So before I dive into this week’s entertainment, let’s first start off with what I did NOT do last Thursday night.

I did NOT curl up in my PJs for an early night, Kindle in hand, dog-child snuggled up next to me, as I so often do. (I know, I am cool.)

I did NOT have a freakout fest about my life or my blog or OMG who am I?!, as I also often do.

Oh nooo, instead I did something quite out of the ordinary:

I went to Hollywood and I drove Scion cars.

And it was awesome.

Allow me to explain. It all started a few weeks earlier when I heard a tell-tale “ding!” coming from my phone: another email.

Dear Therese, it read:

On behalf of Scion, you are invited to drive the new, sporty 2014 tC ahead of its June public arrival as well as Scion’s other models the xB, xD, iQ and the FR-S.  In addition to driving the latest Scions, you’ll have the opportunity to familiarize yourself with the brand as it celebrates ten years of its unique approach to empowering its customers.

Join this limited attendance event at the chic W Hotel in Hollywood, Calif. on either May 7-9, 2013 or May 8 – 10, 2013. If you are unable to attend, the invitation can be extended to a member of your staff.

Set in the action of Hollywood, the two-day event will give you the chance to drive these fun vehicles with magnificent views of Los Angeles and plenty of photo opportunities.

All additional details, including hotel stays and transportation, will be coordinated once the initial RSVP email is received. Travel, accommodations and meals will be provided by Scion.

A photographer will be on hand to assist with your photography needs. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

We look forward to seeing you!

“My photography needs?” I thought to myself. “You know my photography needs are vast.”

I stared at this email for 5 minutes solid trying to distinguish whether it was a scam or whether I actually had, in fact, been invited to the Scion Media Event in Hollywood. I mean, as a personal development blogger (is that what I am?) I get a lot of free books and other random goodies sent my way, but trips to Hollywood? This was a first.

It took a few minutes of head-scratching and a few more minutes of researching its legitimacy before reality sunk in:

I’M GOING TO HOLLYWOOD, B***ES!

All of the sudden I felt like I was on American Idol, except I wasn’t going there to sing or to be judged by Randy Jackson & Nicki Minaj. (Thank God!) Also, I wasn’t going to be on TV.

But whatever, it was still sort of like American Idol because, hey, I’M GOING TO HOLLYWOOD!!!!

A few weeks later, I arrived early on a Wednesday afternoon with plenty of time before the opening dinner reception. To kill time before the event started, my friend Andrew of One Ingredient Chef came and picked me up for a pleasant hike up the Hollywood Hills.

Then before I knew it, I was back at the hotel and it was time for the Scion experience to begin. It started off with drinks, dinner, and a reception in the hotel plaza, complete with Scion cars on display (fancy!)…

And, oh heyyy, I won a Scion radio remote control racing car! (I plan on chasing my dog around with it… Youtube video to come ;-)).

The next day it was time to hit the road and I got to drive fun, sporty cars like this…

Weeeeee!

But because I’m a weirdo, my favorite car to drive was, of course, the Scion IQ (go figure):

(But seriously, you should really try driving one. Especially if you live in San Francisco and can never find a parking spot. Earth to my little sister!)

Halfway through the day, we stopped for lunch at the Scion Audio Visual art gallery — Scion is a big supporter of the arts community and a believer in pursuing and following your passion (for example, see their Motivate program for up & coming entrepreneurs), which is pretty awesome, if I don’t say so myself.

Adding to the awesomeness was the Korean sausage grill on the back of the Scion car, fittingly prepared by dudes wearing t-shirts that read, “Make sausage, not war.”

Then we headed back to the hotel and went out to dinner.

And then I met Bradley Cooper and he asked me out for a drink and we danced the night away…

(Ok, so maybe that last part didn’t happen, but whatever.)

All in all, I’d say my trip to Hollywood was amaze-balls as can be. A huge thanks to Scion for the experience — this Idaho girl was uber excited to take a trip to Hollywood and be a part of this event.

Until next week,

<3 Therese

p.s. Stay awesome.

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[Photos courtesy of Scion]

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(& Other Tales of Overcoming Envy. Plus, a vocabulary lesson! You’re welcome.)

“Your ex is married,” my friend told me, running back from the tailgating tent where she’d spotted him amidst the crowd of blue-and-orange painted football fans. He was standing by the barbecue, she said, one hand wrapped around the blonde at his side, the other around a can of Bud Light, when she noticed a glint of gold reflecting from his left hand: a wedding band.

My jaw dropped.

“Uhhhh… what?!”

Less than five months ago, we’d broken up amidst rumors of unfaithfulness.

Less than three months ago, he’d moved in with the blonde.

And now this?!

I felt physically ill, seething with envious hatred and dreaming of the day I could blissfully witness the demise of their relationship.

The truth is, I wanted him to be miserable — like, horribly, terribly, insanely miserable.

And lonely. And cold. And broke and alone.

BWAHAHAHAHA!

Schadenfreude (German: [ˈʃaːdənˌfʁɔʏdə]) is pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others.

