thing. You can figure those
steps out once you’re clearer on what the direction is, or we can do it together with
some sessions.
What the Map is…
I’d like to suggest thinking of your Map, as it unfolds, as an ‘organic, living document’
like a travel guide to a beautiful place… in this case, the place is your life. It’s organic
and living because the Map grows with you, accommodates new interests and new
stages in your life.
This MapMaker is a way to connect the things you care most about together on the
canvas of your current life. To see where things could fit. Just like planning and
growing a garden, you don’t need to accomplish it all at once. You can relax into it. And
later when you want to change some of it up, you can dig out the template (backyard
sketch?), fiddle with it, add new things, take out old things, and it’ll still help you design
the next chapter. The Map is a way of SEEING and COMPILING and NOT FORGETTING
what is important to you as your garden, your life, evolves.
Now. the context. To begin with, a lot of us sometimes have a challenging relationship
with ‘plans’. Either with their ‘usefulness’ or our ability to stick to them ;)
Isn’t it true we can sometimes get so caught up in planning our future that we can miss
the present? Yep. Which is why I hope you find a big part of the value of this Map and
the nature of the questions you went through, is that BOTH the future and the now are
addressed in what emerges here for you.
Here are some ways you can think about your map, and in my experience these
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contexts are important to consider before filling out your template:
Your Map like a travel guide:
An analogy that I hope illustrates the Future + Present Moment intention of this
mapmaker: Most of us love to travel. We love the experience of it. And when we do, we
tend to choose loose-ish destinations to head for - a basic plan - knowing that all kinds
of experiences may and hopefully will then happen in the process.
When we travel to a new place, let’s say someplace lovely in France for instance, we
might get up in the morning, have a nice breakfast, and then think… I’ll walk
downtown, see the main square and cathedral, and go from there. A loose plan. It’s a
gentle structure that gives us a basic direction, some likely destinations and lots of
room - in fact an expectation - that experiences enroute are the ultimate goal. That
usually feels safe and fun to us. A bit of direction + openness. Perfect.
On the way, we may find something intriguing that takes us in a different direction
altogether - a 200 yr old tea house and bookstore might draw us in… and hours later
with a little stack of books and a body warmed with tea we might wander back out
onto the sidewalk thinking “well, to heck with the main square now - I’ll do that
tomorrow… No matter. This was awesome”
The loose destination plan, even though not followed to a ‘t’ was still incredibly
important - it is what brought us beside, and into, the tea house.
Your Map like an instrument:
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Another context analogy relevant to your Map: my favourite instrument to listen to
when played by a master is the Uilleann Pipes. If you don’t know them, they are an
Irish type of bagpipes, played with a bellow attached to the elbow rather than blown
into. To me they evoke salty fogs, melancholy, outrageous joy, and the human voice all
at the same time. Hearing them in a 300yr old Irish Pub with a pint of Guinness and
good friends… I’ve been totally moved, frequently to tears.
Here’s the thing - about the pipes or any other instrument you may love and think
about right now… the cello? A folksinger? With a great musician, the music can
sometimes seem to come from some other place - it can be sublime. beautiful, unique,
and can move us deeply.
And yet… the way this musician can express herself with such abandon and beauty is
through… a physical structure. The pipes, the cello… when they are made - their parts
are precise. Every hole, every string is in an exact spot, tuned just so. The instrument is
a tool that has been made with a clear plan. Similarly, the singer uses vocal chords, the
poet uses a language and words, the carpenter uses wood. A rock band uses… a band…
with generally recognizable and expected instruments.
If you have CDs on a shelf or a playlist on your i-whatsit, consider one of your favourite
musicians/bands in there. One of mine is Tom Waits. They’re using the same
instruments and language as thousands of others… but their music is so damn
different, isn’t it. Imagine that for some reason in the past they had never chosen to
pursue their music, never spoke through their instruments and songs, and as a result poof - vanish from your shelf and life. Their music just. doesn’t. exist. Feel the ‘hole’
left behind. You might feel a disappointment, something missing from your inner life,
if they simply weren’t there. What would be missing is not the instruments they used
as such… but THEM contributing to your life THROUGH those instruments.
Through a structure (like an instrument) we can accomplish so so so so much in this
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world. And create environments that bring pleasure to us and others. We can express
the amazingness and the spontaneity that we are made of.
This Map we are piecing together. It is a structure. It isn’t you. You are you. Through
this structure, however (and I know it will take some fiddling with it to get the hang of
it) I am hoping you may find it very enjoyable, and easier, simply to be yourself. In
great, great ways in your daily life, and in your work.
With the musician I am listening to in my mind as I write this - a memory from the
Roisin Dubh pub down the road from my house in Galway, Ireland - playing the pipes…
I’m thinking of the band Lunasa by the way as I write this… it’s not just me who finds
myself in the perfect place having the perfect experience… it’s not just me and many of
the listeners whose lives are enriched in this moment, it’s the musician too. ​
Here is a
video of Lunasa​
- and the very piper - at a Folk Festival. You might love it, and see what
I mean. Incidentally, if you do watch it, that fiddler in the middle - I taught him to
scuba dive. That’s how I learned of Lunasa in the first place when he invited me down
to the pub afterwards to hear them play ;)
In this moment, he’s at home in himself.
Completely, blazingly, totally living in the moment. He is very alive. The uilleann pipes
have given him a structure through which he can say exactly what he wants to say in
that moment in his life to the rest of us. And many, many, many other moments.
Your Map - including work - like a home:
A structure (an instrument) that allows us to be more free and more ‘ourselves’… as
often as possible… becomes like a conceptual ‘home’ in which we can most enjoy being
‘us’. I know it’s possible, because I feel at home in my Big Dream Program. It’s a place I
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can be me, and explore the things I love with people I enjoy. And I know it’s possible
because that’s what so many clients have reflected back after their direction felt more
clear.
