Your 48 Day Schedule

Here’s where the rubber meets the road. This is not just another book to read; this is a process for putting you on track for meaningful, purposeful, and profitable work. Follow this step-by-step process, and you’ll see your dreams come to life and experience the exhilarating joy of doing work that releases your passions and strongest abilities. Put yourself on this time schedule so you radically change your level of success if you have ever felt that your work is just a necessary exchange for a paycheck. Work through each step and keep moving even if you feel you could do more work on a particular step.

Each day’s assignment refers to a section in the book. You may want to do a quick overview and read some of the examples of people who have dramatically changed their view of work as they found that sweet spot where work and play become indistinguishable. This is a process to get you through those inevitable and perhaps unwelcome transition points in your life.

Check off each day’s activities as you complete them. See yourself getting closer and closer to the work you love. Start the countdown—today is “Day Number One.”

Here are some beginning tips for this process:

• Talk to everyone; don’t be secretive. Tell people about your future plans. Sharing your ideas will help you believe they are reachable—and it will re-enforce your commitment to making them a reality.

• Integrate all material as you complete it. Each piece is important to accurately define the best opportunity for you.

• This schedule is designed to take approximately 30 minutes each day for the next 48 Days. Be consistent about taking at least that much time each day. Don’t plan to just catch up on the weekends. The material will become more real if you digest a small portion each day.

• Write out your responses to the “Countdown to the Work I Love” questions at the end of each chapter. Your plan will become more real if you are writing it out. Don’t just hope that general thinking will change your future. Without a clear plan you will repeat what you have already done.

Check off each day’s activity as you complete it.

Day 1. __ Review this schedule. See yourself completing all steps on schedule as outlined. Recognize you are not waiting on your future to appear; you are going to plan it. Read the Introduction and sign and date the commitment at the end.

Day 2. __ Read chapter 1. Ask yourself what work has meant to you so far. Then ask yourself what you were “born to do.” Has your work and what you were born to do been a match, or are they different? Complete the questions at the end of chapter 1.

Day 3. __ Read chapter 2 and recap your own work history. How close to the national averages are you in the length of your jobs? Were the changes in your work a result of circumstances or something you did? Be careful in answering this and be totally honest with yourself.

Day 4. __ Complete the “Countdown to the Work I Love” questions at the end of chapter 2. Write out your answers. Your plan will come alive if you write your responses. Realize you are simply clarifying your past at this point—so you can then describe changes needed for the future you want.

Day 5. __ Read chapter 3, “Creating a Life Plan.” Are you comfortable seeing work as simply one tool for a successful life? Are you making deposits of success in the other important life areas?

Day 6. __ Talk to 2 people today about your new understanding of vocation, career, and job. See if you can describe them in a way that gives those people new hope and inspiration. Complete the “Countdown to the Work I Love” questions at the end of chapter 3.

Day 7. __ Dan talks about people who have inspired him along the way. Name 3 or 4 people who have been positive mentors for you. Could you contact them again and ask for their advice?

Day 8. __ Read chapter 4 and complete the Personal Checkup. Overview the “7 Areas for Achievement.” Success typically does not “just happens.” It shows up as a result of making deposits that are positive, healthy, and success building. What are you doing in each of the 7 areas that is building the success you want?

Day 9. __ Describe a time in your life when indecision caused you to lose an opportunity. You have now learned a simple 5-step process for removing the crippling effects of indecision. Think about any major decision you have ever made. How long did it take you to make that decision? Will you agree that indecision in any area cripples us in other areas of our lives? Can you agree that 48 Days is long enough to:

1. State the problem

2. Get the advice and opinions of others

3. List the alternatives

4. Choose the best alternative

5. ACT

Now complete the “Countdown to the Work I Love” questions at the end of chapter 4.

Day 10. __ Read chapter 5. Recognize that “divine discontent” is a good thing. It is likely God prompting you to take a fresh look at where you are and where you are going. Recognize that meaningful, purposeful work will integrate your:

• skills and abilities

• personality traits

• values, dreams, and passions

The more you know about yourself in these 3 areas, the easier it will be to recognize work that fits you.

Day 11. __ List your personality traits. Common personality traits are grouped into 4 categories:

1. Dominance (Driver)—Lion/Eagle

Takes charge, likes power and authority, confident, very direct, bold, determined, competitive.

2. Influencing (Expressive)—Otter/Peacock

Good talkers, outgoing, fun loving, impulsive, creative, energetic, optimistic, variety seeking, promoter.

3. Steadiness (Amiable)—Golden Retriever/Dove

Loyal, good listener, calm, enjoys routine, sympathetic, patient, understanding, reliable, avoids conflict.

4. Compliance (Analytical)—Beaver/Owl

Loves detail, very logical, diplomatic, factual, deliberate, controlled, inquisitive, predictable, resistant to change.

