In this day and age, simplicity just doesn’t get enough credit. Perhaps because it’s too plain, too “blah”, too boring, but simplicity works and there is hidden beauty in it that few people fail to see.

It clears all the clutter and allows you to focus on the core issue at hand.

Because it allows you to focus on the core issue, it allows you to develop effective strategies from it that will produce effective results and if you make those strategies simple, it makes it very easy to do to the things you need to do to get the results you want.

Sometimes, when we’re not in a calm state of mind, we tend to rush into things and don’t objectively think them through– we just take action action action and hope something works, hope something just “sticks to the wall” and as a result, waste a lot of time, money, and energy that could’ve been saved had we just sat down and thought simplistically about what we wanted to do.

Let’s use an example in today’s world to illustrate the beauty of this simplicity and how it lends to producing effective results.

Let’s say a person lost their job due to the recession going on right now.

What do they want to do?

Keep it simple.

Maybe they just want to find a part time job to “float” on so they can spend some time figuring out exactly what they want to do.

What’s the simplest and easiest way to get there, to find that part time job to keep them afloat?

Have somebody refer them.

It’s simple and it’s easy because you can rely on other people’s knowledge of good part time job opportunities that you don’t know about and moreover, have them refer you to the person who’s in charge of those part time job opportunities.

Jobs based on referrals cut through all the red tape and push you in front of the line so you’re not just another resume in a stack of a hundred others. You’re not a “cold” lead, but a warm one.

Now that we know what strategy to use, what’s a simple way to take advantage of that strategy?

Maybe you can offer the people in your network a cash prize of $100 if they refer you and you get the job or maybe you can set up the person who refers you to the job on a blind date with someone else you know, someone you think they’ll hit it off with, or maybe you can do their chores for a month, etc.

Think of a great incentive and let the word out.

And maybe you can do that by simply contacting everybody you know on Facebook, call your friends, email them, tell your family, relatives, previous co-workers, bosses, etc.

What do you simply want to do?
What’s the simplest way to do it?
What are the next simple steps to take?

Simplicity gets you to focus on what you want, it cuts through the clutter to get you to focus on the core issue at hand, and it gets you to take simple action steps based on that core issue to produce effective results.

It’s easy to get things too overcomplicated. You can spend a lot of time, money, and energy just basically “cold calling” by blasting out resumes, cover letters to whatever’s available and feeling really bad when you’re not getting any results.

By focusing on that core issue – referrals, you can cut the time you spend in half and get double the results you want when compared to not thinking simply at all.

Simple works.

Keep it really simple by asking yourself simple questions with the word “simple” in them.

If you ask your mind questions with the right parameters, it will clear all the clutter of answers to within the range of those parameters. In this case, the parameter is “simple”.

What do you simply want to do?
What’s the simplest way to do it?
What are the next simple steps to take?

By keeping things simple, you gain focus and clarity on what you want and you zero in on the key, core issue at hand.

When you develop simple action strategies derived from that core issue, you’re bound to get effective results and by keeping those action strategies simple, it becomes really easy to do so it gets you to take action, builds confidence, and when those effective results come in, it starts that snowball effect that will give you more simple ideas and steps to take to get you from where you are to where you want to be.

And that’s the beauty of simplicity.

In this day and age, simplicity just doesn’t get enough credit. Perhaps because it’s too plain, too “blah”, too boring, but simplicity works and there is hidden beauty in it that few people fail to see.

It clears all the clutter and allows you to focus on the core issue at hand.

Because it allows you to focus on the core issue, it allows you to develop effective strategies from it that will produce effective results and if you make those strategies simple, it makes it very easy to do to the things you need to do to get the results you want.

Sometimes, when we’re not in a calm state of mind, we tend to rush into things and don’t objectively think them through– we just take action action action and hope something works, hope something just “sticks to the wall” and as a result, waste a lot of time, money, and energy that could’ve been saved had we just sat down and thought simplistically about what we wanted to do.

Let’s use an example in today’s world to illustrate the beauty of this simplicity and how it lends to producing effective results.

Let’s say a person lost their job due to the recession going on right now.

What do they want to do?

Keep it simple.

Maybe they just want to find a part time job to “float” on so they can spend some time figuring out exactly what they want to do.

What’s the simplest and easiest way to get there, to find that part time job to keep them afloat?

Have somebody refer them.