Now, listen up: this post is actually about more than just exes, because exes aren’t the only ones who turn us into envious, Schadenfreude-prone b*tches — in fact, there are lots of people who do that.

You know, like your friend who posts on Facebook like 20 times per day about how awesome her life is:

.

“I want that!” you moan to yourself like a whiny 8 year-old.

Or like your friend who just got a major promotion at work, while you’re still stuck working in the crappy, life sucking position you’ve been in since 2008.

“I want that!” you bemoan from your cubicle.

Or last but not least, like the blogger you follow who’s all, “I reached 400,000 Facebook fans today! All my hard work over the past three months really has paid off!”

“I WANT THATTTT!”

(Ok, so maybe that’s just me, but whatever.)

There are plenty of envy-inducing situations and circumstances and people in the world that can cause you to covet thy neighbor, leading you to want to punch them in the face because if only their lives could become a bit more miserable, I’ll bet yours could finally be happy!

But wooahhhhhh there, Nelly.

Why the desperate Schadenfreude?

Slooow down for a second. Hold your horses.

Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned from my days of jealous Schadenfreude, it’s that knocking the wind out of someone else’s sails will not fill your own.

Believe me: it just won’t.

You know what will, though?

More wind.

That’s right: The more you can fill the sails of others, the more you realize how much you already have.

And the more happiness you realize that you already have, the more you begin to understand that joy, unlike a bag of Peanut M & Ms, is not a finite resource. You don’t have to take it away from someone else in order to get your own.

He can be happy — you can be happy, too.

Your friend can post about her ah-maaazing life on Facebook all she wants, and you can still be happy as a clam.

Life doesn’t have to be a zero sum game, and your happiness (or lack thereof) need not be dependent on that of another.

Rather than bemoaning someone else’s happiness or good fortune, the answer lies instead in more joy, more Mudita, more loving kindness.

Mudita (Pāli and Sanskrit: मुदिता) means joy. It is especially sympathetic or vicarious joy, the pleasure that comes from delighting in other people’s well-being rather than begrudging it.

You know how I knew I was over my ex? It wasn’t when I witnessed his new relationship deteriorate or once I got my “revenge.” It wasn’t when he ended up cold and alone and broke — those things never happened.

Instead, it was when I began to feel this really weird feeling — compassion? — flowing out from my chest.

So maybe it was a faint feeling, a flutter as soft as a butterfly’s wings (err, moth’s — ok, so maybe more like a fruit fly’s) — but still, it was there.

Oh yes, that micro-flutter was there.

Somehow over the past year I’d stopped wishing for the demise of his new relationship, the destruction of his happiness, and the amputation of his you-know-what.

In fact, somehow I’d stopped caring much at all, until one day the strangest words escaped my lips and radiated from my heart: ”I hope they can be happy.”

And I meant it.

I was finally able to separate myself from him and from the hurt he’d caused me enough to realize that we are all one.

Separate from him.

We are all one.

(How’s that for paradox?)

I felt Mudita again when, months later, I was a bridesmaid at a good friend’s wedding.

That night I swayed solo in the middle of the dance floor, surrounded by a sea of twirling couples, when a tear began to softly trickle down my face.

But unlike so many weddings I’d been to in the past, it wasn’t a tear of frustration or loneliness, not of envy or bitterness or sadness. I wasn’t crying for what was missing — not for the love I didn’t have or for the hole I felt in my heart.

Instead I was crying for what was already here — for the fullness of my heart and for what my friend and her husband had found together: Love, joy, deep connection.

I was crying tears of pure, unadulterated joy. Her happiness had become my happiness, not my downfall.

Mudita: Delighting in other people’s well-being rather than begrudging it.

The green envy monster had de-reared its ugly head, leaving in its place a compassion, a joy and a fullness I had never known before.

Sometimes I sense the monster coming back around for a visit, but these days I know just what to do: I pause and I take a deep breath, filling my lungs with air and my sails with wind.

I remind myself that there’s more than enough to go around: Enough love. Enough money. Enough time.  Enough smart & sexy, honest men (wink, wink ;-).

Enough, enough, enough. This world is filled to the brim with enough.

And I bring to mind a Buddhist prayer that goes something like this:

“May all beings experience happiness and the root of happiness. May all beings be free of suffering and the root of suffering.”

That, please.

I want that.

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[Image by bark]

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(Plus, win a $100 Banana Republic gift card…)

There are lots of sucky jobs out there, but you don’t have to have one of them. Learn to master the 5 steps below and your chances of landing a job you actually like will increase dramatically.

