Finding Happiness Through Helping Others

Meridian, Idaho - Pre-School Teacher 019I never before realized the extent a day care is involved in a child's upbringing. Some of the kids spend close to 12 hours a day there, five days a week. It is safe to say that in many cases the teachers know the child better than their parents. By the time some parents pick up their kids at the end of the day, there is enough time to have dinner, spend a couple of hours together and then put them to bed, only to drive them to day care the next morning. The teachers I worked with this week, realize how crucial their role is and take it very seriously. Ken, the director at Nature's Childcare has an amazing vision for the center - he wants to bring attention to the importance of providing quality childcare, positive role models, and wants to make Nature's Childcare the best childcare facility in the state of Idaho. I have no doubt he will.

Meridian, Idaho - Pre-School Teacher 080There are not many male figures in childcare as it is generally characterized as a female dominated industry and Ken has been discriminated in the past as a result. This is also something he intends to change as it is so important that children have positive male role models in their life as well as female. Although at first he may seem a bit intimidating in his 6'6", 300 pound frame, he is the coolest guy, and extremely kind and gentle. The center is lucky to have him there.

One thing I realized recently is that the jobs I have found my co-workers to be the most happy and passionate were the ones where they believe they are positively impacting others, making a meaningful contribution to society, and held a clear vision of how they are making the world a better place. They are making a difference and know how important their role is. Working at Dojang Martial Arts Studio, they focused on developing a strong sense of community, getting the kids active, and leading a healthy lifestyle. It was evident in my week as a Cancer Fundraiser with Princess Margaret Foundation and I saw it again this week at Nature's Childcare.

It reminded me that in many instances the best way to help yourself is to focus on what you can to do help others.

-Sean

Childcare Fun - Smiles And Laughter All Around

Meridian, Idaho - Pre-School Teacher 029I must say there is no end to the excitement when you are working with kids. It's difficult not to love a job where your main requirement is to ensure that the kids are having fun and learning. Although my opinion may change by the end of the week - so far I have somehow managed to avoid diaper changing duties. Not sure if I will be able to keep that up! As soon as I arrived at Nature's Childcare I felt comfortable. The staff are awesome and the kids have been so welcoming. I think I knew that everyone working there would be great people before I arrived. One, because you have to be in order to love working with kids. And two, because when I arrived I saw they went to the trouble to paint a welcoming picture on the front window, complete with a drawing of me. Very cool!

Meridian, Idaho - Pre-School Teacher 003After getting a tour of the center, I was thrown right into it because a local news crew came by and wanted to get some footage of me with the kids for their story. So, within 15 minutes I was in front of a class reading a book to the kids I had just been introduced to. The kids took it easy on me responding well to my attempt at matching voices to the various characters and it was fun.

Kids are great. They are scared, shy, and stare at you with a blank face when they first meet you, then five minutes later they are your best friend and want to talk to you about everything. It's amazing some of the random things they say. After a few days at the center, I can imagine that it must be difficult to start the day in a bad mood. The kids are always so happy to see you. How can you not help but smile when as you enter a room, your adoring five year olds fans run toward you, shout your name with excitement and give you a big hug?

Meridian, Idaho - Pre-School Teacher 039I have spent most of time this week playing games with the kids, reading stories, coloring, dancing... on Tuesday we braved the snow storm and took some of the kids on a field trip to Boondocks, a fun park nearby the center. We ate pizza and played in the huge indoor jungle gym. Although the sign said, maximum height 48", I couldn't help but join them.

It's been awesome this week working in an environment where everyone loves what they are doing and are clearly in the profession for the right reasons. As the director of Nature's Childcare keeps re-affirming: "We are poor in our pockets, yet rich in our hearts."

-Sean

Week #44 Announced - Pre-School Teacher

Natures Childcare 1This week I am working as a Pre-School Teacher at Nature's Childcare in the small town of Meridian, Idaho. Nature's Childcare opened a year and a half ago and has about 150 children. I will be working and teaching 4-5 year old children, along with another teacher, hands on educational projects such as art, cooking, reading, and math.

