Career, Writing, and the Heart

by Catherine Rayburn-Trobaugh: President, Word Branch Media

Last week I attended Judy Ketteler’s online conference: Expand Your Influence. The focus of the conference was on brand extensions—blogs, social networking, podcasts, etc. What can I say? The information was great; the speakers were knowledgeable, and the content was inspirational.

Of the nine speakers, I was familiar with Peter Bowman, among other things the author of The Well-Fed Writer, and Angelo Surmelis, designer and star of some of my favorite home decorating shows. Of course I was wowed by them, but the other seven speakers were fantastic as well. Designer Amy Butler and literary agent Joy Tutela were really insightful speakers, and Jeff Goins’ energy was catching. All nine were really wonderful and had such apt things to say.

After the second day, I noticed a consistent theme—go with your heart. All of the speakers are successful in their fields and either entrepreneurs or independent workers, but they weren’t touting business plans and career testing. They didn’t focus on education, background or contacts. They all said the secret to entrepreneurial success isn’t a secret after all; it’s passion for your work.

This probably shouldn’t have come as such a revolutionary idea to me, but it hit me like the proverbial ton of bricks. My career path has often been a tug-of-war between doing what I really love and what I did to pay the bills. As I look back, I see that I naturally drifted back to what I loved to do and leaving it was always filled with regret.

I’m not saying that it’s wise to leave your comfy job and follow your heart without a plan, and neither did any of the speakers. All of them worked long and hard to get where they are and made sacrifices along the way. They all had great ideas and devoted a large portion of their time and resources to give wings to their dreams. As for me, I studied English at the graduate level, have taught writing for 20 years, have been a professional writer for more than a quarter of a century and have worked for an international publisher for four years. But if you have that burning in your soul do what you need to do to achieve it—find a mentor, work in the field, get an education, actively pursue the dream.

When I take a long hard look at what really makes my heart sing, there’s no doubt that it is writing. I have had CRT Commercial Media for four years, and I have recently started an e-publishing company: Word Branch Publishing. I love both of these ventures for different reasons. CRT appeals to the analytical researcher in me—I truly enjoy commercial writing, but Word Branch is quickly capturing my heart. The possibilities and the excitement of getting in on a new technology and medium is very compelling.

So gentle readers, here’s my sage advice for the day: be practical, be smart, but always follow your dreams.

http://judiketteler.com/expand-your-influence

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