1. Know people. We’ve all heard the phrase, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” If this is so true, though, then how come you spent 30 hours last week doing schoolwork… but you spent zip, nilch, nada hours networking and really getting to know people? Riddle me that. So how do you get to know people, you ask? Well, for one…

2. Be interesting. Because let’s face it: In order to know (the right) people, you have to have something to offer that the average Joe does not have. If you want to know, befriend, and work with interesting, passionate, happy people, then you best become one yourself. After all, when’s the last time you saw an awesomely interesting person hanging out with a boring clone who’s just like everyone else? Stop watching The Voice every night and go out and do something interesting instead. Start a project. Write a book. Help a cause. Hang swings in public places, for gosh sake. I don’t care what you do, as long as you do it with everything you’ve got. Because the world needs more interesting people who are full of passion. Hell, the world needs more interested people, too… which brings me to my next point:

3. Do informational interviews. Be interested in other people and they’ll become interested in you, too. Find a handful of people on Linked In or through your network who work in a role or for a company you’re interested in — or who are just plain cool. Ask them what they love about their work (or don’t love about their work) and what they love about their company (or don’t love about their company). Ask what it takes to be great at what they do, what keeps their bosses up at night and what skills & abilities are most valued in the industry. This won’t just help you discover whether you might enjoy a job or a workplace, but it’ll also help you…

4. Be a mind-reader. Know specifically what the employer wants — then sell it to ‘em. The good thing is that you just got stellar insight into the employer’s needs from all the informational interviews you just did, right? Now lay it all out, get specific, and frame it from their point of view in terms of how you can solve their specific problems. NO ONE CARES that your objective is to “work in a fast-paced environment with room for growth and advancement!” Show them instead how you’ll increase sales, make a process more efficient, or otherwise solve the problems that keep them up at night. At the end of your interview, they should feel like they’ve just spoken with a mind-reader.

5. Look sharp. I hate to say it, but everything else you do may be for nill if you don’t look sharp doing it. Because let’s get real for a second here: Sure, it’s your depth that matters most… but people will never see your depth if they can’t get past your appearance in the first place. Books have covers, products have packaging (YES I DO buy the shampoo with the prettiest bottle), and humans have clothing and such things. The bottom line: First impressions matter, so dress like you mean it. Which is why I’m giving away a Banana Republic giftcard…

What’s your best tip for getting a job that doesn’t suck? Leave a comment below for a chance to win a $100 Banana Republic giftcard.

Giveaway sponsored by Adecco: For more tips on finding a job (resumes, cover letters, interviews, online reputation, etc.) check out Adecco’s new Way To Work Program, a program aimed at reversing youth unemployment by teaching youth the skills and training that they need to showcase their best attributes to prospective employers – whether they are seeking jobs in retail, hospitality, manufacturing, engineering, health care, or the white-collar workplace.

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[Image by kharied]

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Udoka, a wonderful Unlost team member, had volunteered to organize a scholarship program for The Unlost E-Course. She’d created a beautiful graphic to announce the program and had even written up a blurb to explain the entry process. Everything was ready to go.

The beautiful graphic Udo created for The Unlost scholarship program.

But as I was about to hit “publish,” I paused.

Something just wasn’t right.

It wasn’t that I didn’t believe in scholarships — this wasn’t the case at all.

It was just that there was something more that I hoped to foster within people beyond responding to a pre-made scholarship program: The ability to make their own luck and create their own opportunities.

I value guts and initiative and out of the box thinking. I value those people who don’t wait for scholarships and opportunities to appear, but who instead readily and eagerly create their own.

Let me give you a few examples.

Sarie is from the Philippines. She’s a smart, talented, and kindhearted woman and a devoted mother, and she’s recently left her job as an Operations Manager due to unfair working conditions.

Sarie really wanted to take The Unlost E-Course — but she couldn’t afford it. Not only is the exchange rate steep between US dollars and the Philippine peso, but she is currently in between jobs.

So what did Sarie do? Did she grumble that life’s not fair and give up, resorting to the hand she’d been given?

Nope. She wrote me an email explaining the situation and offering alternative method of  payment:

I could work or assist you with your admin tasks if you like so I could offset the cost of the course. That’s just a suggestion of course. 

“What are the chances?” I thought. Turns out I was just looking for someone to help me transcribe interviews.

Now Sarie not only gets to take the e-course and join the awesome Unlost community, but she also has a new client lined up for eventual paid work (me!), and a mention in this blog article.

(By the way, I can’t even tell you how fantastic it felt to wake up today and realize that the work I’d been stressing about getting done was suddenly off my plate — Sarie had transcribed an interview for me while I slept, saving me hours of time. If you have tasks on your plate that can be delegated, consider hiring Sarie as a virtual assistant. It’s surprisingly affordable and can save you both time and money. Check out Sarie’s website here and shoot her an email to get going.)

Next, let me tell you about Chris Tarantino, a friend of mine.

Chris wanted to participate in a local leadership program for executives and community leaders called Leadership Rochester, but there were two things standing in his way: First, he was still in college, and the program had only ever accepted “adult” leaders who were already established in their careers and in the community. Second, with a price tag in the thousands of dollars, he couldn’t afford it.

So what did Chris do? Did he grumble, “Oh well,” and drop his leadership dreams?

No: Instead, he offered his services as a Social Media Specialist in exchange for a scholarship and acceptance into the program — and they said yes.

Not only did he gain admission into the program, but he also gained valuable experience doing work he was interested in: For over a year, Chris built a social strategy for Leadership Rochester, revamped their social media accounts and set up new ones, live-tweeted and posted photos to Facebook at events, etc.