Today I arrived just in time for nap-time, followed by snack-time, and I was able to spend the afternoon meeting the different age groups, reading stories, coloring, and of course a tea-time was in order.

Though I haven't had much experience with children this young, I have really enjoyed the opportunities I have had to work with kids over the past year. I have always thought that I would be happy as a teacher and think that it would really suit my lifestyle - I am sure I will have a lot fun this week!

-Sean

Finding Balance In Our Time

IMG_6403When I first learned about the possibilities of being a full-time paid Motivational Speaker , I thought, wow, now that's an easy gig!... deliver 65 or so one hour presentations around the country each year and get paid pretty penny to do so. Ask Eric what he thinks about this, and he will tell you a whole different story. He would say that with all the organization, negotiating, writing, preparing and following-up with clients for these 65 or so presentations, he is oftentimes working 60+ hours a week. All of a sudden, it doesn't sound as appealing.

On top of this, he has all of the other administrative tasks that comes with running a small business. If clients have never heard of him or don't know how to find him, they are not going to hire him and he will be out of business.

Before this week, I never realized how much work it actually is. I must say, I have a new found appreciation.

In the past 43 weeks I have had the opportunity to work with many people who own their own business. Most of them say they wish they had done it sooner, that they would never again work for someone else, and that they love the freedom. I can appreciate that, though, my one observation is I found most of these people work crazy hours each week and don't have much time to take for themselves. Yes, you do make your own schedule, leave when you want, and work when you want, yet, when you are aware that the extent of your input is directly related to your bottom line, it appears challenging to ever stop thinking about work. I imagine it can be difficult to simply relax, take a vacation, enjoy a movie or a good book, because there is always something that could be done.

I think it would take a lot of discipline to say, "Well, that's it, I am done for the day" and to make sure you budget enough time to do the other things you love doing. Or more importantly, the things that you may not like doing though have to get done anyways. This must become even more difficult when you actually love your job.

Growing up I often heard that life has a lot to do with balance. I think it's a difficult idea for many in my generation to deal with - sometimes you simply have to do what you don't want to do in order to allow time for what you do want to do. I have certainly never been a fan of that, though as I get older and supposedly more mature, I begin to realize there just might be some truth to that.

I really enjoyed my week with Eric. We had many interesting talks about life, careers, my generation, and he was able to provide a lot of great insights causing myself to ask some very important questions. On my last day Eric received an email from a client who is interested in having both Eric and I speak at a presentation in the summer in Dallas. Could be fun!

-Sean

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A Revolution In Work Consciousness

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CreativityThis comment was left by Izabella Tabarovsky, a career exploration and transition coach. I found it very interesting so thought that I would share. -----------

Hi Sean,

I can't tell you how much I'm inspired by your project and your message. Your statement in "My Generation" sounds like a manifesto I would sign a hundred times over! Really, wake up, people, realize that you were not supposed to waste your lives working in boring, soul-destroying jobs where you leave your spirit at home along with your values, passions, and creativity! There is more to life than that, and it is your responsibility to apply all the gifts you were given - not just the ones your company wants you to use for its own purposes.

This is a subject that really gets me going, because I've spent most of my life looking for that amazing feeling of connection in the work that I do - the feeling where work feels like play, where you can't wait to get up in the morning and get back to work, where you'd do what you're doing even if you weren't getting paid for it. I, too, tried out many different occupations and did a lot of soul-searching to discover who I was and what I had to contribute. Now, at 38, I finally have it, and I've made it my mission to help others find their true path.

One of my favorite authors, Marsha Sinetar, who wrote the bestselling career exploration classic "Do What You Love, The Money Will Follow," says: "Work needs to fit my personality just as shoes need to fit my feet, otherwise I'm destined for discomfort." And also: "Our right work is just as important to personality health and growth as the right nutrients are for our bodies."