When I say we are making a map together… what I am really saying is… I hope you
will find this structure becomes for you, with some work and tinkering, an instrument
through which you feel ‘at home in your life’. Doing what you want to be doing much
of the time, and like the piper, ‘saying what you want to say in the world’. A home for
yourself and all the 1000 things that make you you.
I expect you’ve already seen the ​
video​
I recorded that’s on my homepage. I was on the
second of two big roadtrips with my kids, teaching workshops across Canada and the
US. I recorded that video, though it’s nowhere near as dramatic as Lunasa ;), because I
felt so ‘at home’ in my life & work and wanted to express why. I had all the ingredients
I loved in the one package - the travel, my family, the workshops teaching what I love
along the way allowing me to meet new people and pay for the trip. The same
ingredients in the Map template below. Not only could I feel very ‘at home’ in my work
in that moment, it adjusts along with me. I don’t want to roadtrip all the time, just
some of the time… I feel as ‘at home’ also when I’m in my home in Guelph with a lovely
hot tea having a skype call with a wonderful client from somewhere interesting in the
world.
I don’t say all this to posit myself as successful or always blissful. I have my challenges
for sure, bad days. And shortcomings. Ask my wife ;) I’m sure you’re way better than
me at some aspects of life. What I’m more wanting to express is that I believe it’s
possible for anybody to feel ‘at home’ in their work lives. Even someone like me - with
I assure you as many issues and self doubt as anybody. Our shortcomings, confidence,
and challenges are not the problem, typically, when we feel ‘not’ at home with our
work. A good structure or lack of it IS.
There is an important concern that pops up usually after people create their Map, so
let’s address it AHEAD of time:
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The Map can be exciting. I hope it is for you. But it can also bring up fear, or
stagefright, about whether or not we can really do any of these things.
‘What if… maybe… i’m too old? Or… maybe i’m just too unmotivated these days. Maybe I
don’t have a lot of energy because of the battles I’ve had. Maybe I don’t feel I have a lot of
self-confidence. Maybe I have serious responsibilities for family or a mortgage and have
very limited options. Maybe I just have to get real and toe the line…’
This is normal. I think about these things too. I expect the piper may have a family, and
bills also. These concerns do not automatically preclude us from being ‘at home in our
lives’, they just mean we have to be practical and savvy. Not bad attributes to bring to
the table, I reckon. :) Plus, I recommend, once you have your map in a pretty good draft
state, that you try easy ‘projects’ to EXPLORE it. You don’t ​
have​
to jump over the
gunnels of your current life and test your swimming ability in the ole ‘sink or swim’
way. You can if you need to, but otherwise, I think you can revamp the ‘garden’ of your
work life and dreams using projects. One area at a time.
Here’s the way I think about this map we’re creating. It’s like designing a ‘physical
space’. It might address some of these concerns, especially as it relates to income:
If our Map were about your physical home, and I was asking you questions about what
you like, or would like to do in your home… you might realize how much you love
meditating in the sunny place, curled up reading a great book in the awesome chair.
And you may realize you also love dinner parties, or best-friend coffee visits.
If you love books and wine and friends, maybe you might come to toy with the idea of
a Friday night book club. Invite 5 friends to come over in 3 weeks time, for wine and
yummies - with a purpose. They are to read a new book they’ve been thinking about,
and on the party-Friday they come over and you have a little system that lets everyone
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talk about their book and why they love it. Or… what if instead - a bucket-list club?
Our process together, and this Map, is a way of seeing what we already love to do, and
how we might share some of it with others.
“Okay, I get what I love to do in my alone time, and I see the things I might like to do with
friends… but what does this have to do with work & income though?”
In my experience. Everything. When we earn money, it comes from sharing something
of ourselves with others who would like what we’re sharing.
Story: A friend of mine is a life coach. When he’s not ‘working’, he loves hiking in his
beloved foothills of the Rockies behind his home in Colorado. If feeling ‘at home in his
life’ sometimes means tramping the trails, an idea emerged… could he meet some of
his life coaching clients for a hike + session instead of the usual Skype session? Answer:
yes. He did. They loved it. Could he also lead a life-coaching group program for those
who love motorcycling - giving them questions to consider as he led them through
beautiful scenery for 3 days, and then stopping for lunch at a pub somewhere and
discussing what their reflections were on the questions? Yes. He did. He called it
Moto-Clarity.
Bottom line is what we feel most ‘at home’ doing in our personal / friends life may be
the perfect ways to think about feeling ‘at home’ in our work life ALSO.
Your Map - your income work:
Instead of thinking of the work we do for others as ‘what I do for income’, it may be
beneficial to alter those words to ‘what I do to make a difference in the world’
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Money can be a pain in the butt, I know. My Dad used to say - I don’t know where he
got it - that work is the curse of the leisure class. ;)
But money - or even bartering for what we need to support our lives - has an inherent
beauty. It is a means of exchanging things amongst ourselves and if we want it, we
need to come out and share something of ourselves with humanity.
If my current income work is at the local coffee shop, I’m sharing my time,
personality, and whatever skills I have to do the job - to give people coffee and if
possible, a nice experience.
If I’m currently a massage therapist, same thing - I’m sharing my time, personality, and
whatever skills I have to do the job - to give people nice massages and if possible, a nice
experience.
So…. let’s dive in. Your income.
