Another step in the discovery process is to research your ideas for your next career.
My first experience gave me valuable information that has guided me to other careers.
I was ready to leave LA and leave the film business. I didn’t have an idea of what to do. My husband suggested that we live where we like spending time. We were hiking and exploring the outdoors whenever we had a chance. I wondered what would we do if we moved to a rural community.
He had always wanted to do a bed and breakfast so we decided to pursue that.
If we wanted to do a bnb then how did we go about doing it? I started to research. We did a big trip to Colorado and stayed at BNBs. Research had begun. We talked to the owners of each bnb. They gave us great information about what to expect-the good, the bad and the ugly. It was a great trip. So much information. We had a lot to think about. We filtered what we heard from the bnb owners, because we already had an opinion of how it would be. They couldn’t sway that. I was so ready for a change so it really didn’t matter what they said.
I continued the research with all the new information when we got back home I found the professional organizations the bnb owners suggested. I started to look at the ads for bnb’s that were for sale. And then, I found the job site. We could try it first?! What a great way to determine of this was something we wanted to do.
Trying something before committing financially is a good idea.
We applied and were hired at a bnb in Lake Tahoe. This all happened quickly. We were all in and very excited. This was a big adventure. We were going to live in a beautiful place while trying a job we wanted.
We got to the ski community the first of March, the peak time for snow and skiers. We were busy. There were guests every day. It was a whirlwind. I was having fun. Gourmet breakfasts, fun conversations, a new place to explore. How did we get so lucky?
The newness wore off. This is when the reality of the business came to light. We had this beautiful house for our guests. The beautiful house was one of the things that appealed to me about a bnb. We would get to live in a mansion and other people would pay for it. That seemed like a good theory but it didn’t work that way. When I was in the house I was at work. I felt like I was working all the time. There were things I liked about the bnb. The breakfasts were fun and creative. And I enjoyed meeting new people and sharing the beautiful community with them. It was the lifestyle that wasn’t for me.
I was glad we tried it first.
We learned so much in the two years we were in Lake Tahoe. We learned about small towns, small businesses, and what we wanted in the area we lived.
This whole discovery process is about ideas, research, and experimentation. Everything you do will benefit your future decisions.
With experimentation you find things you like and dislike with everything you try. After doing the bnb I remembered all the things the owners said on our research trip. All of the warnings were true.
When it came to my next careers I listened with a more open mind. I really listened to all of what my research people had to say, instead of just listening to the things that reinforced my thoughts.
My takeaways:
- Discovery is a journey-the first thing might not be the final thing
- You need to have an open mind when researching
- Experiment by trying it first-as a job, intern or volunteer
- All experiences are valuable and give you more information about you
