Looking for the Next Step

In this Walk of Life.... In 6 weeks I will turn 49. I believe that my years of life on earth are more than 1/2 over.

Both of my parents died before they hit 70. I plan on out living them, but you never know. When I was 25 I was in a car crash that, "...should have been a fatality", according to the sheriff's deputy quoted in the paper next to the picture of my mangled Chevy Nova.

There was another time about 9 years ago that I was heading home from Van Wert and hit some black ice and the car started spinning, I came face to face with a couple of semis and ended up with just a broken tail light. Again, I came to the conclusion that my earthly mission was not over.

Fast Forward to Summer of 2007.

After about 18 months as Sales Director of MIKE-FM, then Station Sales Manager of WILD 96.3, followed by Station Manager of WGL-AM/FM, the company I worked for since 2003 was going through another transition. Pruning is one way to put it. We got rid of nearly all of our sales staff that were not earning their keep. We changed management, and got rid of the outsiders and started doing things internally with the oversight of our Board of Directors/Investors.

I was prepared to leave. On a Thursday, I told my co-manager some of the things he would need to be aware of and wished him the best. He asked me to not leave yet. Friday he made me an offer to stay. Instead of managing people, I'd be managing "things" as we were combining sales staffs from 3 seperate to one staff. I told him, I'd consider it but to give me a few days.

Finally on Sunday I called him and told him, that I would stay, even though it meant a considerable change in pay. 18 months later I am now billing more than I have in the past year, yet....

Yet during these past 18 months, I have wanted more, but wasn't sure what "more" was. I stepped back to my original reason for returning to this line of work nearly 6 years ago. I had a mission statement, "To help businesses make smart advertising and marketing decisions." And so I expanded my own personal marketing and exposure.

I had been asked to serve on the board of directors for our local Advertising Federation a couple years ago as a fill-in for someone who left. A few months later, I was elected to a 3 year term. I was then asked to serve as the V-P of Communications.

I increased my commitment to blogging at my Collective Wisdom Blog. A minimum of 3 new stories a day, 7 days a week. Sales Training every morning at 7am. And most weekdays there are usually 7 stories, not just 3.

Traffic has increased at the blogs. Collective Wisdom grew from 2,048 in September to 2,784, a 36% increase. This blog has also seen a 50% increase from 616 in September to 926 in October. due to twice daily updates. I also know how to draw traffic through Google.

But, I am restless. Working at a radio station and being given the freedom I have where I work is nice, yet I want to expand that world. Actually I have expanded that world, but I'm still looking for that next step.

Sunday I was cleaning out emails and found the following piece which includes a link to a free e-book that I recommend. I spent about 5 minutes reading it, then stopped to write what you are reading right now. I'll finish reading the e-book tonight.

In conclusion today, yes, I am looking for the "Next Step", and if you have a suggestion, I'm all ears. In the meantime, I am continuing to pour myself into my current occupation and help as many business owners, managers and people as possible.

Geezer Guts: Lessons Learned from Social Media By Jane Genova

Nov 2, 2008

I met Jane Genova in 2005. At age 60 she was in the midst of a challenging transition stage of her life. Jane's world came crashing down during the last economic crisis. She found herself in a strange new world facing challenges that were not suppose to happen. Taking a dive into blogging she reinvented herself.

In the free eBook, Geezer Guts: Making a Buck No Matter, she tells her story raw .. with no punches pulled. Reading Geezer Guts I couldn't help but think that Jane's lessons learned have come at a time when they can inspire so many people who are now going through similar life challenges. A few of the life lessons learned from social media that even non geezers can take to heart.

• Business norms change
• People change too
• What was right for you yesterday may not be right for you today .. or tomorrow
• "Just be ourselves. That's plenty."
• It takes time and courage to learn new skills and a new way of thinking.
• Life on your terms can be different than what you imagined it to be yesterday.
• Ghosts from past careers/lives can continue to haunt if you compromise your dignity in the now.
• Trust in yourself and don't confide your plans to people who may not understand.
• Success is not always computed in dollars.
• Believe in yourself.
• "Being forced into a world we never expected being in seems to have made many of us accidental late bloomers. Adversity has unique transformational power."
• Take the road less traveled.
• Your "first job" can happen at any age. "Dump the past. No one is interested in our sad story. Eventually we won't be either."
• New networks are a must
• "What happens happens. The present and future are what we do about it."

Geezer Guts is a quick read .. but an important one. Download it. Read it. Share it with a friend.

Read Jane's 2006 Blogger Story