The 4 ways to have income to support your life:
As near as I can tell, there are 4 ways to try to earn the money you want or at least
need. There may be others, but they’re uncommon enough I haven’t encountered
them. So for our purposes, let me lay out the Four, ​
and I think you might particularly
love the 4th.​
But… no one of these is better than the other. They’re just options, and
what I’d invite you to consider as the independent-minded person that you are… is
instead of pigeon-holing yourself into just one of these, especially if you have a fair
level of financial responsibilities, feel free to mix and match to get where you want to
go.
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1.
Someone gives us money:​
a spouse, parent, government assistance or
grant, crowdfunding, or we’re able to give ​
ourselves​
money from savings,
investments, dividends from something like real estate or an MLM business.
2.
3.
Get a job:​
part-time or full-time.
Sell products or services:​
I often consider this the first-level of
self-employment. We can sell soap, cars, firewood, handyman services, music
lessons, reiki classes, coaching sessions…
4.
Design experiences for people:​
design ways for individuals or groups
of people to do something, explore something… workshops, retreats, hiking
life-coaching sessions, eCourses… experiences for Moms, or kids, or men… for
lawyers or yoga enthusiasts or people who would love to build sustainable
food-gardens, or learn to sing.
I would like to submit that #4 is the ultimate lens to think about work through - even in
options 2 and 3. For example, I have a friend who to the astonishment of his mates
LIKES his job at a call centre. He likes answering the phone from frustrated callers and
using his naturally lovely, humorous, and disarming personality to connect with them.
In most cases he has them laughing and happy by the end of the call. Though he
mightn’t have used these words, he likes designing experiences for people. He likes
making their day. How can we make someone’s day?
Even if I am selling a product or service, of course it makes a lot of sense to think
BEYOND the product/service, and think instead about what kind of EXPERIENCE we
want the recipient to have. How can we make someone’s day with what we’re selling?
Priorities - how to ‘weight’ things in your Map to
match your current priorities.
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Some people will be craving meaningful contribution through their work as one of
their biggest priorities at this moment in their lives. They’d be willing to battle
mosquitoes, long hours, and sleep on a rock if it meant working at EXACTLY what they
want to do doing super meaningful work. Making a big difference. Someone like this is
going to find they naturally give more attention, or weight, to some parts of their Map
more than others. If compromises have to be made, they will be more willing to give
up some of the lifestyle pieces, perhaps, or set aside another big dream for now as they
focus on the new work project.
Some folks are at a place in their lives where they’ve been working really really hard,
and what they most want right now is to step back, drop the stress, maybe get a nice,
fun, low-stress part-time job at a coffee shop, or walking people’s dogs. Or maybe
design a simple, light business such as teaching workshops on a topic for pure fun - like
creating your family tree or improving your karaoke performance ;). Freeing up time
and mental energy to spend with their loved ones, writing their book or pursuing some
other dreams. Someone in this position may weight the lifestyle / family / interests
elements of the Map more heavily than the ‘changing the world’ elements ;)
Of course there are many other possible combinations of weighting, so when you fill in
your Map I invite you to really ‘feel’ where you are at at THIS time in your life, and
honour what you really want. Weight your Map or your where-to-begin focus in that
direction. Begin a project that explores your favourite parts of your Map. To use the
analogy of your Map being like a travel guide…. you don’t have to go to ALL places in
the travel guide at the same time… just see what your heart most wants now.
OK! Without further ado… it’s time to fill in your Map. If we were designing a backyard
garden, you might love mostly vegetables whereas another person wants trees and
flowers and sanctuary. Still another wants wide open sunny space with a natural
swimming hole in the middle. What you personally want is going to be different from
the next person in little ways or completely. But… the underlying ingredients are likely
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the same: perhaps they are earth, plants, water, light, features.
Likewise, in my years and years of doing this work with people, I’ve found there are
predictable raw ingredients that go into life+work design. If we leave one or more
ingredient(s) out, it usually feels like something is missing - a certain amount of
‘lostness’. That had certainly been my problem all my work life until a memorable
spring afternoon when the ingredients became clear to me. I had just not realized that
some of them were important and how they fit together. When I did, I can truthfully
say I have not felt any lostness with ‘what I’m doing with my life’ since that day - even
before I’d made any changes.
So back to you - I have scattered these ingredients throughout the 29 questions you’ve
answered, and I hope succeeded in collecting together what makes you tick, and what
you love.
Time for you to get busy ;)
Step one: Because some of your responses, quite rightly and as I suggested, might be
long-winded… Please go through your 29 answers and wherever you see ‘long’
answers… underline or asterisk maybe 1-4 items of what you wrote that seem to have
the most emotional charge. OR…. if you prefer, you can do this editing while you fill in
the blanks in the template.
Important:​
Don’t worry about what you leave out, by the way. Once you see how the
Map is made, you can go back, re-include, and adjust, with items you hadn’t deemed
important previously. Bottom line is we need some good clear items to choose in order
to see what the map MIGHT look like. To see how it’s CONSTRUCTED. Once you see
how the map is populated, you can put new answers into it. In this way you can try
combinations on like a pair of jeans and see how they fit :)
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Aesthetic point:​
You may also have to adjust grammar, etc as you fill your answers in
so that your responses make sense in the paragraphs.
This is where Alex signs off until I pop up again at the end. The template below is
written in first person - yours. You will see there are fill-in spaces marked with
numbers, like this: [2]. These placeholders match the 29 answers you gave. Replace my
[2] with your top answers for question #2. As mentioned before, if you have very long
answers to some questions, pick a few points out to fill into the template. You can go
back and grab other items later as you go deeper with your brainstorming.
