Many people say they want to take part in the finer things in life but of course there are always trade-offs. Unless you hit the lottery you will have to give up something or many things to achieve a more exquisite lifestyle. You may also have to be very self-motivated to work and accomplish. Of course, knowing and serving your higher purpose can effortlessly fuel the required work effort if your career and purpose are intertwined well.

Another option for a satisfying and purpose filled lifestyle is to move towards a more simple and cost effective way of living. This lifestyle is gaining momentum in some parts of the country as some strive to get back to a more simple way of being. It is a choice rooted in the idea of  stepping away from the hustle and bustle to live a more authentic existence.

Here is a short careerillionaire story. It is a beautiful demonstration of something I’ve been thinking about.

You see, no matter what your work is each day you are in charge of your attitude. If you spend time resisting what you chose to do (i.e. working in order to feed yourself and your family) then you are spending a lot of energy resisting something you have decided to do. What a waste! Since you have decided to do it anyway, why not be fully present in the moment and engaged in your work cheerfully?

As demonstrated in the fast food workers’ story that I linked to above, it is when working while fully engaged in the present moment and with a positive attitude that you profoundly affect the people around you. Not only that, but you also greatly help your own cause. People love to be around such a positive, carefree personality so your networking becomes easy and natural. You begin to allow creativity and intuition to work through you. And, most importantly of all…you just generally become a force for Good!

I wrote before about how being a careerillionaire is not necessarily about the money. Take a look at this little sketch depicting “The Evolution of Work-Life Balance.” Very clever! The prediction is that by 2050 we will get to life.

Here is the thing about careerillionaires — they don’t wait. They are working with passion now so work feeds their spirits and doesn’t feel like work. One reason for this is that careerillionaires make their quality of life top priority!

It is about taking responsibility for yourself.
Your career is your own and it belongs to no one else. You have within you the power to create it, to live it as an expression of your unique talents and energy. The other choice is to work at the whim of others, not usually a positive place to be since it is difficult to be inspired and enthusiastic when you believe the choice was someone else’s. Instead, be empowered knowing that you are in control! You may not always choose the activities of your day but you do choose the spirit in which you complete each task. Focus on what you are doing and enjoy the process. Spend some time working to understand yourself in order to better communicate that to your personal network, potential employers, clients, project managers, and partners to secure the best-fit opportunities for you at any moment in time.

It is about creating your future.
It involves self-reflection, learning, researching, planning, and/or talking a little everyday about accomplishments, potential, and opportunity. It is not an obsessive thing though. It is more about going with the flow in a productive manner yet always honoring where you are right now in the process so that your day-to-day work is a source of fulfillment and positive energy.

It is about choices.
Career and personal development is an ever evolving process of making more and better distinctions of who you are and what you want during different phases of your life. Career development is influenced by your whole life…your own changing roles as well as personal and economic circumstances. You will be choosing again and again to create the path of your personal career development throughout your lifetime. You will also make choices each day about how you feel about your work and the attitude and energy you will bring to it and take from it.

It is about rapid change.
Today’s world of work is highly competitive and in a constant state of flux. We can no longer expect to stay with the same company for 20 years then retire. The current environment is much more dynamic with many more opportunities for success when an individual properly manages their own career and personal development.

It is about quality of life.
Think about it, what is a career? It is about the work you do over time and involves such ideas as your productivity, the way you contribute, how you are driven to spend your non-leisure time. Some people are driven to accomplish lots, others are interested in a simpler and more independent existence. Your career becomes the work activities (whether that is paid or unpaid work –such as volunteers, students, parents, and homemakers) that you participate in during your lifetime. Because of the current complexity and speed of life, managing your own career development is an important task for having some control of your quality of life.

It is about hard work completed with ease.
People who know themselves well (by understanding their strengths, what they enjoy, what they want, what they have already accomplished, what they can uniquely contribute, where they are going) are so easy to spot in their enthusiasm and confidence. They are like a breath of fresh air so people and opportunities are drawn to them like vacationers to a sunny beach!

