Oberbrunner - Day job to dream job: practical steps for turning your passion into a full-time gig

2014 by Kary Oberbrunner

Published by Baker Books

a division of Baker Publishing Group

P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287

www.bakerbooks.com

Ebook edition created 2014

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansfor example, electronic, photocopy, recordingwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

ISBN 978-1-4412-4649-3

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

Illustrations by Mike Rohde

Dream Job Bootcamp is a registered trademark of Kary Oberbrunner.

To protect the privacy of those who have shared their stories with the author, some details and names have been changed.

Published in association with Creative Trust Literary Group, 5141 Virginia Way, Suite 320, Brentwood, TN 37027

Day Job to Dream Job is a timely solution to todays shifting employment options. Karys proven path gives you the tools you need to launch your dream job.

Brian Tracy , success expert and bestselling author

With clear and concise insight, Kary offers a road map that guides you toward your dream. If youre one of the 86 percent unhappy with your current job, this book is the perfect place to start making changes.

Chris Guillebeau , New York Times bestselling author of The $100 Startup

A key reason many people become stagnant is they are overwhelmed with uncertainty about where to begin making a change. Kary provides specific points of traction to help you get moving on building your dream job.

Todd Henry , author of Die Empty: Unleash Your Best Work Every Day

You can help people, do what you love, and earn a great income. Kary shows us how its possible to leave your day job and launch your dream job.

Scott Fay , international speaker and bestselling author of Discover Your Sweet Spot

Many people find themselves swinging from the trapeze of life. With white knuckles we grip the bar that we think represents security. We see the other bar swing back and forth to a new platform, but we are afraid of letting go. The gap scares us and we fear falling. But what if there was a net that would make letting go a sure and safe bet? Kary provides that net in this wonderful book. Enjoy letting go and grabbing on to your dreams.

Paul Martinelli , internationally acclaimed author, speaker, trainer, and coach

Stop punching the clock and start living your dreams! Kary tells us why now is the best time to jailbreak our day jobs. Even better, he shows us how to do it.

Dan Miller , international speaker and bestselling author of 48 Days to the Work You Love

This is it: the book youve been waiting for. Day Job to Dream Job is a practical guide to escaping drudgery and finding your true vocation. I highly recommend this book.

Jeff Goins , author of The In-Between

For David Branderhorst.
My business partner and friend.
Thanks for walking with me in my transition from day job to dream job.

And for my tribe.
If youre reading this, then chances are youre part of it.
Thanks for sharing the belief that souls were meant to be ignited.

Contents

Discover FreedomGo as You Please

Create Financial OptionsEarn as You Wish

Experience FulfillmentLive as You Like

Your GPS Dictates Your Destination

Our Experience Reflects Your Values

Choose Your Solution, Then Your Service Style

If You Want to Be Heard, You Must Be Seen

Products Increase Influence, Impact, and Income

Market before You Manufacture

Every Dream Needs a Team

Complexity Kills Clarity

Success Is Found in Singularity

A Place with No Memory

I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy living or get busy dying.

The Shawshank Redemption

Foreword

S ome things change. And some things stay the same.

A wise person knows the difference between the two. In Day Job to Dream Job , its clear my friend and colleague Kary Oberbrunner knows whats changing and what must stay the same.

The Things That Are Changing

Kary reveals how our workforce is shifting right before our eyes. Changes in retirement benefits and healthcare coverage push us faster into reimagining whats possible.

These are new realities you and I cant control.

There is, however, something you can completely controlhow youll personally respond to these inevitable changes. Kary reveals a powerful and compelling responsehow NOW could be the best time to leave your day job and launch your dream job.

Instead of just telling us, he shows us how he successfully did iteven as a husband and a father of three young children.

Through a masterfully integrated metaphor from The Shawshank Redemption , youll discover how you could be merely existinglocked up from your own potential. And with his nine-step Dream Jobber Plan, Kary gives us the key to jailbreak our jobs and turn our passion into a full-time gig.

The Things That Must Stay the Same

Kary knows certain components of good business never change. Although Day Job to Dream Job reveals an innovative way of approaching work and life, it still esteems proper business thought and practice.

In my book The Fred Factor , I share four important principles critical to discovering true success and significance:

Principle Number 1: Everyone makes a difference.

Principle Number 2: Everything is built on relationships.

Principle Number 3: You must continually create value for others, and it doesnt have to cost a penny.

Principle Number 4: You can reinvent yourself regularly.

Day Job to Dream Job recognizes these four unchanging principles and incorporates them throughout the model. Read this book, apply these nine steps, and youll see how your own dream job is within reach.

Mark Sanborn
Award-winning speaker; bestselling author of The Fred Factor and You Dont Need a Title to Be a Leader

Citizens of Shawshank

And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.

Anas Nin

S o this is what freedom tastes like, I whispered.

That day the sun seemed brighter. The sky looked bigger. The world felt warmer.

My senses of sight, sound, and smell were immediately heightened.

I knew peace, no longer hypocrisy or pretension.

Wonder and curiosity tapped me on the shoulder, two friends I thought Id lost somewhere along the way.

I felt free.

No stress.

No anxiety.

No fear.

Something woke me up from an uninvited slumber. I was more aware and more alive than I ever remember feeling in my adulthood.

With one choice I exchanged captivity for creativity. Routine for risk.

At thirty-five years old I was reborn.

I escaped my day job and entered my dream job.

I knew my life would never be the same again.

I was right.

Meet the Dream Jobbers

Im not alone. All over this world brave souls are making a bold move. The funny thing is very soon this choice may no longer seem so bold. Exchanging your day job for your dream job may soon seem like the most logical choice available. As normal as breathing air and eating food.