Of course you can adjust wordings for grammatical sense as you go, and if you need
more space than what you find here, feel free to add some extra notes around the edge
or on the back of the sheet. I will be the LAST person on the planet I think to expect
you to stay inside any lines ;)
Template Construction
For so. many. years, I have longed for, dreamed about being able to
These things are going to stretch me. I know if I’m going to make these happen, I
have to grow into them somehow - in fact, that’s why I have these particular
dreams in the first place - because they’re messages from my heart to my head
saying ‘walk towards these dreams and you will become who you want to be in
the process’. I now realize that these dreams are not luxuries, they are important
for my growth, and I’m going to keep them front and centre.
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If I can make these dreams happen now, or I think I might be able to, I’m going to
explore them straight away. Get going, as it were. They are going to fuel the rest
of my life in many ways, probably even my work. But… if I find they are full of
unknowns and not as straightforward as I’d wish, and they might derail me when
I can’t see how to accomplish them, then it’s probably my sign that I need to get
started with my more immediate dreams first. These things will help me grow my
accomplishment muscles, will be a ton of fun, will help me build more
confidence, and may also help me figure out some of my ‘inner’ stuff so that I can
truly enjoy the bigger dreams when I get there.
So, if the bigger dreams do not seem possible yet, or I just want to do the
following things AS WELL, here’s what I’m going to work on now. I commit to
setting aside a little of my work time to explore these and see which ones I can get
started:
Later on, I may even see if some of these dreams might dovetail with a work
project so I can combine a dream + income at the same time.
And yet, I need to back up a step here. I have a concern even stating these
intentions. Even the smaller dreams. It’s due to my past experience. Quite
frankly, this isn’t my first time around the bucket list thing. I do think I have it in
me to begin at least ONE of these dreams I’ve written down, I really do, but
garg…. what the big white elephant in the room is: It’s easy to get jammed to a
halt - sometimes for years if not decades with dreams… because of daily life.
Work, Money, Time, Responsibilities, Problems, not having a plan that worked for
me. Sometimes simply the inner confidence to give these things a go has taken
me through the wringer. This normal, and often genuinely important, but
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frustrating ‘life stuff’. There’s no shame in really strong courageous people
feeling damn tired of considering their dreams only to find that disappointment
or life caves in on top of them every time. This making a dream happen thing is
not for the faint-hearted.
For me personally, I have found that:
But here’s what I’m thinking. Worst-case scenario: I may not accomplish any of
these things. It’s true. Maybe life will happen and I have to re-calibrate or just be
happy without.
And yet… what if I could? How would that feel, I thought? At times like this when we face the dreams we WANT TO DO, it is customary for those of us with
some life experience and a bit of mud on our face, to rather instantly think of the
reasons why it mightn’t work. That’s fine. So I have some weaknesses or some
things I don’t know yet. Who doesn’t. What seems to be also true is my heart
won’t let me give up.
Maybe I’ve not seen the full picture of my life - only the challenges.
When I was truly honest with myself, there were also a hell of a lot of reasons
why I just effing MIGHT be capable of doing what I’m dreaming of. Especially
now that I am beginning to see the next chapter in my life more clearly. A lot of
my energy and confidence was drained trying to figure out wth I’m doing with
my life. As I get clearer on that, that frees me up a good deal.
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Maybe I just might surprise even myself, let alone the people I love and who
would love to see me succeed in the ways I dream of.
What I needed next was a deeper-than-usual emotional FOUNDATION. Though
it’s fashionable to be self-deprecating, and god knows I’m well aware of my
shortcomings… if I am going to create this NEXT chapter in my life for everyone I
care about, perhaps the best place to build it is on the best emotional foundation I
have - namely an active awareness of everything I’m already great at and the
dreams I HAVE accomplished. I can build on strength. And that I have. For
instance, I am
and I’ve got this. I’ve got
I think a smart idea might be to print off this list of ‘great and grateful’ things and
keep em up front and centre where I can see them everyday. I run into my share
of self-doubt same as everybody, and maybe for this next chapter in my life it
would be savvy to be able to SEE this list all the time until it sinks in - to round
out my perspective when I’m not feeling my strongest.
After I wrote out the honest foundation in what I’ve been great at, I began to
think about my dreams, my life, my work, the sense of contribution I knew I
wanted to give in my world - and started to feel a growing sense of new
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possibility for me.
And I came to realize a very crucial thing - perhaps the most important of this
mapmaking process…
Underneath everything, under every dream and idea in this whole thing… under
every detail, there was one realization. My True North. If I were to make even a
10% improvement towards this ONE THING, if I used it as my lens and filter for
ALL my decisions and actions, it would change my life so so much. This could be
my compass.
My realization: ​
I knew how i wanted my life to feel.​
I’ve accomplished a lot of
things in my life, and will down the road, but this one thing is now the primary
goal. I don’t have to do stuff just because I’m good at it, or because I think I
*should* do it. That doesn’t serve me anymore. I know what success looks like for
me now, and if I do NOTHING else in this map… this one thing will steer me well.
I’m going to adjust everything I can to create a life that feels
Alright. With this compass in mind, it was time to start thinking about plans that
might create more of the environments in my life that support this NEXT chapter
for me. Sometimes I wish I’d figured out some of this stuff earlier in my life, but
on the other hand, when I really stop to think about it - I probably wouldn’t have
been ready for this new chapter or really open to it were it not for every day and
every experience of every year that led to me this point. I have experience,
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maturity, and life experience, and I know more of what I want now.
OK. I’ve got my emotional foundation. Check. And I really want to move forward.
I’m still nervous about failing in some way, but I am also ready. Eff it. Let’s do
this.
To begin with, no life ideas worth their salt will mean a darn if they don’t include
If I can include them in my work or big dream projects, I may do just that. If not, I
will at least start by creating a special project specifically about learning to enjoy
them more in my life. One starting way of doing this will be to set aside a few
minutes each day to write in a personal diary - even if I’m at work - listing 5
things I love about them or about being with them. This small thing will begin to
make me feel more on track and less neglectful of these lovely people.