I'd take it even further. In my view, our right work is an essential part of our spiritual growth. To search is more natural than not to search. It really is a part of being human. So to all of you who are still searching - don't give up! It's all part of the journey, pieces of the puzzle. One day they'll come together, and then you'll know that all was not in vain!

I've commented on your project on my blog for my readers, and I look forward to continuing to track your adventure. I really feel there is a quiet (or maybe not so quiet) revolution taking place in our society - a revolution in how we as a culture view work and our relationship with it. Your generation is definitely leading the way, and people who are older are beginning to wake up as well. As a career exploration and transition coach, I'm going to do all I can to help that along!

Izabella Tabarovsky www.projectcreativevision.com

The Privilege Of The Platform

Denver, CO - Motivational Speaker 002Eric had a presentation yesterday in Boulder, Colorado. It was in front of about 200 teens from 14 different high schools in the area, all members of their respective student councils. (He doesn't speak to youth very often any more, so this was a rare opportunity for them, and for me) Although it may seem at the time that our high school years last forever, he demonstrated how quickly they pass by and how precious that time really is. He spoke about the importance of making the most out of these influential years as they help form the foundation of your future.

Eric told these teens about how Visions, Decisions, and Collisions impact their lives. We first must develop a vision for what we want to achieve. This causes us to make decisions, or the choices that provide the means to achieve that vision. But it's those collisions with other people that really count.

About half way through his program, he surprised the audience and introduced me as the one week job guy. I was then given the chance to share my story with the students and to experience first hand what it's like to be a motivational speaker - standing in front of a large group, all eyes directed at you, feeling the nervous rush, sweaty palms... and deliver a meaningful message; something that they would take away and hopefully make them think and act slightly different from when they first walked in the room.

I have been given the opportunity to speak to youth a couple times over the past 43 weeks about my experience and all that I have learned throughout the past year as a result. Eric gave me that opportunity yesterday in front of 200 student council leaders from 14 large high schools throughout Colorado, and I realized yet again how much I enjoy doing it.

It went really well and I received a very positive response with the kids. Many of them came up afterwards to meet me and ask questions about my different jobs. It was really special to see their faces light up with excitement and to hear that sharing my story had a positive impact and resonated with so many of them.

We often don't realize the impact we have on others. I think this becomes even more true as a motivational speaker. There is a lot of responsibility. The stakes are high and you never know how someone is going to be impacted by your presentation. What you are saying better be true and be something practical that they can incorporate into their own life no matter what background or home situation they are coming from.

As Eric said, standing up and speaking to a group is a privilege, not a right and I can see how much pride he takes in this role and realizes it's importance.

I am often asked, "Sean, you are 43 weeks in, what do you think you will end up doing?" I don't know I can put a definitive title on it, though I want to affect change in some capacity, I want to know that what I am doing means something, makes a difference and has a positive impact on others.

Yesterday, I accomplished this.

Week #43 Announced - Motivational Speaker

Sean and EricThis week I am working with Eric Chester, America's Premier Expert on Generation Why (Y), in fact, he coined the term. Eric is the founder & President of Generation Why, Inc., a training and consulting firm helping companies and organizations recruit, train, manage, motivate, and retain the emerging workforce [Funny that I am doing exactly what Eric is coaching companies on how to prevent].

He delivers around 75 keynote presentations and training seminars on Employing Generation Why to major companies and organizations throughout the US and Canada and has also written two of the best-selling books on the subject. In 2004 he was inducted into the International Professional Speakers Hall of Fame, an honor shared by less than 2% of all professional speakers in the world.

Eric has 3 presentations this week, of which he will be passing the microphone over to me in 2 of them so that I can experience first hand the thrill of what it's like to speak in front of hundreds of people. Sharing my experiences and all that I have learned over the past year is definitely something that I would like to do in the future, so I am really happy that I get to give it a try!