Perhaps even more importantly, Chris’ participation introduced him to valuable contacts in the community. At the first Leadership Rochester retreat, Chris met the VP of Development for the Rochester branch of Dale Carnegie Training – who, after Chris’ critique of the company’s website, offered him a job on the spot. Chris was the first Marketing Coordinator that the franchise had ever had.

Chris was able to gain a wealth of experience and connect with a community of well-known leaders before he’d even graduated from college — all because he had the guts and the initiative to ask for opportunity.

Chris made his own luck; he didn’t wait for it to come to him.

You can do this too.

Next time you see something you want — a job, a class, a conference — stop making excuses as to why you can’t have it, and instead start asking, “How could I have this? How could I possibly make this happen?”

Have the courage and take the initiative to come up with alternative options.

Offer to help or to provide services in return for an opportunity.

Use Charlie Hoehn’s “Recession Proof Graduate” Model to get your foot in the door of an employer by offering to work for free.

Tell people what you can afford, and ask if they’re able to accept this price.

Ask if they’d be open to setting up a payment plan.

Think outside of the box.

Have the courage, initiative, and guts to make your own luck and to create your own scholarship and to make your own luck.

Because you never know — they might just say yes.

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P.S. Check out my podcast interview that was published last week with Caleb Wojcik, founder of PocketChanged.com, where we discuss allll the jobs I’ve ever had, my views on finding your way into passionate work, the fears that come with entrepreneurship, and more: http://www.pocketchanged.com/2013/04/18/finding-following-your-passion-therese-schwenkler

[Image by JD Hancock]

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Hey there Amazing-Pants,

Sooo, guess what? This is the LAST week in awhile that I’ll be talking about discovering your truest life path and all that jazz before getting back to writing on my usual smattering of topics — Disney Princesses, smut magazines, and so on and so forth.

That’s because, um, the cutoff for The Unlost E-Course is this Friday the 19th!

Now pay attention closely, because today I’m delivering to you what could be some of the most important information of your life and of your career: I’m revealing to you the final sneak peek into The Unlost E-Course For Discovering Your Truest Career & Life Path – the best one yet. 

You won’t want to miss this final sneak preview. Here’s what I’ll show you inside:

• I’ll talk about something that’s almost always skipped over in traditional career planning, which is that we’re in fact looking for so much more than just a career: We’re searching for ourselves, for that person we were meant to become. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: “Your greatest occupation is to become yourself.”
• I’ll give you an introduction into the E & E (Experimentation & Evolution) method that is the foundation for the entire course, and that happy and fulfilled people have used time and time again to find their way into their truest career paths — even though they had no clue where to start.
• I’ll go into depth on some of the research and scientific evidence that supports E & E and the methods I teach within the E-Course.
• I’ll explain centrifugal force and metaphysics. (Just kidding!)

Check it all out in the video below. (Haven’t seen the last two sneak previews? You can watch Part I here and Part II here.)

Ready to get going on this e-course? (Don’t forget, this is the LAST week to register!)

Here’s the link:

http://www.theunlost.com/the-unlost-e-course

I hope to see you in “class” this “semester!” It’ll be just like college, except you won’t get a grade and you won’t have to get up early to trudge to class and you’ll get to meet with a cool group of people you love and you won’t just learn, you’ll put the concepts into action and it’ll actually apply to your real life and…

Um, well I guess that means it’ll actually be nothing like college.

With love, respect, and chocolate,

Therese

p.s. In case you haven’t been listening carefully, may I repeat: This is the LAST week to register! Here’s the link one last time: http://www.theunlost.com/the-unlost-e-course

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 [Image by wallyg]

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A Guest Post by the Wonderful Ms. Dana Sitar of DIY Writing

I had the pleasure of joining Therese and a delightful group of wandering go-getters for the first iteration of The Unlost E-Course for Finding Your Truest Career & Life Path at the turn of the year. I had no expectations going in, just a desire to meet others who were ready for an uncertain change and a small kick in the butt to make it happen.

And I’ll tell you what, I got just what was promised: I figured out what I want to do with my life.

But it was more than that simple high-school-career-counselor kind of life assessment and direction, because The Unlost defies that kind of conventional knowledge. Plus, I already knew I wanted to be a writer.

The course didn’t help me decide what niche to write in.

It didn’t give me a blueprint to advance my career.

It didn’t teach me how to find new clients.

It didn’t help me figure out what I should have majored in in college.

Instead, the course helped me discover who I am — as a person, as a writer, as a twenty-something building a career. And that helped me figure out the rest.

Once you understand who you are — know your strengths, interests, quirks, dreams — you can use that information to determine every next step you take. As long as you take the steps that please the real you, you’ll be on your true career and life path.

The lessons I learned from The Unlost E-Course helped put me on the path that has shaped my brand and set a clear direction for my business.

1. Stop browsing for options, and get down and try stuff.

Therese encourages a method of self-discovery she calls E&E: Experiment and Evolve. She discourages what she cleverly refers to as “internet shopping for careers,” the act of browsing and choosing a path without seeing if it fits first. Instead, we are to try stuff, evaluate how it fits us, and evolve based on that information.