The 2nd plan is I will make it a new priority to schedule time with them in ways
that they, and I, enjoy. When we’re together, I will ask them questions. One goal
might be to see if I can learn one new thing about them every day, or every time
we’re together. These simple steps will quickly begin to re-nourish my
relationships with these important people in my life.
And now, moving along to work… I’m about to lay out some new work ideas for
myself. But no matter what these ideas and plans are, ​
there is a bigger internal
reason I have them​
that I want to keep in mind. A reason why my work dreams
might be different than other people’s. They didn’t just come out of the blue. The
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reason is - I have big gifts inside me that are ready to come out and express
themselves more fully in my life now. By working on the things in my Map below,
I have natural strengths that are going to grow as a result. Things like my:
and
Some of these will need some active tending and encouragement, maybe even
some help from others. And some of them will just happen organically. As these
inner strengths come out more and more, I will find they are gifts that feel very
nice, very me, and that I love to share them with my loved ones.
Work + Income:
There are lots of ways to approach thinking about work & income, and most of
the approaches unconsciously clung to in mainstream thinking don’t actually
work very well. I decided that I would start fresh - by separating the two terms.
What if ‘work’ is everything I do when I’m not asleep or vegging. Everything I
‘work’ on, everything I ‘do’: from learning the piano, or Spanish, to practising
meditation or taking cooking classes… from putting my kids to bed or cleaning
my house, to helping a friend or a client with a project.
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This perspective helps me step out of the mental prison of the 9-5ish Mon-Fri
work mindset that most of us learned even way back in first grade.
My work, then, is what I do when I’m awake. Including working on my big
dreams, walking the dog, and exercising. And some of the ‘work’ I do in my week
I earn INCOME doing.
And now let’s talk about my income work. Before taking the next steps to
re-imagine my income, golly… I’ve spent so much of my life earning or trying to
earn money, and not that it was all bad - but it’s easy to have these activities take
over one’s entire life. I wanted to gain some perspective on what I would
‘naturally’ want to do anyway if I weren’t on that treadmill. If money didn’t exist,
or I didn’t need any more, I’d
It’s often a helpful mental re-set to consider what I’d do if money didn’t exist or I
had plenty. Because… if I DO need or want to earn money in my life - or even
equivalent support through bartering or an ‘intentional community’ - it is
probably the best fit for me to do the things for income that I’d want to be doing
anyway, regardless. I will check back on this list as I design my income project
ideas as a reminder.
[Note from Alex: In the Income Project Design ingredients below, I’d like to
pre-suggest something as it may come up for you. If you find one of these
ingredients captivates you… please feel free to run with it and figure out the
other parts later. You do not need to do all of these things at once. The
reason they are listed together is to show how ALL these interconnected
elements can play together when you are designing a whole-picture income
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project from scratch.
Also… and perhaps the most important thing I would like to say leading into
this is: The Income Map below is not pie-in-the-sky hippie talk. It’s plain real.
You have earned income in the past, maybe do now. What you’ve already
done for income in your life has had the same structural ingredients, whether
they were a good fit for you or not: You did some set of things (whether you
liked them or not) + for somebody or somebodies (you resonated with or not)
+ someone paid you (enough or not). There was a lifestyle to the job - whether
nourishing or not. It allowed for your bigger dreams and your life with your
loved ones a lot or little, and the work was meaningful to you somewhere
between 0 and 100%.
What we’re doing below is breaking out all of these normal earning-money
pieces so you can SEE em, and savvily design more of YOU into each piece.
Frankly, I think you’ll love it ;)
Income Project Structure:
Whether I am looking for a job, or to ‘do my own thing’, or even a combination of
both, this structure gives me direction - a Map. My intention is to find the
quickest and easiest ways to implement pieces of this structure starting now
wherever I can. I will give particular focus - ‘weight’ - to the ingredients in this
structure that appeal to my life the most right now.
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Making a Difference
The next chapter in my work life, whether it’s a side-project, something I do at my
current work, or as my ‘main thing’ is allowing me to bring my focus to ‘making a
difference’ beyond what I’ve been able to do before.
Though there are many things I care deeply about in this world, I have always
deeply craved, and hoped, that maybe my work, my life, could make a difference
in the world. A bigger difference I mean. Maybe ‘fingers crossed’ a channel for
that inner ‘greatness’ I have inside me that I just knew was there. Gosh, I’d
thought about so. many. ideas over the years but couldn’t narrow it down to
something I could really settle on. Until... I ‘got’ that above all what I was most
passionate about, and due to my life experiences might just be uniquely suited to
was
Like a breath of fresh air, and not without some oh-my-god doubts, I finally had a
focus. I wasn’t sure yet exactly what I might do, or even if I could, but maybe, just
maybe, I’d found my thing. If I could make a difference in this area, I’d feel
beyond wonderful about this. I may not be able to do EVERYTHING in this one
life, but if I could help my world with this thing, really help, I would feel
profound satisfaction. Peace.
But now, what am I doing to do? This is a big topic. Of course now that I’m seeing
it, I’m going to study, research and explore EVERYTHING related to it. Hopefully I
find there are many really really great people and organizations working in this
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area so that it all doesn’t come ‘down to just me’. I expect that as I go along I
might meet many of them. Maybe I’ll outright work for or with one of them and
be happy as a clam to do so.
Or maybe to feel fully expressed in my own work life I need to somehow explore
if I might have my own way of making a contribution to this greater goal. Is there
something particular about me, and even my interests and the kinds of people I
resonate with, that could be a new voice in this area?
I’m going to find out.