-Sean

Lights, Camera, Action: A Peek At Studio Life

IMG_6560Randy Emmett embodies exactly what I thought a Hollywood Producer would be like. He is a great character, so much so that a new reality TV show starts shooting this weekend about his life. He has tons of energy - and never content doing one thing at time; one minute he is on the phone pacing the room, arms flailing with excitement, pitching a new concept for a television show, and the next he is giving his assistant heck with equal amount of volume for forgetting to remind him of an appointment.

It is quite a different reality. Some of the conversations seem to be straight out of a movie - talking about celebrities on a first name basis, organizing top directors and actors for a new feature film, discussing a new production company that he will be starting with rap star 50 Cent. At one point yesterday he was getting quotes for flying Sylvester Stallone around the world for premieres of Rambo premiering next week. With stops in four cities, the final quote for the private jet came out to $500,000. A different reality indeed.

IMG_6555The production company receives about 50 - 70 film scripts every week. I was able to read through some of them as a large part of a producers job is to decide what would make a great movie and something they would like to purchase.

They are also in the process of starting up a television division. Yesterday I sat in on a meeting with another producer who will partner with Randall in a new reality show. It's interesting to see how much goes into making a television show: fine tuning the concept, selling it to a network, setting up all the paper work, casting, shooting the pilot, then seeing if the network will purchase the series.

Today I am going to the casting agency where they are auditioning roles for a forthcoming reality series. In the afternoon I will visit the editing studios where they are in post production for the feature film The Righteous Kill with Al Pacino and Robert De Niro.

-Sean

Week #42 Announced - Hollywood Producer

Sean and Randall EmmettThis week I am working with one of the top Producers in Hollywood. His name is Randall Emmett and he is the owner of Emmet/Furla Films. They have over 40 movie titles to their credit including the new Rambo starring Sylvester Stallone, and The Righteous Kill starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and 50 cent to be released later this year. They currently have numerous film and television titles in production so this week I will be learning all about the industry and what it's like to be a Producer in Hollywood. I spoke with Randall on Friday afternoon and he seemed like a really great guy with lot's of energy and lot's of things on the go - should make for a pretty exciting week.

I think many would love to be a Hollywood Producer - the flash bulbs of the cameras, rubbing shoulders with the stars - I guess I will find out and be sure to report back!

-Sean

Lifestyles Of The Rich & Famous

IMG_6448When Victoria told me that she had some big clients that she was going to be prospecting for this week, I don't think I completely grasped what she meant. Though I quickly realized when the first house that we walked into in the Beverly Hills area was listed at $13 million. It was crazy, complete with a large theater room, pool, and it even had a night club in one of its' wings. The lowest priced home that we looked at that day was listed at $4.5 million. Definitely a different reality. This week we are staying at our friend Mike's place in Hollywood. He is a musician and fine tuning his drumming skills at a music school in downtown Hollywood. He has a small studio apartment so Ian and I are on the floor next to his bed. It's a week long slumber party.

IMG_6418For the majority of us, buying a house is the biggest transaction that we will make in our lives. As such, Victoria has stressed the importance of really knowing your client and what they are looking for in a home. A mis-conception that I had about being a Real Estate Agent is that the majority of time is spent looking at houses and meeting with clients. I have learned that a lot of time is actually spent researching different properties with online listings that fall with your clients needs. Then the client will decide which ones that they would like to go and look at to see if it is what they are truly looking for.

Although you are working with a larger company, in Victoria's case Coldwell Banker, it seems more that you are running your own small business; setting your own hours, prospecting for clients, flexible schedule. As with any small business, there is a lot of self-motivation required and the more effort you put in, the idea is the more you will get out of it.

Yesterday, there was a company wide staff meeting and I was able to sit in on that. The branch manager talked about various selling techniques - for example, the importance of "oh, la, la-ing" the family pet. Also, there was a motivational speaker from the Brian Tracy programs which was really interesting too.

Tomorrow night, January 11th, I will be part of a segment on ABC 20/20 which was filmed when I was in New York before Christmas. It airs at 10pm on ABC. The segment is on the pursuit of happiness - what makes people happy, immediate gratification vs. lasting happiness. Read more about it here. I will be a very small part of it, though the entire segment should be really interesting.