That’s it.

I started my career in writing focused on getting clients and pitching publications. Then I started to experiment, and I developed what is now DIY Writing.

I published A Writer’s Bucket List. I invited guest bloggers to DIY Writing. I created a Facebook group and a Twitter chat.

And I realized I am in love with this community of DIY Writers and the vision of all I can do with them at my side. I am not a journalist or a business writer. I’m an entrepreneur, I guess? The label is completely awkward so far, but I’m giving it a whirl, because deep down, I know it feels right.

2. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

Your truest path isn’t always certain from the start. Allow yourself room to change your mind and try something new. Something may feel right today, but completely wrong tomorrow after you learn a little bit more. You don’t want to be stuck on a path that suddenly doesn’t feel right.

Though I’ve been writing professionally since 2011, I didn’t make any major investment in my writing career until about two weeks ago — and even that was a greater emotional investment than financial. I haven’t sunk money into fancy tools, office space, professional training, staff, or advertisement. I’ve gotten all I can for free, and learned how to do most of what I have to do on the cheap.

Biting off just small pieces at a time has allowed me to learn as I go, rather than sink all my money (and hope) into one uncertain option upfront. It’s allowed me to dabble over the past two years to actively figure out exactly what I want to do and what I want my brand to say to the world.

3. Your career path is more than just your career.

I’ve read dozens of times from Therese that your job is about so much more than what you do. How much you love your work depends on who you are, and how you apply that to whatever work you do.

“What kind of writer” you want to be is about more than how you’ll make money, who your market is, and when you’ll quit your day job. It’s about how you’ll fit writing into your life.

This, above all, is the greatest lesson I learned through the course. Through check-ins with my fellow Unlostians, I found that at times I was really excited about where my career was going — I had great blog readers, I’d picked up a new client, etc. — but was unhappy with the rest of my life. Or, I was super-happy with my relationship, my apartment, my travels, etc, but miserable with my current clients.

I hated that dichotomy. Writing is my life. Why choose a cool lifestyle career if it can’t mesh well with the rest of your life?

So I sought a balance. As I learned who I was and what I love to do, I started to forge a path for my writing career that was just right for my life. Through experimenting, evaluating, and evolving through the prompts and discussions in the course, I was able to see what my career could be, and embrace this idea that I am an entrepreneur.

There, I said it again. It’s starting to feel alright.

About the Author 

Dana Sitar is a freelance blogger, author, and entrepreneur with a mission to guide you in the pursuit of happiness through writing. She helps budding writers connect, learn, and discover the awesome work of peers through DIY Writing. Her latest book, A Writer’s Bucket List, is 99 things to do for inspiration, education, and experience before your writing kicks the bucket.

Ready to purchase The Unlost E-Course and get in on the community? Click here for course details.

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[Image by kelsey_lovefusionphoto]

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Heya wonderful you,

Only two more weeks until the Unlost E-Course closes registration on April 19th! Over 70 people have already taken the course with great success, and I hope to see lots more of your smiling faces this time around.

Up until the 19th I’ll be continuing to give you exclusive previews of the Module 1 E-Course content before returning to my “regularly scheduled programming.” Today, of course, is no exception!

Watch the exclusive sneak preview video below and learn why it is that traditional career planning methods (e.g., career assessments, careful consideration of career options, etc.) often fall flat — and what to do instead to find yourself moving toward a career of purpose and fulfillment rather than stucked-ness.

You’ll learn why discovering a deep interest or passion doesn’t happen in the way you think it does, why finding a job or a career you love is sort of like getting attacked by pirates (huh?!), and how to know when the time is right to take a big leap as opposed to staying home and playing it safe.

And best of all, of course, you’ll get to hear my beeoootiful voice! :-)

Check it all out in the exclusive screencast video below.

(If you haven’t yet seen Part I of The Unlost E-Course Exclusive Sneak Preview, make sure you go back and watch Part I first.)

An Unlost E-Course Alum Speaks!

Here’s what Kelly N., an Unlost E-Course alumni, had to say about her experience:

I couldn’t recommend this course enough! The biggest change for me was a change of mindset — thinking about my life and where I’m going as a process and series of experiments is such a relief. It really takes the pressure off feeling like everything has to turn out perfect or be the “right” thing.

The group meetings are the best part of the course. It was so key to have people to talk over the content with and share ideas. It was wonderful to realize that other people are going through the same anxieties that I am, and that not having it all figured out is normal!  

I really wanted there to be a magic bullet (God that would be nice), but what I realized is that THERE IS NO MAGIC BULLET, and thinking there is one is crazy. Instead, “figuring it out” is a process that happens over time and that we must continually act my way into.

Now I have a clear compass, process and mindset that has been incorporated into me to keep forever, helping me navigate all the twists and turns of life’s path.

- Kelly N., Unlost E-Course Alumni

Click here for more details and to register for the course.

Register THIS WEEK and get the sweet early bird bonuses shown below totally freeee!:

Click here for more details and to register for the course.

Registration closes 4/19.