Could it be possible to find or create my income by designing experiences of some
kind - maybe even products or services - for people I resonate with and have it
contribute to the BIG WHY magic wand above - this area of the world that I want
to make a difference in?
Whether I can make a contribution to this big thing or not, I do know what I love
and what kinds of things would be meaningful for me to do and share with others
for my work.
The Who
Before the what-kinds-of-things I might ‘do’, let me start with the WHO. Because
when I’m clearer on that, the what might become more obvious.
Though I could probably learn to work with just about anybody, I would love best
to work with people I resonate with deeply. People I’d love to hang out with
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regardless. I feel so inspired and at home in myself with people like:
This is probably very important to my work happiness, and feeling like I’m ‘on
track’ doing what I’m supposed to be doing with my life - namely being with the
kind of people that make me feel I am so welcome, and who inspire me.
Sometimes it wouldn’t even matter what I do with people like this, I’d still be
happy, but with respect to income… what if I could design experiences and
contributions for people like this around things I love? Maybe I could help them
directly with something that comes easily to me but is hard for them? Maybe I
could offer them an experience in something they are interested in but have
never done? Or maybe I could do something in their lives - to help them, or their
kids, dogs, horses, or their homes, gardens?
Maybe some of these people would love to create a backyard sanctuary or learn
to dance, have a family retreat or learn to canoe, communicate with their animals
or passed loved ones. Maybe they might love to have an organized kitchen, or
help with their tax preparations?
These are beautiful people, and like all of us, there are many things they would
love to experience in their lives, or really want help with from someone they
resonate with and trust. Like me.
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How I feel most comfortable interacting with people
Before I think of ‘what’ to offer or do for them, I want to think about ‘how I’m
doing it’ so I can start to picture what my work could look like on a Tuesday, say.
When it comes to connecting with people, the thing about me is, well, I’m
different. I love and adore people, but there are so many different ways to
interact. From meeting 1on1 in an office or coffee shop to running a big
workshop. From hosting a small gathering in my living room to leading a small
gathering in a private facebook group. Some of the ways to ‘be’ with people don’t
interest me as much, or aren’t a fit for the rest of my life, and other ways feel just
great. If I’m going to feel really happy, comfortable, and sustainable in my work
with people, the ways I feel most comfortable working with people are:
Sure I might experiment with other ways of being with people that are outside
my comfort zone, but the ways I’ve listed here are the best foundation for me.
Given these me-kind-of-whos and the ways I feel most comfortable connecting...
What I might love to do with people
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Below is a short-list of things I might like and could offer based on my strengths
and interests, and from which I can brainstorm possible projects. Income
projects. They could be purely for fun or interest - like a roast-your-own coffee +
learn about coffee farmers workshop, or they could also be more about helping a
‘need’ such as getting through a divorce or revamping the backyard. Regardless
of what my project ideas are, I’m going to see if I can find ways that these things I
do for others relate back to my ‘contribution to the world’ I wish to make.
Now, what am I offering. I’m keeping in mind that I have many interests, and so
do other people. I don’t have to ‘choose’ one of these things, in fact I may not.
What I am going to explore is if I might want to blend some of these interests and
skills together to create a rich, unique experience I can offer people.
I am interested in things like:
as well as
I would also find it very meaningful to help someone who is having trouble with,
or wanting to learn more about
Another topic that I might like to bring into this down the road, though it’ll take
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some extra work on my part - work that frankly I’d enjoy anyway is
Now, the next step here in my brainstorming is to try blending some of these
interests to see what the result might look like. If I were interested, for example,
in laughter, camping, and helping women with a divorce… then… could I create
‘laughter overnight camping escapes for women going through a divorce and
really needing some laughter + nature therapy’ Through this example I can see
what’s possible when you start to blend things. Let me blend some of my interests
and skills from the previous paragraph together and see what happens.
Here are some of the things I experimented with blending together from my ‘I am
interested in things like’ list above: (ie. ______ + _______ + _______ )
●
●
●
Now, what if, for my income, I could do experiences like what I’ve listed there
with people AND have it make the big difference in the world I wanted with my
magic wands question all at the same time?
Blending my Work Ideas + my Magic Wand
It may take some imagination, but I’m going to brainstorm it. Perhaps it’s as
simple as 10% of what I charge or an optional donation jar goes to an
organization making that contribution so I feel I am actively making a difference.
For example, if one of my magic wands was - I wanted to make a difference to
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people in the world who die due to preventable nutritional reasons, and if one of
my interests was blacksmithing… then I might offer blacksmithing for Dads and
sons (or Moms and daughters) experiences AND I charge enough for these that as
part of their workshop they receive an info page about the ​
Lucky Iron Fish​
that
was bought on their behalf and given to a family challenged with iron deficiency
in their diets. I made a real difference in the bigger world for a family, I’ve helped
my participants become involved and make a difference - they’ll love it, AND we
all still have our wonderful blacksmithing experience together which has other
benefits.
Or maybe I can be more intimately involved. Maybe the topics and activities that
I do with or for people can actually CREATE some of the big difference I’d like to
make rather than allying with an organization.
For example, if my magic wand were that children in the world find their own
true authentic voice and speak up, and are heard. And if some of my interests or
skills were walking in the woods and storytelling, then maybe I could design
experiences for children or families to have a walk in the forest + storytelling
day. I might tell a story somewhere along the way, and then tell the kids that
‘they’ can tell stories to. It’s not hard to do if you ‘look’ at things and ponder the 1
story-finding question. I give them a question to ponder that will get their
imagination going. Then at the picnic spot, they share and describe where their
imagination went with the question. In terms of the magic wand, I am able to
show them they have a unique voice, and then maybe talk a little bit about real
life too - and ask them ‘do they sometimes feel too shy to speak, or that they don’t
have something to share’? And then reflect back to them that what they came up
with in their story was different than anyone else - that their imagination IS
different, and therefore their voice is important and unique - and needed in the
world. In doing so, I’ve created not just the experience with the kids, but
contributed to my bigger mission at the same time. I might even put my process
out as an ecourse also, so parents and teachers not close to me can access this.