Careerillionaires have a zest for their work which feeds their zest for life. Most of the time they are happy and energetic and generally a breath of fresh air. They seem above the fray and are usually relaxed and composed. They are proud of their contributions and move along with confidence and ease. They will talk to anyone about what they do for a living with pride and enthusiasm.

How can anyone have that?

It begins with knowing it is possible, and believing you can tap into that kind of abundance. See yourself in those shoes. Imagine that others find you joyful to be around and that even complete strangers will support you in your goals. Be cognizant of when you are in a zone, when things are coming easily. These “flow” experiences are major hints that you are on the right track and they will help you identify your passion.

Most importantly, live in the present moment, the now. Sure, set goals and spend a small amount of time periodically thinking about what you want to get done and what you desire to achieve in the short and long term. But then get to work doing what can be done right now.

I’m back to furthering the careerillionaire definition. One thing that I am certain of is that being a careerillionaire is not necessarily about the money. For some people it may be but for many people it is not. I find there are people out there who for them a job is a job and as long as they collect a paycheck on time as promised without too much hassle, they are happy. If only it was so easy for all of us! For other people, they may learn after working at a high paying but unsatisfying job that every day at work is torture and eventually the money is just not worth it. They wonder why they are not happy when the money is so good. Those are the people for whom money may be important but not most important and other considerations must be made.

Really the money you want to make through your career is one of those factors that must be ranked within your own personal value system. Understanding your values means knowing the ideals that are most important to you. A few examples of values are: expertise, excitement, creativity, helping, and recognition. There are many, many other possibilities. Values are a very personal matter. There isn’t a particular set of values that is “the best” or any better than the rest. But, knowing your unique value set will help you stay on target to fulfill the needs that are most important in your life. In that way you honor and take care of yourself first, which will bring a level of peace and certainly keep you on track towards the careerillionaire lifestyle.

When I started my blog I felt the need to combine two ideas that, at first glance, are not connected at all – being an infopreneur and being a careerillionaire (especially since I played a part in making this one up). Actually the two ideas are connected inside me though since an infopreneurial component is part of how I am attaining my careerillionaire status. And I that is really what I want this blog to be about…inspiring others to the careerillionaire lifestyle of customizing their career in a way that encourages their own thriving (aka optimal growth & development).

Sure choosing a career and the world of work on a day-to-day basis is often much more practical than that. And of course, survival needs must be met first. But once a person has gained confidence in their own money making ability they will often begin to assess their comfort and happiness level in the opportunity they have landed. When they decide they want to strive for more, the quest begins.

I read some books over my little hiatus that complement the careerillionaire idea nicely, “Now, Discover Your Strengths” and “Go Put Your Strengths to Work: 6 Powerful Steps to Achieve Outstanding Performance.”

The central idea presented is to focus on what you are naturally good at for the best chance of outstanding improvement and to “enjoy consistent, near perfect performance.” Also explained is that many people work to improve their weakness spending time, effort, and focus with little to show for it; meanwhile their strengths are virtually ignored. The suggestion made is to identify and focus on using your strengths while working around your weaknesses by enlisting the strengths of others or otherwise ignoring your weaknesses as much as possible.

I have a feeling that careerillionaires tend to develop their strengths either naturally or as a strategy they learn along the way. They must eventually realize that not everyone can be good at everything and then consciously decide what they enjoy and excel at the most. From there careerillionaires probably work to make those natural talents even stronger. They must realize too that doing tasks that take extra effort from them and that lead to lackluster results are just not worth their time. They must become adept at partnering with others and finding solutions so they don’t have to spend a lot of effort doing things that don’t energize them. I’m convinced that in following their bliss careerillionaires are led to streams of work and income that serve to enhance their own personal development and quality of life.

Careerillionaire – I made it up…actually, my husband did. I was trying to think of something clever for another website concept so I ask him & he just threw careerillionaire right out there without skipping a beat. It was perfect for what I was writing at the time and since then I have been working on a definition. So here is the first draft. A careerillionaire is someone who is in a groove where work easily brings a sense of fulfillment along with an equally satisfying paycheck. They feel like they have hit the lottery because they get to do what they love for a living.