It’s simple and it’s easy because you can rely on other people’s knowledge of good part time job opportunities that you don’t know about and moreover, have them refer you to the person who’s in charge of those part time job opportunities.

Jobs based on referrals cut through all the red tape and push you in front of the line so you’re not just another resume in a stack of a hundred others. You’re not a “cold” lead, but a warm one.

Now that we know what strategy to use, what’s a simple way to take advantage of that strategy?

Maybe you can offer the people in your network a cash prize of $100 if they refer you and you get the job or maybe you can set up the person who refers you to the job on a blind date with someone else you know, someone you think they’ll hit it off with, or maybe you can do their chores for a month, etc.

Think of a great incentive and let the word out.

And maybe you can do that by simply contacting everybody you know on Facebook, call your friends, email them, tell your family, relatives, previous co-workers, bosses, etc.

What do you simply want to do?
What’s the simplest way to do it?
What are the next simple steps to take?

Simplicity gets you to focus on what you want, it cuts through the clutter to get you to focus on the core issue at hand, and it gets you to take simple action steps based on that core issue to produce effective results.

It’s easy to get things too overcomplicated. You can spend a lot of time, money, and energy just basically “cold calling” by blasting out resumes, cover letters to whatever’s available and feeling really bad when you’re not getting any results.

By focusing on that core issue – referrals, you can cut the time you spend in half and get double the results you want when compared to not thinking simply at all.

Simple works.

Keep it really simple by asking yourself simple questions with the word “simple” in them.

If you ask your mind questions with the right parameters, it will clear all the clutter of answers to within the range of those parameters. In this case, the parameter is “simple”.

What do you simply want to do?
What’s the simplest way to do it?
What are the next simple steps to take?

By keeping things simple, you gain focus and clarity on what you want and you zero in on the key, core issue at hand.

When you develop simple action strategies derived from that core issue, you’re bound to get effective results and by keeping those action strategies simple, it becomes really easy to do so it gets you to take action, builds confidence, and when those effective results come in, it starts that snowball effect that will give you more simple ideas and steps to take to get you from where you are to where you want to be.

And that’s the beauty of simplicity.

I love it when I hear of another reader success story, especially if it’s a sequel.

Today’s sequel success story comes from the original entitled:

He Too, Found What He Loves to Do.

I recommend you read that to get acquainted with the previous story and go on to read this one to see how it has turned out.

This story is especially nice, considering the economic hard times going on right now and I think it’s one that will give great encouragement and motivation to those who go on the journey to successfully find and successfully pursue what they love to do like Soyica has.

So without further ado, I present the sequel to his success story:

It Was One of the Hardest Challenges That He Faced

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1. Last time we saw you Soyica, you were on your way to becoming a recreational therapist but it looks like you’ve shifted gears and went to barber school instead (which you mentioned in your previous interview was another passion of yours). What triggered the change and what were your thoughts in that decision making process?

The pursuit to become a Recreational Therapist was fun and I really enjoyed doing it. I came in contact with really good people and the work was very rewarding. However, after a short while, I realized that it wasn’t going to be a good fit for the long haul. I had a strong desire to fulfill my passion through Barbering & Cosmetology.

I was already a trained Barber which I started at the age of 13, and I wanted to expand my skills and knowledge. So, in 2007, with the support of my wife, family and friends, I enrolled in Cosmetology school. I had the energy and passion to excel in the program which would take me 1.5 years to complete. I wrote down on a piece of paper, that I’d finish the program and be licensed by 2009. I received my license on January 2, 2009.

IT WAS ONE OF THE HARDEST CHALLENGES THAT I’VE HAD.

I was already working 40 hours per week. My days started at 6am and ended at 11pm. I attended class Monday through Friday, for 5 hours in the evenings after work, and I stayed on my feet all night. And Saturday’s for 7 hours. I can’t even describe how I felt at that time. I was exhausted beyond belief. I also was lacking focus at work. I had a few visits to my physician just to make sure I wasn’t doing any harm to myself. But it was all worth it because I knew my Passion and my Dreams. I held myself accountable to bring them into reality.

2. How has that decision turned out for you?

Working with the Recreational Therapists, I learned quite a bit, especially on a personal level. Working with, and helping other’s can teach you a lot about yourself, and the experience of working with some of the therapist’s was a priceless eye opener for me. I could see the commitment, dedication and heart that they put into their work which was the same feeling I have when I’m practicing barbering and cosmetology. When I observed the therapist’s at work, it personally felt like someone nudging at my shoulder while stating, “You already know what you Love to do. Just do it!” As I was going through school, my decision was confirmed day after day, and I knew that I had made the right move.