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Now it’s my turn. Armed with these examples, I wanted to experiment with what
MY work projects could be like by tacking together my interests + my bigger
vision.
To see how this could work, I’m grabbing one of the most intriguing work blends
from the bullet list above - where I blended different interests together to see
what I could do for people - and then considering it in light of the bigger magic
wand difference I’d love to make in the world…
Here are 3 possible ways I could offer an experience to people and have it line up
with and make a difference to the bigger world vision I have. (ie blending a work
idea that I’d love to share with people + how it contributes to the bigger picture
magic wand thing)
●
●
●
Before deciding on anything, I just might dedicate a week of exploration to play
with all of these blending ideas. I bet I’ll think of more and more interesting
project ideas as I go. And quite fittingly for the next piece in my template, I’m
going to look after my lifestyle WHILE I do this brainstorming. Might as well start
my new life NOW ;) I’m going to take myself to a nice place in nature, or a coffee
shop, maybe the pub… take myself and my notebook out on a me-date and
explore blending things I care about until I have some dandy project ideas. Then
I’m going to give myself a gift for my best idea ;) And then, maybe with a bit of
help and advice, I’m going to go out and TRY it.
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Blending my Work with… well, with ME. My Life.
Now finally, I had to consider my own self and the LIFE I am wanting to design.
Life ain’t just about work, I know. I’ve made that mistake before. If my work is
going to feel really great to me - if I’m to feel ‘at home’ in it, then I want it to be a
good organic fit in my life. If I have to make compromises at first, fine, but I also
want to know I haven’t forgotten myself and my loved ones in this plan.
Now, I can keep my personal big dreams, and my lifestyle dreams completely
separate from my work. As long as I make time for them, they don’t have to
intersect. But… sometimes magical things happen when they DO, so this is the
final NINJA stage of work-project design… blending my projects with things like
my big dreams, lifestyle dreams, and personal Whos.
You know above in the last set of bullet points, where I listed some possible work
projects + magic wand possibilities? Well although these might evolve over the
coming week, I’m going to just go grab one of them now so I can see how this
works. Once I see how my personal big dreams and lifestyle could blend with
work projects, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to NOT think through that lens again.
This is the ninja insight that ties it all together, makes my work fully a part of the
garden of my life. A place I call home.
Some examples to give me the flavour of how this works:
If one of my big dreams is to roadtrip across the country with my family, then is it
possible I could offer my project for a period of time - on the road - in towns
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across the country? Maybe people would host it in their towns?
If one of my lifestyle dreams is to work from home - could I offer this project in
my local area, and maybe from my own home - such as clients coming to me, or
Skype sessions?
If one of my Personal Whos dreams is to spend more time hanging out with my
grandmother, might she like to participate or help me out when I do one of my
projects?
If my biggest dream ever is to live on a sailboat and live half the year in Nova
Scotia and the other half in the Caribbean, is it possible I could design my income
projects to be available to people in one place or the other, or online?
What’s critical to notice here is that even just thinking of the big dream
automatically makes us think about how to ‘adjust’ the work projects so they
might fit.
Below is a pretty complete list of the personal things that are, or might be,
important to me in my life. I don’t have to do them ALL combined with work, nor
do I have to do all of these things period, but what if I explored combining some
of these things with my work projects to see what ideas it might give me? This
process might not only enhance my personal life, but might also enhance the
work! Permaculture! ;)
Here are my personal ingredients:
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To begin with, I am now making it my mission to explore each of these in order of
priority in my life - like places to visit in the guidemap of a new city - there is no
hurry, but these things have gifts to give me, and I’m looking forward to
experiencing them. I may be uber-savvy and at times blend some of THESE
together, such as taking one of my favourite Whos out to do one of these things
together. Two birds with one stone as the old saying goes.
But let’s see how some of these might blend with my work! To do this, I’m going
to look at my favourite work + magic wand idea from the bullet points I filled in
on page 29. And consider it in light of each of the personal ingredients I wrote
above, with a question in my mind - could I blend my work project and this
thing?
Here are 6 possibilities I came up with for how my work project could be blended
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with some of my personal elements above. (though I might like to take another
page and try a lot more possibilities)
●
●
●
●
●
●
As I said before, now that I see how these ingredients in this whole template can
fit together, I think I will take myself on some me-time and brainstorm whatever
I come up with.
If I’m considering ‘doing my own thing’ - being self-employed with these projects there is always the concern about ‘will it work’?
For one thing, I can only know by trying. It’s like a new relationship. I can walk
away at the beginning due to the risk, or I can… give it a try. With respect to a
business, it’s so easy to get all tangled up in what we are TOLD we need to do to
run a business. Some of these things might be true for me, others superfluous.
To begin with I’m already ahead of the curve in that I’m thinking in terms of
designing experiences for people. If I were thinking just in terms of selling a thing
or a service, then I’d be focused on me and my thing. When I think in terms of
designing experiences for others, I’m thinking about them. This perspective tends
to automatically make what I might be offering more valuable and attractive to
the right people.
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Another advantage I have is that I’m blending together different things in the
same package - all with a big juicy WHY (the magic wand) which tends to be a
much more INTERESTING and unique thing to offer people :)
I’ve also got options - through realizing there are 4 ways to piece together my
‘now’ income - and I can use any or all four of them if I want. My first project
might happen while I’m still at my current work. Or I might give up the job, get a
lovely little part-time job to help and free up time for my new work project.
