Veteran readers of this blog will note that I have been out of the loop recently, and the subject of finding what you are passionate about is a large part of the very reason why I dropped out of the blogosphere for so long. In short, I have been struggling with how best to spend the time and resources that I dedicate to my career, and I recently got a wonderful bit of assistance in that regard: Brian Kim’s awesome book, How to FINALLY Find What You Love to Do AND Get Paid For Doing It.

Back in July 2007, I did a review of one of Brian’s other books, The Hidden Secret in Think and Grow Rich, and since that book was incredibly useful, I was ecstatic to hear that Brian had released something new. The concept of finding what it is that we are passionate about is something that so very many people struggle with. After reading Brian’s Book, I can honestly say that the system contained in his book is the best one that I have seen yet.

As Brian so eloquently points out in the book, many people are “secretly leading lives of quiet desperation,” and despite their desire to find fulfillment and financial success, very few people are able to find and stick to a system that allows them to do so. As a result, many people end up just doing whatever they are good at and/or educated for, and what they actually WANT to be doing rarely even enters into the equation.

Using myself as an example, this blog has been up for several years, and although it has been a success on every measurable level, it became more and more apparent to me over time that simply blogging for a living – although enjoyable – was not enough for me. My life requires more of a consistent challenge than just writing provided to me, and I was left asking myself just what it was that I DID want to do.

Although I still love blogging and working on the Internet, I can’t honestly say that I am passionate enough about blogging to see it as my “mission” in life. Does it hold value for other people? Absolutely, and for that I am grateful. However, my destiny lies along a different path, and Brian’s book really helped to open my eyes to some core concepts that needed to be considered as I mapped out the next stages of my life.

How to Find your Passions

There are other books out there on the subject of finding your passions, but as Brian points out in How to FINALLY Find What You Love to Do AND Get Paid For Doing It, most books on this topic ask you to think about the DETAILS of a passion-filled life, but they never really tell you how to find that passion to begin with. The details (type of work, ideal work day, income potential, etc.) are just a small part of the equation compared to the importance of finding the passion FIRST, and then working out the less important details once the passionate foundation has been laid.

In addition to the step by step process that Brian lays out in the book, he is quick to also add in that using the power of your subconscious mind is also an integral part of finding your passions. Brian’s system advises you to not only make a consistent conscious effort towards finding your passions, but to also use your subconscious mind as an active ally in the process, and to respond quickly whenever inspiration or “ah-ha moments” strike.

Did you find your passions?

Another thing I love about the book is that there is a 10-question “test” that you can apply once you think you have nailed down your passions. It is easy to get excited about a new idea or a new plan of action, but if the new passion won’t fuel a long-term process, then it’s not really a passion to begin with.

Chapter 5 is entitled How You’ll Know You’ve Truly Found What You Love to Do, and the 10-question test does a great job of separating temporary enthusiasm from the long-term mindset that true passions are made up of.

How to Make Money with your Passions

There are really only 2 ways of making money: You either use your resources to work for and invest in yourself, or you use those resources to benefit someone else, a.k.a. – an employer. Both of those systems have their benefits, and this book does not take sides. Brian has a section about how to make money as an employee while following your passions, and a separate section for how to make money as a passionate Entrepreneur.

Both of those sections of the book include the same “questions equal answers” mentality, and the questions that you ask yourself about how to monetize your passions are the critical first step towards finding useful answers. People who find the wrong answers are the same people who asked the wrong questions. For both the employee route, as well as the entrepreneurial route, Brian lists the types of questions that you should ask yourself.

I was also very impressed with the short, yet extremely useful section that he put together for entrepreneurs who want to monetize their passions. His overview of the entrepreneurial process of making money while loving what you do is only a few pages long, but it covers a lot of ground and definitely points the would be entrepreneur in the right direction.

Conclusion

Overall, the book How to FINALLY Find What You Love to Do AND Get Paid For Doing It promises a lot, and if you are willing to go through the processes described in the book, you will indeed get a lot out of your time investment. Discovering what to do with the rest of your life is worth a little bit of homework, don’t you think?

For me personally, I have already changed my own mindset about the future, and I have a renewed sense of hope and confidence as a result. Even just a short time after reading the book,  I have already gotten a huge amount of value from it.