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[Image by  Abdulmajeed Al.mutawee || twitter.com/almutawee]

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Dearest and loveliest you,

I am proud to announce that The Unlost is officially a toddler. That’s right – this week marks the second blogs-versary of The Unlost!

I’m so grateful and excited and proud — this blog has really become like a child to me, except of course, it doesn’t cry or spit up or keep me up at night like a child might. Actually, that’s untrue — it does keep me up at night, but usually in more of a “HOLY CRAP I’M SO INSPIRED” kinda way than a “Go the **** to Sleep” kinda way, or whatever way it is in which a baby keeps one up.

Anyhow, I digress.

I was wondering — would you be willing to give The Unlost a birthday present to help it grow? 

It’ll just take a second: If The Unlost has benefitted you in any worthwhile way, small or large, over the past few years, would you be willing to write a short sentence or two about how it has helped you, and to share this sentiment with your friends along with a link to the site?

I’d pee my pants with excitement if you’d do it.

Here’s mine:

And importantly, in case you’re “busy” reading The Unlost at work and don’t have time to write your own message, I’ve also taken the liberty of crafting a few statuses and tweets expressly for those purposes.

I can’t say these messages aren’t, um, biased… but uh, just click below (for Twitter) or copy & paste (for Facebook) and you’ll be all set.

THANKS FOR MAKING THIS THE BEST BLOGS-VERSARY EVER!

Thank you. It really means a lot to me, and I knew I could count on you to help.

And most of all, thanks for being here with me for the past two years. It really means the world to me.

I love you :-).

xo Therese

p.s. DON’T FORGET that the free one-on-one coaching freebie I’ve bundled in with The Unlost E-Course For Finding Your Truest Career & Life Path will be disappearing within days! If you’re thinking about taking the course you should register NOW so you don’t miss out on all the free early bird goodies I’ve bundled in, including an entire hour of one-on-one “Finding Your Way” coaching from the amazing Sarah Goshman (holy SHEET!).

Here’s what Sarah has to say about The Unlost E-Course:

The Unlost course, from the brilliant Therese Schwenkler is hands down the best course of its kind I’ve seen on the internet to help you get on the path to finding your way in the world.

Therese’s methodology is like no other one out there. Plus, she’s hi-larious and if you bought this solely for the entertainment value, it would be worth the price.

But it’s not just for entertainment. You’ll be getting incredible information and techniques to help you find your career and life path, and (if you choose the move-lah version, which I highly recommend) you’ll get super-awesome support from your peers, Therese and other group leaders… The value is just off the charts.

Oh yeah, plus, yours truly (that’s me) is going to be leading one of the move-lah groups because I believe in this course so much and I’ve seen what it’s done for myself and for all of the other graduates. The process in this course will serve you well for the rest of your life… well worth the ridiculously low cost of $149.

MAY I REPEAT: If you wait to register for the e-course, you’ll miss out on all the early bird freebies I’ve bundled in — so hurry and getchya awesomeness ASAP! Here’s the link for more info.

p.p.s. I was going to unveil Part Deux of my exclusive sneak preview into The Unlost E-Course For Finding Your Truest Career & Life Path to you this week (see Part I here), but I decided to go on a Tinder date last night instead of working on it. Ooops… stay tuned; I’ll have it for you next week.

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[Image credit: peasap]

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Let me ask you a question, dudes and dudettes:

How many hours per week do you spend at work or school each week, thinking and wishing and dreaming about how things could be different, about how you could change careers and find a fulfilling path if only…

If only you knew what you wanted to do and how to get there.

If only you had more time, money, support, motivation, courage, clarity…

If only, if only, if only.

I get emails all the time from people — emails that say things like,

“I’m currently at my job for a gourmet dessert company.  Basically, I sit in a freezing warehouse in the ghetto part of town and copy and paste cheesecake info onto pre-made templates. My back, neck, and eyeballs are killing me from sitting and staring at a computer all day.

I want to change the world!  I want to help people!  I want to use my forces for good!  Instead, I turn off my brain and waste my gifts making money for other people.

And I’m sick of it.”

Yep, I get emails like this every. Single. Day.

And I feel your pain. I really, truly do.

But what I want to ask every one of these lovely people is this:

“What have you actually done in the past day — week — month — to actually find your way into a new reality? To actually find your way forward, to forge a new life and career path?”

Because, let me tell you: If you’re just thinking or wishing or wondering, it’s likely you’ll be doing the very same thing years from now.

You’ll be driving the same commute, thinking the same thoughts, living the very same life.

Regardless of your good intentions or grand wishes, your reality is NOT going to move you in the right direction by default.

Nope — no way!

Instead, YOU must decide to move your reality.

You MUST act.

And the way I see it, you’ve got two choices:

You can sit back and do what you do every day — dreaming and scheming, wondering and asking, but never moving closer to the life you were meant to live.

OR

You can do something different. You can choose to act, to actively and consciously shape your life. (And if you don’t know how to move forward, all the better. I’m going to show you how.)

[Credit: Quotable Cards]

So let me ask you the question one more time:

How many days — weeks — years — have already passed since you’ve begun to ask questions, to beg for change, to starve for something more — more fulfilling, more stimulating, more you – yet for whatever reason, you have failed to take action and to take steps forward?

