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Yearn, Learn and Earn Through the Art of Pretending

Written by: Theresa-Maria Napa

Article Overview: Yearning is the catalyst to learning what you yearn to do, be and have and then earning an income from what you yearn. There are so many professionals in careers where they choose to learn based on the income potential rather than looking at a career more in alignment with what they really wanted to do. Unfortunately, this brings more suffering and stress in spite of the financial rewards.

Yearn, Learn and Earn Through the Art of Pretending

There are three ingredients in the good life: learning, earning and yearning.”
- Christopher Morley (1890-1957 – American journalist, novelist, essayist & poet)

I would arrange Morley’s ingredients for the good life in this fashion: yearning, learning and earning.

Yearning is the catalyst to learning what you yearn to do, be and have and then earning an income from what you yearn. There are so many professionals in careers where they choose to learn based on the income potential rather than looking at a career more in alignment with what they really wanted to do. Unfortunately, this brings more suffering and stress in spite of the financial rewards.

Most people rationalize not doing what they really want to do: I would have to go back to school. I don’t have the time. I don’t have the money. I need the job to pay the bills – I can’t quit. I am too old, too young, too fat, too bald, too many responsibilities. Okay, these are all self-defeating reasons to stay put. What is it costing you to live a life limited by boundaries of reasons based on fear, rather than tapping into your unlimited potential?

Here's a tip: Pretending is a great way to get in touch with yearning to better learning and earning. Here is a pretend exercise to take you on an imaginary trip:

Imagine you are taking the vacation of your lifetime.
* Where are you going?
* What are you doing?
* Why did you choose the location and activities?
* What excited you about this trip?
* What is there about this vacation you wish never would end?
* What if you had a career that was more like a vacation, then a “have to be there” experience?

Dreams are the beginning of something more. They are full of mystery, excitement, passion, self-expression and making a difference. However, most dreams are drowned by the chatter of reasons - reasons driven by fear. Remember: FEAR is simply False Evidence Appearing Real.

The other side of pretending is to pretend everything is okay when your heart is quietly yearning for an extraordinary life in doing what you love. Success is getting on your right track and not someone else’s.

Imagine Having Success Doing What You Love:
* Was this something you dreamt about doing?
* What did you do to make the dream a reality?
* How are you feeling?
* What are your emotions?
* Are you on your right track?

Benefits of The Pretending Exercise:
* There is no one to make fun or judge you.
* It is a remarkable way to dust the cobwebs off your dreams.
* By having the exercise be a fun activity, it keeps the Gremlins further away from giving you reasons why not to do something different. Gremlins are committed to opposing any thought that means change.
* It contributes to a state of well-being.
* New perspectives give new avenues to explore.

“When a man feels throbbing within him the power to do what he undertakes as well as it can possibly be done, this is happiness, this is success.” - Orison Swett Marden (1850-1924 Founder of Success Magazine)

What do you choose to pretend? To pretend a new dream or pretend everything is okay as your gut yearns for something more. Get in touch with what you yearn; learn to be the best at it and earn more. Anything is Possible!

Related Articles
  What Mask Are You Wearing?
  Self-Coaching Tip: Pre-Tend to Your Future
  What Are You Really Selling?
  Think Big For Success
  Are You Part of the Problem?

Article Tags: alignment, american journalist, boundaries, catalyst, christopher morley, dreams, essayist, excitement, false evidence, fear, financial rewards, imaginary trip, lifetime, mystery, novelist, passion, poet, self expression, spite, unlimited potential
Referred by: http://www.LeadingEdgeCoaching.com



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Re: "How to Cold Call a Big Customer" - Hello Daryl, I liked this one. I have to cold call in my day job and if I'm honest I'm pretty good at it. But then I've been at it for many years. Some good points. Some lame ones. Pretending to act on the same level as a CEO can get you in a bit of deep water. But I agree with the point that you should not try to sell to the gatekkeper.
Re: What works for you? - Mal, this really resonated with me, "I suppose that is why we all want to be independent and maybe work from home because we will get back that bit of enjoyment and independence that we once had when we were young and before all life’s pressures and responsibilities were placed upon us." As for what works for me...I think at times, it's accepting that things aren't working. And really letting that hit me. I used to avoid feeling things like that -- there's some idea that not being "positive" all the time will make you stagnant. But I've found really feeling the good and bad day to day is so powerful. It ends up driving me so much more than just ignoring the obvious. And then the fear of falling down isn't that big of a deal anymore, because getting up is that much easier. So I've really found a lot of power in letting things fall apart. Then it's so much easier to just scrap it all and build something better. Pretending things are fine or working when they aren't is extremely frustrating. Most of us lie to ourselves more than we know! Sometimes you just have to see the truth, feel how much it sucks, and then you have the power to try again.
Hello from Newbie - Hi everyone: I am newbie and a freelance bookkeeping & accounting entrepreneur. Hope I enjoy my time here. Will Learn from you and share my thoughts and ideas with you.
Re: Do you have to have your own business in order to - Good for you, and remember that education is never wasted. So the more you learn the better off you will be and the less chance you will have of being ripped off by anyone. Learn all you can about patenting and marketing your product and you will be sure to succeed. MichelleJ


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