Ask others to help you see yourself through their eyes. Recognize that you are unique; there is no merit in being like everyone else.

Day 12. __ List your dreams and passions. What is it you find naturally enjoyable? If money were not important, what would you spend your time doing? When do you find the time just flying by? What are those recurring themes that keep coming up in your thinking? What did you enjoy as a child but perhaps have been told was unrealistic or impractical to focus on as a career? You must include these in some form in your work—otherwise it will be missing a critical element.

Day 13. __ Be comfortable with this process of looking inward. Many people look outward too quickly and jump at what appears to be an opportunity only to discover 6 months down the road it is not a fit. You are doing the important work now. Eighty-five percent of the process of choosing the right career path comes as a result of looking inward. Fifteen percent is the application of what you then know about yourself in finding—or creating—work that fits. Now complete the “Countdown to the Work I Love” questions at the end of chapter 5.

Day 14. __ Spend today believing you were totally responsible for everything that has happened in your life so far. Just for today you can’t blame anyone for anything. If you accept responsibility for your losses, you will also put yourself in the driver’s seat for some big wins. Start imagining doing work that is fulfilling, meaningful, and profitable every day from here forward.

Day 15. __ Now we’re getting to the “nuts and bolts.” Read chapter 6. Think through how your current résumé sells you. Does it position you for what you want to continue doing, or is it just a historical overview of what you’ve done? Explore whether a chronological or a functional résumé will serve you best.

Day 16. __ Create your résumé and list your skills and abilities. Skill areas could include: sales and marketing, administration, budgeting, computer programming, customer service, mechanical ability, accounting, supervising, graphic design, counseling, training, writing, organization, etc. Use the sample résumés found in the Appendix to help create the résumé you are confident will open doors for you—to the work you love.

Day 17. __ Make a list of 10 to 12 kinds of work that blend your (1) skills and abilities, (2) personality traits, and (3) dreams and passions. This is where you can start to get creative about what your work will look like. It may not be a traditional job but you can create it to fit you. Now complete the “Countdown to the Work I Love” questions at the end of chapter 6.

Day 18. __ Begin reading chapter 7, “Finding Your Unique Path.” Like the Robert Frost poem suggests: believe you are going to find the road “less traveled by” and that will make the difference for you as well.

Day 19. __ By now you may be seeing all the new job possibilities and the new models of work that don’t look like traditional jobs. But even if you are considering starting your own business, it’s a good exercise to create a stellar résumé. You need to clarify your 2 or 3 strongest areas of competence and be true to those, whatever the application may be. So now build your list of 30 to 40 organizations where there would be a potential match for your areas of competence. Spend 2 hours with your city directory or a national business search engine, where you can get a brief company history and profile, and the names of proper contact people.

Day 20. __ Start the clock on your job search. Compose your introductory and cover letters by using the samples found in the Appendix to shape your own. Now complete the “Countdown to the Work I Love” questions at the end of chapter 7.

Day 21. __ Send first 15 to 20 introductory letters. Track your repeated contact and progress for each company.

Day 22. __ Recognize that the traditional job is being challenged. Companies are looking for ways to pay for results rather than time. What are 3 or 4 ways you could offer to be paid for results in your current or soon-to-have job?

Day 23. __ Talk to 2 people today who are already doing what you want to do. It will build your confidence that you can do the same thing.

Day 24. __ You’re halfway there. This is Day 24 of the 48. You’ve made a lot of progress. Stay positive! Remember this is a process. You are taking the initiative in contacting companies. You will contact some organizations that can’t use you and don’t know why you contacted them. But this is the way we find the 87 percent of those unadvertised positions. And this is how you bypass competitors, putting yourself in position for the best and most exciting opportunities.

Day 25. __ Send first 15 to 20 résumés and cover letters.

Day 26. __ Send second 15 to 20 introductory letters.

Day 27. __ Describe the work your parents did. Was it traditional? Was it a good “fit” for them? Did they enjoy it or just see it as a necessary evil? How has that influenced your view of work?

Day 28. __ Begin reading chapter eight, “Do They Like Me?” Review information on interviewing. Find someone to role play with you in a practice interview. Review the questions you will be prepared to answer. Then ask yourself if you would have been excited about bringing you on board. Your ability to sell yourself is critical in getting a job or starting a business.

Day 29. __ Begin phone follow-up on first résumés. Begin to schedule interviews. Remember how critical this is. Your statistical odds of getting a job offer just from sending out résumés is 1 out of 254. Add an actual phone contact to that, and it jumps to 1 out of 15! You are better off to send out 35 résumés and to follow-up than to send out 1,000 where all you do is wait. Prepare to do great phone follow up calls with each of these résumé.

