Thursday's Guest Thoughts with Betty Dobson
“Never give up. Get the knack of getting people to help you and also pitch in yourself.”
~~Ruth Gordon
The Passion of the Choice
by Betty Dobson
When I was a little girl, my mother would limit the number of activities I could try and groups I could join…mostly because each one cost money and my five siblings each needed a shot at an extracurricular pastime. My problem was that I had many interests but little talent. Figure skating and gymnastics brought me nothing but bruises. And the Girl Guides were just too squeaky clean for someone with my developing sense of sarcasm.
As an adult, I’ve done my best to overcome those childhood restrictions and experiment with a variety of career options. I excelled in the secretarial arts and demonstrated an early aptitude for data processing. My reward? A data entry job that produced muscle spasms in my right arm within the first year. With the passing of my thirtieth birthday, the time had come to decide what I wanted to be now that I had grown up.
I went back to university with the idea of studying English and writing. Despite a short-lived but successful detour into the world of psychology—I had visions of my parents referring to me as “our daughter, the doctor”—I returned to my original plan and declared myself a writer. After all, I could only do justice to one passion at a time. Right?
If only life were that simple. Before long, I found myself on another detour through somewhat familiar terrain, editing two cookbooks for two different fundraisers. “That’s it,” one of my co-workers pronounced. “You’ve found your calling. You’re an editor.”
In the “Year of the Cookbooks” (1998), I started my own company based on the premise of being an editor and publisher. But what to call the business? I knew “InkSpotter” (one of my online aliases) would be part of the mix, but I played around with several descriptive elements. I settled on “Publishing & Print Media Services” in the beginning, although it seemed too wordy—practically heretical in the publishing world.
The business languished in a state of paralysis for many years. By 2002, influenced in no small part by well-intentioned friends and associates, I veered into business writing and editing (and changed the name to “InkSpotter Writing & Editing” to better represent my new identity). The change worked, and I started landing occasional contract jobs. The money was certainly better, but I didn’t get much satisfaction out of the work.
The following year, I took a chance and created my first monthly newsletter, InkSpotter News. Then, with the support of my late friend and mentor, Bill Rieser, I fully rediscovered my passion for publishing in 2004. He gently yet firmly drafted me to be the “in-house” publisher for his Writers’ Association’s series of print anthologies. From there, I gradually tapped into a niche doing edits and layouts on book-length manuscripts for a variety of satisfied clients.
Along the way, I formally redubbed myself “InkSpotter Publishing” (short, sweet, and oh-so where I wanted to be from the start). In 2005, I added the monthly newsletter Heritage Writer to the publishing schedule. My company’s first two books—Paper Wings and Holiday Writes—will be published by the end of 2006, and several more books are planned for next year.
I could never discount the value of each detour on the route to my current career. Secretarial and data processing training gave me many of the skills needed for desktop publishing. Psychology gave me insight into human nature that often helps with client and supplier relations. And every other experience—good or bad—simply added to my store of knowledge.
Viveca A. Stone, founder of GetReadyForLove.com, describes the path to success as “Trial/Error then surrendering to inspiration.” In her case, more than one passion inspired her efforts, and not necessarily in terms of the work involved. “My first passion was proving myself,” she says. “I did that with my software publishing business—produced numerous ‘best sellers’ and ‘award winners.’”
Her business efforts over the years met with varied success. Viveca learned early that success required networking and teambuilding. By trying to do everything on her own, she experienced extreme fatigue. Here, too, she discovered a cause worth pursuing. “My current passions are helping others and myself recover from fatigue and build teams.”
Tracy Repchuk’s
Three-Point Guide to Measuring Success:
1 – Money – Am I financially where I wanted to be? – YES
2 – Recognition – Have I been recognized by my peers or the industry with respect to my contributions? – YES
3 – Happiness – Am I happy? – YOU BET
Given that, though, I am always striving to do better, do more, and contribute where I can.
Tracy Lynn Repchuk—President of the Canadian Federation of Poets and the author of The Poetry of Business—understands that finding your passion is often a lifelong pursuit of a single goal. She uses poetry to encourage people “to explore their inner child, or review their original purpose to see if they are on track. We often go in a different path for many reasons, but at some point it is time to say enough, and do what you really want to be doing.
“I personally have gone the direction I wanted,” Tracy adds, “but I have counseled hundreds of people that haven't, and they seem to hit two barriers—at some point they have what they thought they wanted: money, cars, travel, houses, family—yet still are unhappy; or they know this isn't what they wanted—and are looking to get back on track. When you aren't fulfilling what you set off to do in this lifetime, no matter what you achieve, it won't be enough.”
Each person’s definition of success is different, of course. Tracy follows a basic three-point guide that involves money, recognition, and happiness (see sidebar). By contrast, BoomerWomenSpeak.com founder Dotsie Bregel says, “I feel successful because every day I connect, encourage, support, educate, and empower baby boomer women by simply having the number one site on all search engines for ‘baby boomer women.’”
For some, the secret to success seems to be sticking with your original goal rather than following the easier money regardless of the type of work involved. For others, passion comes in many forms, shifting and evolving over time. Either way, as the saying goes, “Do what you love, and the money will follow.” And you just might be happier—getting there, being there, and staying there.