3. Can you describe the feeling you had when you got your license in the mail?

The whole test taking experience was a little nerve jumpy, but I knew I was going to ACE both written and practical portions of the national exam. I knew it. And I did just that.

When my license came in the mail, I just stared at it; it felt like I had just climbed one of the highest mountains in the world. I thanked God for the level of Faith that I had despite the challenges and struggles to get through school.

It was very important to me because this is a new chapter in my life.

4. You mentioned that the “opportunities are rolling in”. Can you tell us about those opportunities please?

The first real opportunity is this: I get to do something that I Love, where I can add value to people and myself. Everything else follows off of that opportunity.

While in school, I developed a network of professionals that have been working in the industry for some time so, once I graduated, and was licensed, I had choices of where I could practice, and that was a great feeling. In addition, I also had an offer to work at the school which I attended, to instruct students.

And it all happened at the right time. Due to recent economic factors, my full-time job is in jeopardy. And I’m not even worried about it because I have a plan B which may soon become plan A!

5. It looks like you’re in the “flow”, where everything is lining up perfectly for you. You’re on that momentum train and it’s so great to see everything falling into place! In your opinion, what do you attribute that momentum to? What can you say are the causes for all the success that have been stacking up recently with regard to this area of your life?

I believe that not wasting time and having acted on something that I truly desire played a big role in my life. Again, having Faith worked for me. Just going for it, and staying the course even when it seemed like pure hell at the moment.

6. How does it feel knowing that and I quote “rediscovered your thing”?

What’s so interesting about this “rediscovery” is that even when I was in college 13 years ago, I said to myself, “my passion will one day surface, and it will be something that I do for the rest of my life. And other opportunities will grow from my passion.” The dots are now connected.

7. What kind of advice would you give to those who are maybe in the position you were before – trying to decide between two passions? How can they choose between the two?

You’ve got to ask yourself the tough question. What passion, desire, skills, gifts and talents do you possess that could add some type of value to yourself and/or others? This could be a easy or difficult task for anyone.

For me, along with asking myself the above question, I just had to ask myself how I could combine my passion to help other’s and my own skills and talents that I’ve been blessed with since birth to accomplish my personal goals.

I truly believe, we were all put on this earth for a purpose, and we all possess skills, gifts and talents.

8. What kind of advice would you give to those who are still on their journey to finding what they love to do?

If you’re truly interested in finding what you Love to do, have Faith that it’ll come. Just know it’s already in you and it will happen regardless of what’s happening at the moment. Discovering what you love to do may surface at different times for everyone, just be patient. I have met people of all ages who’s gifts and talents surfaced when they least expected it.

Ask yourself questions about where you really want to be in life.
Develop a vision of what you can see yourself doing; Picture yourself in the position that you desire most and start to hang around people who are already doing it. It’s pretty cool to have a network of individuals who can show you the ropes.
Try new things; you never know where it could lead to. Don’t allow Fear to stop you from trying something different.

Don’t always try to predict what the outcome will be, because the outcome may be a bigger than you could imagine. Do not place any limitations on your future.

Brian, your article on How to find what you love to do is great, and I would suggest reading it.

9. What’s next in store for Soyica?

The best thing that I can say is, the sky is the limit! I have made some contacts internationally so, I do hope to work in different countries. I also have plans to develop my own business and to continue to gain more knowledge and experience. In this industry, you can never know it all.

10. Any last pieces you want to give to those reading this, to hopefully motivate and inspire them in these hard economic times?

Our economic times are becoming increasingly tough day by day, and almost everyone is affected by it around the globe. Now is a great time to take advantage of this “down time” to really invest in yourself. Whatever it is that you desire, start now and finish, don’t wait. Now is not the time to wait for things to happen, you’ve got to make it happen. Once you do, you’ll be able to look back on it and be thankful that you acted on it, especially when the future is uncertain. Never get too comfortable because one thing that is certain; Life is all about change. You never know what the future may bring, so take control of your own mind and start acting now. If you have a Dream or Passion, don’t rely on approval from anyone, it’s your Dream! Go for it, You won’t regret it.

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I want to thank Soyica for taking the time to write this and for his willingness to share it with others. I really appreciate it!