Maybe I could even run a crowd-funding thing to fund this project. Bottom line is,
I have options. Regardless, I’ll piece that out as I go.
I don’t need to figure out some big-for-the-rest-of-my-life project here. This Map is
like a guide to Paris. I just need to pick a first destination to experiment with. On
my way there, I might discover a 200yr old tea shop that is even better than what
I’d planned.
However, what keeps things together for me as I explore different work
experiences I can create… what’s consistent... is - I know the area of ‘making a
difference’ I’d like to work in - my magic wand, I know the kinds of people I’d
most like to work with, I know the ways I most like interacting with people (my
vehicles), and I know how I’d like my life to feel. Those are the biggest direction
items now sorted.
Now all I need to do is design income projects - experiences - that interest me and
that I can offer other people based on the combination-blending I did above.
If I’m going to do these projects as my complete income, maybe I’m good to go, or
maybe I’ll need a little coaching or marketing help, but honestly… I think this
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could be so much simpler than so many might make it out to be.
All I really have to do is compose an email outlining the experience I’m wanting
to offer, and send it out as a pilot ‘test’ to friends, family, existing clients, etc. or
on Facebook. Nice and simple. See if I can start that way!
And… then when I have some participants, clients, users of my service, of course
I’ll have the most amazing things to share with them with my projects. But…
beyond the work itself, I have a ‘secret’ marketing plan - or in better words a
secret plan for really looking after them. I think it will feel very kind, enjoyable
for me, and make my business friendly, human - and attractive. Just like a
collection of friends in a coffee shop. Here’s my secret… I will consider everyone
that comes through my work as a ‘village’ of gorgeous whos and of course I will
offer them new and subsequent experiences they might love - keep them in the
loop.
But... this is how I will surprise them, make them feel special, and show how
much I appreciate and enjoy them. I’m going to
End of template.
Notes and suggestions from Alex:
This MapMaker Filler-Outer has been the most rewarding and the most difficult
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thing I think I’ve ever tried to create. And for this reason, I so appreciate your
patience, help, and feedback as I work to improve it. This template is always in
my mind when I’m working with clients, as it seems to collate and give structure
to just about everything they care about in ‘doable’ packages.
Some of the most amazing projects - some of which I’ve now begun to share out
in my emails - have grown out of this over the years. I have SO. MANY. STORIES.
But it’s been difficult to write also. For one main reason. I’m thinking about what
might be going through your mind in each paragraph. It led to a difficult balance
- I am endeavouring to keep it from being 100 pages long and unwieldy, but also
addressing common concerns or trip-ups as I went.
The other challenge on my end has been that different people will weight parts of
the Map differently. As I mentioned, there is the person who just wants a lighter,
easier life because things have been really tough. There is another person who is
currently full of ambition and wants to tackle something of immense value and
‘do something big’. I still use the same Map helping these folks, but while one
person will want to focus more heavily on a big ‘meaty’ work project, the other
might want to focus mainly on lifestyle, healing, or their family right now and
have a ‘light fun no-stress’ income focus.
Bottom line is, this Map stays the same, but you can feel free to begin focusing on
the parts of it that are most appealing to you NOW.
I remember a client years ago who came with a big dream of a business she
wanted to create. We talked about it for awhile, until it really came out in our
discussion that she was feeling thoroughly burned out from her current work
and a soul-destroying commute. She came to the conclusion that she just didn’t
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have ‘any extra energy’ to create a business. Instead, we focused on lifestyle
elements - for example she started to listen to language CDs in the car on her
commute to nourish her love of learning. She then implemented a few other
really easy but big-results lifestyle changes - scheduled time with friends, cooked
more, etc. This was the best focus for her at the time. 6 months later she came
back, out of the blue, and boy did she look different. More alive, twinkling eyes.
Standing tall. And she said - ‘I’m ready to start that business now.’
Focusing on the lifestyle parts were the BEST THING for her, and likely even the
quickest route to where she wanted to go rather than ‘fighting it’. I wanted to
share this example as my way of saying… feed and explore the parts of your Map
that speak to you most now. Things will change later. So Focus on now.
Where to start then? Look at your Map and what you’ve written out. It’s a pretty
darn thorough big-picture design made up entirely of bits of YOU. And try this
question - what would be great to explore first?
If you would like some personal help from me, we can of course book some 1on1
time to chat about your situation. Here’s the link to the coaching page:
http://bigdreamprogram.com/coaching
And in the meantime, if I have one last piece of advice that has worked the best
for most… again think of this as a travel guide to your life. Just like a travel guide
to the lovely French town… Pick an adventure. Start one small thing in your Map
just to get some momentum going even if it’s not work-related (such as something
in your dreams or lifestyle lists), and then book yourself some you-dates as soon
as possible to experiment with the work project blends to see what you come up
with. I have no doubt you’re going to have some highly interesting ones to
shortlist and then try. :)
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Big. Huge. Hug,
Alex
PS - I don’t know where yet to work this into the document, so I’ll mention it here
for now… there is one other challenge that comes up for some considering work
projects. The fact that others in the world are doing similar things. And
worryingly, maybe they’re doing it better than we feel we can. If this has come up
for you in this process, I have a suggestion. Think of 5 musicians / bands you love.
They’re all doing the same thing - banging away on some kind of instrument and
using them and maybe some words to create the songs you love. They’re all doing
the same ‘activity’, but… they are so different, aren’t they. The guitar, for
instance, is not them. It’s the instrument they express themselves through.
Your Map - it’s not you. You’re you. The Map is an instrument through which to
express yourself. And what you say in your life and work through this Map is
going to be unique, different, and probably as important in some people’s lives as
your favourite musicians are in yours.
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