Brian Kim has written a lot of great content over the years, and despite the massive impact that this book will have on the lives of anyone who reads it, the cost is very low.

Big props to you, Brian, and thanks for this great book that will help to put so many people on the right path!

Pick up your own copy of
How to FINALLY Find What You Love to Do AND Get Paid For Doing It

BONUS#1: ($12 value) Get a FREE Copy of “The Introspection Workbook” – Use it to help discover the kind of work that’s suited just for you!

BONUS#2: ($12 value) Get a FREE copy of the s
pecial report: ’3 Real Life Stories Of Those Who Did It’ – Read the real life stories of those who have managed to find what they love to do and got paid for doing it! See how they used the information in the book to do so.

This carnival is dedicated to the concept of stepping outside of the box and living our lives in ways beyond the “norm”!

Whether you want to learn unique ways to think or act differently, or if you want to share your own unique ideas, this carnival is for you!

This will be the final edition of the Doing it Differently blog carnival hosted at Today is that Day, so I have made this edition the most information packed edition yet!

Enjoy all of this great content, and if you like this carnival or if you are one of the authors featured in this edition, be sure to add this post to Stumbleupon, Digg, or your favorite social bookmarking site!

Self Improvement/Personal Growth

Stephen Martile – Great Friends

Sabrina Jefferson – Building Confidence By Doing

Personal Development by an INTJ – How To Solve Problems By Changing Your Frame Or Perspective

The Happy and Prosperous Blog – Self-Esteeming – Creating Self-Esteem

Never the Same River Twice – Are You Working With an Old Reality? How to Change Paradigms

Arun’s Daily Remedy – Conflicting Desires

Energies of Creation – Are You Trapped in a Brain Closet?

Relationships

Makeitbetter’s Weblog – I Hate Weddings

The Incurable Romantic – When the Lights Go Out

Conscious Flex – The Purpose of Human Relationships

Systems Thinker – Choosing Intimate Partners: To Repeat or Not to Repeat?

Parenting

David B. Bohl – How to Talk to Children

The Next 45 Years – Confessions from a Recovering Father

Homework. Dinner. Life. – Let Your Kids Stay In the Room While You Do It

Parenting Squad – Why Stay-At-Home-Dads Are Good For Families

Business/Success

Internet Business and Life at ProcessToProfits – How Are You Dividing Your Attention?

Bootstrapper – How to Telecommute Successfully: 50 Tips and Resources

Yes to Me – Are You Afraid To Express Yourself In Business?

Internet Business Coaching by Terry Dean – 7 Make Money Online Myths

Mark Riffey’s Business is Personal – Blocking time improves small business owner productivity

Don D. Morrison – Do You Have True Personal & Financial Freedom?

Get International Clients – How Information Products Sold In Foreign Markets Can Save Your Business When Your Economy Is Slow

Internet Business Guide – How To Save 2 Hours Per Day

Lee McIntyre’s Internet Marketing Blog – Low Cost Way to Get 1,000 Workers Today

Law of Attraction/Conscious Creation

Law of Attraction for Beginners – Cooking with Thought Energy

Good to Feel Good – A Secret Meditation for Law of Attraction Followers

The Environment

Phil for Humanity – Stop Watering Your Lawn

That wraps up the 18th and final edition of the Doing it Differently Blog Carnival! Many thanks to all of the most recent authors, as well as to all of the authors who have contributed in the past! I’m certain that the readers of this carnival have gotten great value from your content, so please accept my sincerest gratitude for all that you have shared!

In today’s world, “relationship marketing” is finally starting to take the place of obnoxious advertising and in-your-face sales techniques. Time is rapidly becoming your most valuable commodity, and outsourcing tasks that you personally don’t need to do is becoming a necessity, rather than just an option. How do you pay to outsource tasks when you don’t yet have the customers that you are trying to reach, however?

As recent readers of this blog are aware, I have decided to get back into health and fitness coaching as my primary service offering, and marketing a brand-new health-related business – especially locally – can be both challenging and expensive. There are mailing lists to buy, print jobs to do, postage to pay for, research to be done, resources to obtain, websites to be built and managed – and on and on the list goes. Once a new business has a presence, then word of mouth and other marketing methods take over, but until that point, money is normally needed to grease the wheels in order to get a new business venture off the ground.