For those of you who have found what you love to do and have gone in pursuit of it, you will completely understand everything he has written, not just on a conscious level but on a level where you literally feel it.

Even though your passion may lie in another area, the journey you both went through will feel the same from the discovery of your passion, the hardships endured, and the light seen at the end of the tunnel.

The first thing I want to point out that struck me was that he wrote down his goal and the deadline, to finish the program and get licensed by 2009.

It was done by Jan 2., 2009.

The power of writing indeed.

Second, most people after their nine to five job, want to sit back on couch, prop their feet on table, crack open a beer and watch the latest shows on the tube.

Not Soyica.

Standing on his FEET, five hours after work, waking up at 6 AM in the morning, coming home at 11 PM for one and a half years, Monday through Friday – no person is willing to go through that unless they are really passionate about what they are doing and are going for their dreams

And did I forget to mention the 7 additional hours he spent on Saturdays?

He also mentioned that he had that feeling that he knew what he really loved to do, so he just did it.

And it was confirmed.

Listen to your gut feeling. It’s usually right.

Then go on to do it.

Just do it.

You’ll also find that he was already doing what he loved to do at a young age, which is a BIG sign that you’ve found your passion (I mention that along with the importance of that gut feeling in my second book, How to FINALLY Find What You Love to Do: The DEFINITIVE Guide to Finding and Successfully Pursuing Your Passion).

In a time where jobs are hard to find, he has choices of where to work due to his time spent networking and has also gotten an offer to teach at the school he attended.

This is the part most people don’t tend to see when they think about pursing their passion.

They focus on all the obstacles they might have to overcome and don’t really think anything will come of it at the end, but as you can see, the dots are all connecting for him.

Opportunities are literally knocking on his door – he even has the option of working internationally and is thinking about developing his own business.

The thing about pursuing what you love to do that makes you stand out from everybody else is the energy level you invest and project when you do what you love.

That results in two things:

1. You’re going to excel at what you do and be at the top because you invested so much energy in it, which was the case of Soyica. He aced his exams and got offered a teaching job at the school he attended.

2. And people notice that, especially people who are in a position to give you opportunities. Passion elevates you from the crowd and puts you in the sight of many people who are more than willing to give you opportunities because you’re great at what you do and you have the energy to mow down anything that gets in your way of doing it.

There’s so many more great nuggets of truth that I want to dissect, but instead I will urge you to go back and read his words.

But here’s one more portion of what he wrote I want to share.

“But it was all worth it because I knew my Passion and my Dreams. I held myself accountable to bring them into reality.”

And one more:

“I believe that not wasting time and having acted on something that I truly desire played a big role in my life. Again, having Faith worked for me. Just going for it, and staying the course even when it seemed like pure hell at the moment.”

And last but not least:

“I get to do something that I Love, where I can add value to people and myself.”

How many people can say that?

For those of you who haven’t found what you love to do, look at his answers to question number 8 and 10. I urge you to read them again.

Also, read the article (How to Find What You Love to Do) that Soyica mentioned and if you want more, you can always get a copy of my second book, How to FINALLY Find What You Love to Do: The DEFINITIVE Guide to Finding and Successfully Pursuing Your Passion and get a free bonus special report too entitled, 3 Real Life Stories of Those Who Did It– see how they applied the information in the book to find and successfully purse their passion like Soyica did.

“Whatever it is that you desire, start now and finish, don’t wait. Now is not the time to wait for things to happen, you’ve got to make it happen. Once you do, you’ll be able to look back on it and be thankful that you acted on it, especially when the future is uncertain. Never get too comfortable because one thing that is certain; Life is all about change. You never know what the future may bring, so take control of your own mind and start acting now. If you have a Dream or Passion, don’t rely on approval from anyone, it’s your Dream! Go for it, You won’t regret it.” - Soyica

You really won’t regret it.

To just start, to just sit down and put your nose to the grindstone and get things done - it’s something people have trouble doing and the number one reason is probably because the work they’re trying to do is too “big” in their minds.

Too much to do, too much to tackle, so they’ll just do it later.

So just start small.

Shrink the workload.

Never mind the thought that crosses your mind that if you start small, you won’t get a ton done.

There is great power in just starting small.

You give the work you’re going to do the focus and attention it deserves and because you do that, you’re much more likely to “extract” all the benefits of it, whether it’s through ideas that come about, certain things you’ve noticed, concepts you really begin to learn etc.