-Sean

Week #41 Announced - Real Estate Agent

HollywoodSign2I left Banff, Alberta early this morning and hopped on a plane to Los Angeles, California. So early in fact that the roommates I was staying with had not yet gone to sleep from the previous night as I raced out the door to catch my flight. This week I am working with Victoria Massengale of Coldwell Banker as a Real Estate Agent in Hollywood Hills. Apparently there will be lots of previewing houses for a big client of hers, so it should be pretty fun.

Real Estate is something I have always thought that I would enjoy; constantly meeting and interacting with new people, always doing something different, continually in new locations... I am looking forward to see what it is really like!

-Sean

Time To Follow The Birds

Banff 037I had a fun week in Banff, Alberta working at the Chiropractor clinic. I learned a lot and was really able to help out Shawna with all of the various tasks associated with running the clinic. On Thursday, I went to Sunshine Village, one of the ski mountains in the area, and put up pamphlets in the hotel, ski school, and various buildings that are on the hill. Afterwards, I was able to spend the afternoon snowboarding which was definitely a great perk of the job this week. My last day was back at the clinic where I helped out with client exercises and giving massages with an amazing little machine called "the thumper"... I know what I will be asking for next Christmas.

One of the things that I continue to enjoy about this experience is that I not only get a glimpse into a particular job each week but also into the lives of those I am working with, not to mention the city I am working in.

Shawna seems to have done a great job at identifying the many things she loves doing and satisfy these through a combination of both her professional and social life. It reminds me of an email I received a couple of days ago that asked, "Sean, does it 'all' have to be in the career?"

Banff 052I suppose that it doesn't as we can pursue our passions in the many things we do outside of the work place, though at the same time I am not a fan of putting up with something that you don't like for 80% of the time, just so that you can do what you like to do with the other 20% of your time. I guess there is some balancing involved.

I am heading out to Los Angeles, California for this upcoming week. As much as I have enjoyed the snow and mountains, I am looking forward to some warmer weather.

I am quite certain that Ian and I will be the only ones you will see at the beach in Los Angeles in the month of January!

-Sean

Seeking The Bare Bones Of It All

Banff 035Dr. Shawna Biegel has been really great this week; simply explaining her techniques, what she is doing and why she is doing it so that I can understand. I had previously thought that chiropractic care was mainly joint manipulation and bone cracking stuff, whereas physiotherapy was more about muscle strengthening and a softer approach to rehabilitation. At the Family Chiropractic Office, Shawna also incorporates different elements such as physio, acupressure and her experience in her study of eastern medicine which has been really interesting to learn. When I was younger, I wanted to be a Physiotherapist for several years and originally entered University with that intention. I visited a Physiotherapist when I was in High School because my neck was going into spasm after a soccer game. When I arrived my head was tilted at a 90 degree angle and if I moved, the muscle would pinch me shooting pain down my spine. When I left the Physiotherapist I was once again upright and no longer in pain. After that I told myself I wanted to be a Physiotherapist. I am not sure how set on it I was or if it just gave me something to say when people would ask of my future plans. I think a bit of both. Generally you are working with people who live active lifestyles, meeting new people all the time, problem solving... I think I would enjoy it as I have always been involved in sports and am really interested in physiology. The human body is pretty remarkable.

I have realized though that I not a huge fan of routines and I really want to have the ability to be mobile. I think that if I were to have a clinic, I would feel attached to a specific location as you try to build and retain a client base. This could simply just be my perception of what a "routine" represents to me, most likely a mis-conception at that. Though for now, I find comfort in uncertainty and the unknown. I think that's what has kept me moving for the past few years, always doing something different, continually in pursuit of my next adventure; afraid of settling. I am sure this will change someday. I hope it does. I have come to realize that no matter how far you travel, regardless of how remote it is, the one thing you can't escape is yourself.