In brainstorming ways to finance the needs of my new business venture, it occurred to me that I could put together an informative blog post about the process, and help some other people at the same time. So, that being said, here are four ways to save the day on a tight budget!

1) Ask for Donations

There is a very untrue belief that no one wants to help anyone else out; that there is this all-encompassing “What’s in it for me?” mentality that all people subscribe to. Although it is true that everyone wants to get something out of their efforts, sometimes all they want is to feel like they have contributed to a worthy cause.

Again, if your product or service is truly beneficial to other people (rather than only benefiting your own bank account), then there is no shame in asking people if they are willing to help you in your efforts to benefit others.

If people believe in what you have to offer, then they will also believe that their donated money is going to be well-spent on a cause that they believe in. Also, whenever you ask for a donation, you’ve got nothing to lose. If these people aren’t already giving you money, and then they also refuse to give you a donation, then you have lost nothing in the effort.

Allow people to choose their own donation amount, however. It’s up to THEM how much they want to contribute.

My version of this Idea: If my 3 years as a personal trainer and my 2 years as a personal development writer have caused you to have enough faith in my ability to help other people, then please consider donating to the cause. I am building both online health and fitness groups (such as the Million Dollar Body Challenge), and I am reaching out to the people in my local community as well in order to offer them quality help and support, but without breaking their bank accounts.

2) Have a Sale

If you already have products or services that you offer, have a sale in order to get more customers interested. You have already spent the time, money, and energy to put together your product and service offerings, and since that time, money, and energy is already gone, you have nothing to lose by giving people a temporary break in the price.

Be smart about your sale, however, and don’t devalue your products or services by offering them for less than they are worth. However, a temporary price reduction in order to generate some additional interest is a win/win situation for you, as well as your customers.

Also, make it a discount worth their time! A 10%-15% discount is like getting a raise at work for only a quarter an hour. Yes, it helps, but it’s such a small help that it isn’t really all that enticing. Make your sale prices low enough that your customers really want to take advantage of the opportunity.

My version of this Idea: On the low end, my most inexpensive eBook only costs $7, while on the high end, I have products as high as $37. For the purposes of this effort, I am offering a full 30% discount off of all of the following Today is that Day products. That’s almost 1/3 of the price, but you are still getting 100% of the value:

You can click each link to be taken to the sales page for that product. When you get to the checkout process, just put in the coupon code “SAVETHEDAY” without the quotes, and you’ll be all set:

• Energy Harmonics
• How to Invoke the Law of Attraction
• Personal Development for Stupid People
• Mental Meltdown: Weight Loss begins in the Mind!
• The Definitive Weight Loss Guide to Bodyweight Exercises that Shred Bodyfat

3) Make a one-time Offer

Your products or your services are priced at a certain point, and they include certain features, benefits, support, guarantees, etc. Your customers pay you “x” amount and they get “x” value in return. That is the routine, and normally, they have to stick to that routine in order to take advantage of your products and services.

A one-time offer (or OTO, for you Internet marketers), is a one-time only offer when they can get your products or services for a price or in a manner that will never happen again. The one-time offer should offer TRUE value, though, and not just be a sales gimmick. If your one-time offer is truly offering them a value that they won’t be able to get any other time, then you have created another win/win situation for you and your customers.

Keep your integrity whenever you create a one-time offer, however. Don’t say that it’s “now or never” to your customers, but then turn around and make the same offer a month later. If it’s a one-time offer, only offer it ONE TIME!

My version of this Idea: As promised several months ago, the Premium membership rates at Personal Development Partners are now paid every month, instead of every 6 months. The people who came on board before the change are grand-fathered in at their 6-month rate forever. For anyone who didn’t take advantage of that offer, but you still want to join the site (without paying $19.95 every single month), you have this one opportunity to buy a lifetime membership to PDP for only $57<
/strong>. You will have full access to all of the Premium membership privileges at the site forever, but you’ll never have to pay another dime.

4) Have an Auction