Plus, you give yourself permission to make mistakes. It’s easy if you make mistakes when you’re dealing with “small” things because those mistakes aren’t as widespread and result in lost opportunities (more on this later).

It’s best to explain this power of just starting small with an example so I’ll use one that’s relevant to today’s situation.

Due to the rough economy, many people out there have been laid off and they’re looking for jobs.

It came as a shock. Their world was turned upside down.

And it might be hard for them to start at all for some time because all the work they have to do just overwhelms them –dust off the resume and update it, brush up on interviewing skills, find job leads, compete with hundreds of other people, etc.

Eventually they will, but some people will make the mistake of just starting big.

The perfect example is just blasting out resumes and cover letters to whatever jobs are available, not customizing it or even bothering to even consider if it’s the kind of job they want in the first place. And when they don’t get any call backs, it can be very disheartening.

Just start, but just start small.

Take a look at your financial situation. See how long you can survive. Cut down on spending, maybe consider moving back home or getting a roommate, get it all together and see where you stand. Just focus on that for now until you complete it.

Next, before blasting out your resume to any and every kind of job, think carefully. This could be a great opportunity to break into another field to find something you like doing or maybe even start your own business. Take some time to just focus on that and dwell on the possibilities this opportunity can present to you (you can get a copy of my second book - How to FINALLY Find What You Love to Do, to help with this step).

Then focus on updating your resume. Think of the accomplishments you’ve achieved at your previous job, see if you can’t jazz it up a little, see if there’s anything else you want to add. Keep your focus on that one task.

When you’re ready to start looking, don’t be tempted to blast resumes and hope the law of probability will be in your favor. Take time to customize your resume and cover letter to each job you’re applying for. This will take a lot of time, effort, focus, and research so you probably won’t be able to do that many a day. It can get draining, but it’s worth it.

It is very tempting to just start big by cutting and pasting names into your cover letter template and hope that the law of averages will be on your side.

Just start small.

Ask yourself what you can write in your cover letter to differentiate yourself from the other applicants. Maybe you can mention your Myer Briggs personality type and the qualities associated with your type and how they can help with performing the duties of the job. I guarantee you won’t see that on anybody else’s cover letter.

It’s different, sticks to mind, and makes sense to the person reading it. A person’s personality matching the job description is a big plus. It’s a nice fit.

Or maybe you can call the office or visit it, take a person who works there out to lunch, ask about the decision maker, get some inside info, what he/she looking for, and use that to differentiate yourself as you mention that information in your cover letter and how you can provide what that decision maker is looking for (it will be as if you’ve read their mind to them).

By starting small, your mind can wrap around the ONE small task at hand and give incredible focus and attention that yields great results.

By just starting small, you give yourself permission to be imperfect, test things out and soon develop a system that you can then just start big with, a system that yields results.

You see, if you just start big, you do a lot but you don’t learn – you missed out on squeezing the juice out of every single experience that you would’ve got by just starting small and focusing on each experience from start to finish.

By starting small, you give each thing you do focus attention deserves so you pick up on subtle things and ideas you would’ve looked over had you just started big.

You also give yourself permission to fail and it doesn’t bother you as much because you’re dealing with small potatoes.

Imagine not doing this customization and research and just blasting out a generic template cover letter to 100 job leads and not getting a call back. It can be very, very disheartening.

But imagine if you just started small, experimented with a couple of job leads, saw what worked, what didn’t in terms of getting a response and experimenting with the job interview, seeing what worked and what didn’t and also being able to learn from those experiences by calling back and asking for feedback and advice for the future.

And you did all that with 20 leads. The remaining 80 have a very high probability for you now that you have a great system that you’ve crafted from the small experiences you had with those 20 leads.

Plus by just starting small, more ideas can occur because your focus is on something that’s within a small range, not all over the place.

Then, after working out the kinks, you have a system you’re comfortable with that you know products results, and THEN you use that system to just start big.

That’s the power of just starting small because you lose that learning curve if you just start big.

Just start.

But just start small.

Give yourself ONE thing to focus on.

Milk it for all its worth.

Learn all you can. Experiment. Get feedback. See what’s working, what’s not.

Then do more of what’s working.

When you have a system that’s producing results, then you just start big.

And you find yourself getting BIG results.

That’s the power of just starting, the power of just starting small.