Today I am out of the office at Sunshine Village, one of the ski mountains nearby. I will be putting up brochures and posters advertising the clinic and the treatments they offer. Might just have to get a few runs in while I am there too!

-Sean

Week #40 Announced - Chiropractor

It was great to spend a week at home over the Christmas holiday with family and friends. My cousin asked me at Christmas dinner how long I would be in town for. "I am programmed to do everything for only one week," I said. Banff 014My first job of the New Year will be working at a Family Chiropractic Office in Banff, Alberta. The town of Banff is surrounded by huge mountains all around and is located in a National Park so there is a lot of protected wild life roaming around. It is a beautiful area and the clinic has large windows on both sides with a great view of the snow covered mountains.

This week I will be accompanying Dr. Shawna Biegel as she treats clients, and helping with client exercises, paperwork, reception, and learning about the philosophy of rehabilitation. At the clinic she also provides acupuncture, physio, and massage therapy... Looks like I am going to be in good hands this week!

A Dojangin' Good Time

IMG_6244Thanks to some Chinese ointment that Robert gave me, my legs recovered rather quickly from my week spent at Dojang Studios. Most weeks I find myself in somewhat intimidating positions; continually learning something new and taking on a profession in which I have had no prior experience. It's rather humbling, and I must say that I was humbled yet again this week. One example came in the form of a nine year old girl when I was mock sparring with her. She had me continually backing up in circles around the studio attempting to avoid her high side kicks directed at my face. It was Kate, daughter of Dojang Co-founder and Owners, Robert & Emma Lynds. The whole family participates in the sport and their son Aidan, age 14, just put out his first DVD designed for kids. This is one house that you wouldn't want to be caught breaking into.

This week I have seen how Dojang is a great way to stay in shape, both physically and mentally. When you enter the studio and begin your practice, you tend to leave everything else outside and focus entirely on what you are doing. We talked a bit about building up your core energy, your chi, and how this is channeled into your movements. It is a topic that came up in my week as a Yoga Instructor in Week 7 and is something that I would like to learn more about.

IMG_6253In the interview with Robert we talked about the importance of goal setting and planning. He described a very cool idea that he and his family uses. Every year, they will take a bunch of magazines and make a collage of different words, images, pictures that grab their attention. He was saying that if you want to see your goal realized, it must first be conceptualized and showed us his previous collage pointing out different things that he had now achieved or obtained.

First Days Of Dojang

IMG_6241I had a feeling that I would be sore after this week, though I guess I didn't expect to be quite this sore only after a couple days. I suppose that I am beginning to feel the result of having been on the road for some time now and not been exercising. Robert, the co-owner and founder of Dojang, took me through the routine warm-up that they do at the start of each class. Half way through I was thinking to myself, "this is only the warm-up?"

One hour later I was up in front of the kids class leading their warm-up and assisting with the class. After introducing myself and telling them about what I was doing there, I asked if anyone knew what they wanted to be when they grow up. Listening to a group of nine year olds able to definitively answer that question made me feel like I really need to hurry up and get my act together.

I love working with kids. There is a strong focus at Dojang Studios on making sure the kids have fun. I am pretty sure we accomplished that, especially when it was time for me to put on a the protective sumo suit and have the kids punching, kicking me, and then all at once trying to take me to the ground.

There was a guest instructor in that night, Fatih Turan, from Germany. He is in Vancouver studying acting and so is also working at the studio. He spent over a year in China training every single day, eight hours a day in Wudang Kung Fu... now that's passion!

IMG_6249Yesterday I was introduced to self-defense techniques, pressure points, how to roll, how to get out of holds. We also spent some time in the park learning techniques of the bo staff and then Ian and I had a chance to do some sparring back at the studio. I punched Ian in the face by accident, though luckily his nose is still in place.

It is a really great environment at the studio. They have developed a strong sense of community with small personable classes, focusing more on relationships with the students and their families. They have done a great job in creating this and it's reflective in the supportive environment.