How much time has already slipped by?

And how many more days will you continue driving to work, thinking, asking, dreaming, but failing to ACT?

365 days?

1,095?

A lifetime?

Think about it, guys.

What if the time was now?

What if the time has always been now?

Credit: The Bold Academy

I’m here to show you the way and to help make your path clearer than ever… if you’re ready to act.

In case you missed the announcement last week, the new and improved, better than ever, second round of The Unlost E-Course to Finding Your Truest Career & Life Path is about to re-open.

Yes, it’s true: On April 29th, 2013, you could be among a community of peers who are ready to take action toward the life and the career they were meant for.

And I’m making it as easy as possible for you by OBLITERATING the biggest excuses you’ve got:

BS Excuse #1: “I can’t take steps forward until I have it all figured out.”

I mentioned in last week’s post that over the years, I’ve studied and interviewed and spoken with many-a-person who is deeply fulfilled with his or her work. I’ve read books and done research and navigated my own path.

And I’ve come to a surprising conclusion, backed not only by anecdotal evidence but also by scientific and research studies: Discovering your truest career path most often happens not by “figuring it all out,” but instead by being willing to not have it all figured out — combined with deliberate action steps designed to help you find your way over time.

The many people I spoke with almost always started off from an initial place of confusion — but over a course of months and years, they found their way into clarity and fulfillment by acting on the E & E (Experimentation & Evolution) principles and methods that I teach within this course.

No more wondering about how to find your way or agonizing over which actions to take — inside The Unlost E-Course, I’ll give you concrete action steps that you can take today and a clear navigational lens through which to act, all based on sound principles of the “E & E” (Experimentation & Evolution) model and built in as a part of the homework assignments.

“Now I have a clear compass, process and mindset that has been incorporated into me to keep forever, helping me navigate all the twists and turns of my life’s path.”

- Kelly N., Unlost E-Course participant

BS Excuse #2: “I don’t have enough willpower.”

Sure, it’s hard to take consistent action.

It’s hard to consciously shape your own path rather than sitting back and letting your normal day-to-day actions shape your life.

But I’ve made it as easy as possible by inventing and implementing a new model for accountability and support that’s never been seen before: Move-lah, the world’s newest form of currency.

Agree to pay with Move-lah, or action, and you’ll essentially be required to act on the course content in order to make your way through the course modules.

It’s revolutionary, and it’s capturing the attention of people everywhere — in fact, I did a TEDx speech this past November on Move-lah and how it is changing people’s lives.

BS Excuse #3: “I don’t have time.”

I’m not going to spend very much time on this one because it’s simply silly.

I mean, I totally understand it that you’re busy, but what I don’t understand is how you expect to ever re-engineer your career and your life if you never carve out time to focus on the important.

Learning the course concepts is the easy part: You can choose to go at your own pace and on your time if you sign up for certain versions of the course.

Heck, you can listen to it on your way to work every day — commuting can suddenly become a powerful way to start your day; an act of transformation rather than trepidation.

Sarah did it… you can, too!

Learning about the principles that can help you find your way into a career path that’s truly your own? You can easily do that with the time you already have.

But then once it becomes time to act on the concepts, there’s no getting around it: Yes, you’re going to have to put in some time and effort.

Because, like I said, the life and the work of your dreams rarely just “happens to you.” You’re going to have to go out and take action to get it.

Which I know you’re ready to do, because, well — you’re still reading this right now, aren’t you?

* * *

So there you go – I’ve slashed all your BS excuses.

The only question now is, are you ready to move forward and to join the community?

Think about it: By July of this year, your situation could already look drastically different.

You could have hope.

Momentum. Direction.

A completely new reality.

You could have a game plan for moving forward, and you could have already started making it happen.

How would that feel?

How would your life look different than it does today?

And most importantly, are you ready to get started? Or are you going to sit back and let things continue as they currently are?

If you’re ready, click here to register for The Unlost E-Course today.

I’ve extended the early bird registration deadline for an additional week in order to receive all the bonuses below: A killer one-on-one coaching session with expert Unlost coach Sarah Goshman to help you find your way… an online group workshop with career coach Ryan Coelho… Job Jenny’s “Stop Sucking at Your Job Search” plus a delicious display of other goodies, all piled on top of the undeniable goodness of The Unlost E-Course.

You’ll never see another offer like this again, not in the history of time.

Jump on it while it’s hot, baby. Register before April 7, 2013 and get ALL THREE of the early bird bonuses below absolutely free:

To view course details and to pre-register with FREE early bird bonuses, click here.

See you on the flip side.

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 [Image by Zavarykin Sergey]

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I can still remember that day with striking clarity. It was 2009 and I was sitting at my cubicle, wearing my go-to black slacks and gray sweater, wondering, as I did many-a-day, what it was that I was truly called to do.

And as I also did many-a-day, I was posting on Facebook.

“What is it that I can be the best in the world at?” I contemplated. (Actual Facebook posting below.)

The actual Facebook posting from that day in the cube in 2009.