Day 30. __ Send second 15 to 20 résumés and cover letters. Now complete the “Countdown to the Work I Love” questions at the end of chapter 8.

Day 31. __ From now on focus totally on what you are moving TO, not what you are moving FROM. Focusing on what you are coming FROM tends to keep anger, resentment, bitterness, discouragement, and frustration high. Getting clear on what you are going TO will release hope, optimism, boldness, and enthusiasm.

Day 32. __ Read chapter 9, “Show Me the Money.” Review helpful Internet sites for salary ranges. You are going to be informed, sharp, enthusiastic, and confident. Know that once a company wants you and you want them, you are in a position to negotiate with confidence.

Day 33. __ Imagine the work you are moving toward as a sacred activity—the perfect expression of what you were put on Earth to do. How would you feel at the end of the day with that kind of work? How would your life change?

Day 34. __ Phone follow-up on second set of résumés. Continue scheduling interviews with decision makers.

Day 35. __ Think of someone you know who “failed” at something but then went on to great success. Call that person and ask them about that experience. Now complete the “Countdown to the Work I Love” questions at the end of chapter 9.

Day 36. __ Read chapter 10, “Do You Have What It Takes?” Have fun reviewing the 10 different kinds of work. See yourself being able to work in several different areas. Allow yourself to imagine working even in a couple of areas where you have no experience or preparation. Just stretch your thinking about the possibilities.

Day 37. __ Evaluate and make decisions by asking for more information. Talk to people already working in prospective companies. Make any follow-up contacts from previous prospects where a decision was not made. Remember, things change quickly and you have created “top of mind” positioning with many companies. You can do a quick review of any possibilities you stirred up.

Day 38. __ Write down 10 kinds of work you can think of where the person is paid for results rather than time. (For example: artist, dentist, the guy who mows your yard, etc.) Does the idea of being paid for results scare you or does it sound attractive? You could pay a person laying blocks for your new porch $1 per block rather than an hourly wage. Or a graphic designer $75 for a new book cover design rather than $18 an hour. List the kinds of work you would be willing to do based on results only.

Day 39. __ Write about a time when you took a “risk.” Why was it risky? If you move toward something that fits you well, would you still consider that a “risk”? Why? Could it be a solid move that simply moves you closer to work you love—where your passion will override any fear of risk you may have? Now complete the “Countdown to the Work I Love” questions at the end of chapter 10.

Day 40. __ Read chapter 11, “Skunks, Rags and Candy Bars.” What unique skills do you have that may be the basis for your own business (writing, drawing, analyzing, singing, driving, thinking, creating, building, designing, etc.)?

Day 41. __ Download Dan's 48 Low-Cost Business Ideas (http://www.48days.com/48-business-ideas/) This will help you see ideas you could bring to life.

Day 42. __ Make a list of 20 ideas for businesses you could do on your own. The way to make more money is to find a way to serve more. Don’t think you can take from an employer and then give back to those in need. It doesn’t work that way. If you give and serve all the time, it will accelerate your path to success. Write out 3 things you are already doing to serve others well. How could you expand on those?

Day 43. __ Read chapter 12, “Conclusion.” What idea do you have that may be your own acres of diamonds? Check out the growing group at www.48Days.net who are developing their acres of diamonds ideas.

Day 44. __ Review your list of 20 ideas. If you need to expand, go ahead and list even more. The way to find a great idea is to have lots of ideas first. Now narrow the list to the best 3 or 4, based on what “fits” you best from Day 17. Do some additional research on how you would start with those 3 or 4 ideas. Now complete the “Countdown to the Work I Love” questions at the end of chapter 11.

Day 45. __ Today, reflect on your goals and begin to “see” work that reflects the life you want, rather than allowing work to define the life you have. You really can have work that matters even as you recognize work is simply one component of a successful life. Write 2 sentences that describe your thoughts about your “life” success.

Day 46. __ Identify a decision you need to make in a non-work related area of your life. Just go through the process from Day 9 and make the decision today. You’ll be amazed at how freeing it is to get that behind you. Now complete the “Countdown to the Work I Love” questions at the end of chapter 12.

Day 47. __ Take a millionaire to lunch today. You will be surprised how available he/she is. Share that you are on a new path and just want their advice. Some people may be telling you that you can’t do what you want to do. But a millionaire will encourage you to reach for your dreams. One of the hallmark characteristics of successful people is they spend time with those people already performing at high levels. And be sure to pick up the tab for lunch.

Day 48. __ Make your final plan and BEGIN—DON’T LOOK BACK FOR ONE YEAR. You must be committed. If you don’t totally believe in what you are doing, no one else will. Commit to the focused, fulfilling, and directed choice. See this as the next “season” of your life.

Congratulations on making the choices for fulfilling, meaningful—and profitable—work!