possible paths (aka options)

clearly i have a wide range of interests and skills and thus a wide range of career options. sure, i'll probably never be a hardware engineer or a perfume designer, but hey, i wouldn't like those jobs anyway. so what could i be when i grow up?

• writer (novels, non-fiction, screenplays, articles)
• copywriter (web, real estate, brochures, branding materials)
• editor (you name it)
• resume editor/consultant 
• creativity coach
• artist (crafts, photography, art)
• landscape designer
• landscape architect
• gardener
• nurserywoman
• horticulturist
• gardening activist
• garden educator
• teacher (school, park and rec, other)
• school administrator (all grade levels)
• website consultant (IA, copy, SEO, SEM, SMM, content strategist, content management, etc.)
• blogger
• librarian
• bookseller
• book/product buyer
• bookstore owner
• retail shop owner

i'm actually thinking that my optimal career path is not a path at all. i believe the popular term these days is "portfolio career" where you do a lot of different things you love and together they add up to a whole job. it seems to be easiest when the jobs are related, for example if you love gardening, you can design gardens, write articles about gardening, do garden photography and teach gardening through park & rec, local colleges or to local kids.

pay special attention to skills that can be used in a variety of ways, like writing. you can leverage it across multiple venues -- web, magazine, newspaper, novels, books, newsletters, editing, teaching and a host of other activities. same goes for teaching, coaching, and a bunch of others. for me, my top skills are writing, gardening, teaching, listening, coaching, critical thinking, planning, organizing, and designing. my top interests are books, art/crafts, plants, social/environmental stewardship, preparedness, and transforming houses into homes. somewhere in there lies the sweet spot (or combination of sweet spots) i've been looking for. i bet my parents still have that old dollhouse in the garage somewhere...

lesson two: have the right tools before you start

so far, i'm doing a pretty good job of keeping up with all of my resolutions. i'm doing my exercise, i'm eating (mostly) right, i'm making progress on my decluttering... where i'm not doing so well is with my mindfullness activities and with scheduling (which technically isn't on the list, but with so many tiny tasks, it helps to have a way to keep track). why? because i don't have what i need to get the job done: a dedicated notebook for mindfulness and a calendar for scheduling. 

i thought i could get by just doing my mindfulness exercises in my morning page journal, but it just isn't working out. the notebook needs to be bigger. and it needs to be easier to find the mindfulness entries for easy reference.

and then there is the calendar. i have a lot i want to accomplish in the next five weeks (and beyond). i have a great system at work. i use my outlook calendar to note meetings and block out project time and a whiteboard for tracking status on specific goals. i think for this project, a weekly planner would take care of both birds in one binder -- something that i can use to schedule my time, jot down my goals, and keep track of my to do lists (ideally in a size that i can slip into my purse).

looks like i'll be making a stop on my way home tonight.