I sat at my desk, surrounded by my dual monitors, stacks of financial documents, and Krispy Kreme donuts (I mean, hey, a girl’s gotta eat), and I just knew that this wasn’t it.

This wasn’t my life. Corporate accounting — it wasn’t the thing I could be the best in the world at.

Now don’t get me wrong; I didn’t hate my job at all. In fact, my job and my life were pretty dang good, if I didn’t say so myself. And yet something tugged — no, pulled at me.

There was something more I was built to do. Someone more I was built to become, more of a life I was built to live. And I knew with everything within me that this wasn’t it.

But what was?

* * *

You may have felt it too — that strange and powerful feeling that the greatest general of all time is living somewhere within you and is just waiting to come out, just waiting to be unleashed.

Fear not the strangeness you feel The future must enter you far before it happens. Just wait for the birth, for the new hour of clarity.

-  Maria Rainier Wilke

And you’ve probably been scared as hell, too — scared of wasting your life being someone you weren’t meant to be and doing something you were never meant to do.

You’d do this thing in a heartbeat… if you only knew what it was.

Enter the missing piece of the career puzzle.

See, standard career advice had taught me about two things and two things only: First, it had taught me tactics for getting a job and climbing my way to the top of the career ladder: I’d learned job resume secrets and interview techniques and tactics to climb the career ladder.

But I already had the good job and the good education. I already knew about the resume secrets and the interviewing techniques, the standard go-to career advice that most career experts pitch. I’d already learned how to climb my way to the top of the ladder if that was what I so desired to do. This wasn’t the career advice I deeply needed.

After all, what good does it do to climb to the top of the ladder if you get there only to realize that you were climbing the wrong ladder all along?

And second, it had taught me to assess my strengths and interests and to match them up with a desired career type. But I’d already read the books and taken the quizzes and assessed my strengths. I’d already browsed the career listings and thought hard about my options. (Sidenote: One of those career tests actually told me I should become a librarian. Ummm…)

This sort of advice was important, but it wasn’t enough on its own. There was something else missing. In fact, there was a gaping hole in the career arena. I’d consumed all the traditional career advice I could find, and yet I still had no idea how to bridge the gap between the life I was living and the life I desired to live. I still hadn’t a clue how to “figure it out” — how to ensure that I was climbing the right ladder instead of simply striving to climb to the top of any ladder at all.

And that, my friend, is the very reason The Unlost E-Course was born — out of a deep need and an incomplete model, and from a desire to serve.

Over the years, I’ve studied and interviewed and spoken with many-a-person who is deeply fulfilled with his or her work. I’ve read books and done research and navigated my own path.

And over the years, I’ve begun to connect the dots.

Through my research, I’ve come to find patterns among the stories of the people who were filled to the brim with their careers and their lives — patterns that helped provide the missing link in the career advice that’s currently available. The main tenets of this new philosophy hold that:

1. Finding your truest career path happens by doing, not just by thinking. How do we do effectively and efficiently, even if we already have a full time job? Through a process called E & E, or Experimentation and Evolution, which I’ll be teaching in detail throughout the course.

2. Finding your truest career path happens not by “figuring it all out,” but by being willing to not have it all figured out. The eventual clarity of the many people I spoke with almost always came from a place of confusion — but over a course of months and years, they found their way into fulfillment by using E & E principles and methods.

3. Finding your truest career path happens over time, not all at once. It is a process — one that we are all in, all of the time. The trick is in understanding the nature of this process, and that it is usually far from linear (and yet, we expect it to be).

Many of these tenets seem counter intuitive, and yet they’re supported by both anecdotal and scientific research (detailed within the course), as well as backed by own own personal experience on this path of finding my own way.

Which leads me to an announcement that I am excited and proud and knee-shaking scared to present: The pending release of the new and improved, better than ever, second round of The Unlost E-Course to Finding Your Truest Career & Life Path. On April 29th, 2013, this soon-to-be legendary course will open its doors for the second time, letting you in on the detailed secrets I’ve discovered.

And over the next month, I’ll be unveiling the entire first module of the course piece-by-piece, giving you a sneak peek inside the course content and into the brand new Unlost community. Yeah baby, you heard me right: I’m letting you in on the ENTIRE first module — a whole eighth of the course — right here on the blog. I may have gone crazy, but I think you’re gonna like it.

Watch Part I of the preview on “Internet shopping for careers” below, then leave me a comment letting me know whether YOU’VE experienced the “Internet shopping failure” of traditional career planning. With your comment, you’ll be eligible to win a FREE version of The Unlost E-Course (Move-lah or Standard version).

(^^Watch it!^^)

The best part?

Registration is already open.

And if you register for the course before 4/7, you’ll receive ALL THREE early bird bonuses below! Here’s the link to register: http://www.theunlost.com/the-unlost-e-course/

Early Bird Bonuses (Available NOW)

Register for the course before 4/7 and you’ll receive ALL THREE of ‘em free!

Ready to learn more about the Unlost E-Course? To view course details and to pre-register with FREE early bird bonuses, click here.

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[Image credit: Dr. Jauss]

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