You Have to Be a Little Crazy to Make the Dramatic Career Change to Your Dream Job

Regardless of what profession you are in, you may want to make a career change to something better — particularly a dream job or unconventional business that you have thought about for some time. Remember that there is no such thing as a perfect job or business, however.

There will always be barriers and adversity to overcome in any dream career or business. Even so — to the inspired and committed individuals of this world — leaving an old familiar job for something new is more adventure than adversity. New careers come with new problems but they come with new opportunities and wonderful experiences as well.

Truth be known, to make a dramatic career change to that dream job you have to be a little crazy! Indeed, whatever new field you decide to enter in pursuit of real success without a real job, chances are someone is going to think that you are nuts.

Relatives, acquaintances, friends, life coaches — even you — may doubt that you have what it takes to make it. The good news is that if others and you yourself think that you are at least a little bit crazy, this is a good sign that you can attain creative success in a new field of endeavor.

Perhaps you are, in fact, a bit crazy. Not to worry — this is even a better sign!

In his book, The Hypomanic Edge (Simon & Schuster, 2005), John Gartner establishes a link between craziness and success in America. Gartner, a psychologist at Johns Hopkins University, claims many of today’s successful entrepreneurs and business people exhibit hypomania, an energetic and ebullient state, which is a milder form of the mania associated with bipolar illness. Moreover, he contends that leading figures in American history, including Andrew Carnegie and Henry Ford, had the condition as well.

While many successful entrepreneurs are not entirely crazy, they are not entirely normal, which leads others to believe they are crazy. Talk to America’s successful entrepreneurs and you will find that most of them had at least one friend or acquaintance — even a spouse — who thought that they were crazy to attempt what they did. Yet it was their willingness to be a little bit crazy that allowed these entrepreneurs to achieve creative success.

Allow me to use myself as an example. For years, I have made a living from working leisurely telling North Americans not to work so hard. To many people this sounds crazy — and it is to a certain degree.

I don't care, however. My career life is working just fine. I make an income in the range of $100,000 a year by working only when I want to work. What’s more, if I pursue a few more crazy ideas of mine, I am sure that I can increase my income to $300,000 to $500,000 a year in the next few years by just working four or five hours a day.

Best of all, I know that I am making a major contribution to people's lives because of all the positive feedback via letters and phone calls that I have received from readers of my books. Compare my lifestyle to the lives of millions of reasonable people slaving away at conventional jobs and you will see much value in being different, even a bit crazy.

So allow the craziness in you to shine. Combine your craziness with courage, patience, and perseverance and you will find yourself at places you didn't think were possible.

In short, if you dream about writing books, then crazily start writing books. If you dream about making a documentary about Thailand, then experience your craziness and hop on an airplane for Bangkok. And if you dream about being a visual artist, then start creating crazy paintings or drawings. Otherwise, you will find that the ache of not pursuing your dream career can be the biggest pain you can ever experience.

To make a dramatic career change to that dream job you have to be a little crazy! The good news is that if others and you yourself think that you are at least a little bit crazy, this is a good sign that you can attain creative success in a new field of endeavor. Perhaps you are, in fact, a bit crazy. Not to worry — this is even a better sign!

Ernie Zelinski is an expert on early retirement and solo-entrepreneurship and the author of 15 books.

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