Chapter One What Are the Odds in Times like These? The self-owned and -operated business is the freest life in the world.-- Paul Hawken When I answered the phone, I was startled to hear a man whispering, "Hi, this is Scott. I'm calling from work, but I had to talk to you." "Sure," I said. "I want to be JJ," he whispered back. "Jay Jay?" I thought. "Who's Jay Jay? Why's he telling me this?" Before I could ask, he went on to explain that he loathed his job and longed to be "joyfully jobless." We made an appointment for him to call back when he could talk out loud. Scott's not the only one, of course. One memorable message arrived in my email box with the title "Cowering in my cubicle." Every day I hear from people who have come to the same conclusion. Some have no idea what they want to do instead of having a conventional job. Others have an idea but don't know how to get started. And recently, more people who find themselves without a job are looking at alternatives and options they may not have considered before. My own journey began when I was in the midst of a second career and found myself as miserable as I had been in my first job. Ironically, I had landed a position as a job counselor, working for the Minnesota Department of Employment Services. Shortly after arriving there (and already realizing I was not cut out to be a bureaucrat), I discovered a gigantic book called The Dictionary of Occupational Titles. This book contains tens of thousands of job descriptions. "Surely," I thought, "if I read this book, I'll find my lost career." In any free moment, I'd grab the dictionary and begin reading. The more I read, the more discouraged I became. "There's nothing here I want to do," I lamented. I feared I was doomed to a life of drudgery. That's not how my story ends, of course. I discovered that I could create my own work, be my own boss, and eventually get paid generously to do the things I loved. Along the way, I made wonderful new friends and plenty of mistakes. There were moments when I thought I had taken leave of my senses--and many more moments when I could hardly believe my good fortune. What I never imagined back at the beginning was that I'd end up teaching thousands of people how to leave behind the nine-tofive world and start building something on their own. Of course, the people coming to my self- employment seminars and teleclasses bring plenty of questions with them, but the one I get asked the most seemingly has nothing to do with making a living without a job. The most frequently asked question I've ever received came after I relocated three years ago. "Why did you move to Las Vegas?" is the one I hear over and over. The runner-up is "Do you actually think anyone can be selfemployed?" Almost always, the person asking the question sounds shocked or at least skeptical. I have several answers to the first question, but my usual response to the second has been "Yes, I think anyone can be self- employed, but not everyone will be." As of this writing, there seems to be another topic that's grabbed everyone's attention: the current and confusing economic recession. Everything, from news stories to personal decisions, seems to be filtered through this growing crisis. So, of course, the question I'm hearing more often these days is "Isn't Excerpted from The Silent Speaker - Black Orchids by Rex Stout All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
