Extremely tough economic times bring major “breakdowns” for a lot of people as well as traditional institutions. Perhaps you personally know of someone who is struggling or industries like housing and transportation that are being hit exceptionally hard. It seems that every sector of economy is under attack.
In the documentary “The Real Dirt on Farmer John,” the toils of farmers in the last few decades are clearly shown. Farmer John took over running the family farm in the mid-West when he was around 10. His father died. Being the only son, John used the skills learned from his father to keep the farm going. Gradually, the debt accumulated, and he was forced to auction off everything he owned. He experienced a major breakdown.
However, in the words of Calvin and Hobbes, “Breakdowns can create breakthroughs. Things fall apart so things can fall together.”
Such was the case for Farmer John. Through a lot of soul-searching and a “dark night of the soul,” he did eventually gain his confidence and courage back. He realized, though, that he needed a new set of skills, new tools to be successful. He couldn’t rely on the outdated skill-set modeled by his father.
New Skill-Set #1 – Create
He made his creativity a priority. He wrote a play about people loosing their farms. Few were talking about the actual realities facing farmers. His play hit a nerve and provided wide-spread healing. He did some filming and acting. While this might not seem like a practical skill-set for a farmer, in reality, it served to help John and others like him face stressful issues while engaging aspects of John that were untapped.
New Skill-Set #2 – Collaborate
John created a new partnership with a food cooperative from Chicago. Together, they developed “member participation” program in which members came from the city and worked on the farm … growing their own food. The program has been a huge success.
John is farming again. He creates and collaborates. His farm is thriving! Life is good!
New Skill-Set #3 & 4 – Confidence & Courage
Like in Farmer John’s story, I have found in my own personal life that money will not flow to you unless you have confidence and courage. We are not the only ones who agree with this. The MacArthur Fellowship is a $500,000 grant given to individuals for “originality, insight, and potential” (from MacArthur Foundation website). In a study of 40 winners of the so-called “genius” award, “confidence” and “courage” were needed skill-sets. The money followed.
Wanted! New Skill-Set #5 – Grant Writing
One skill-set that is in high-demand today (if trained) is in the $300 billion industry of grants, fundraising and scholarships. If you learn the science and art of grant writing and fundraising (a new skill-set), you can pretty much “write your own ticket.” I went from making $20 to $150/hour. You choose to work part or full-time. You work and get trained at home, even set your own schedule.
This new skill-set empowers you to get jobs over others, save time, make very good money, make money for others, make a difference in the world, and even GET PAID MORE THAN YOU PAY IN TUITION. If this interests you, there is an opportunity I want you know about. Watch the video below …
What new skill-sets do you need?
Warmest regards,
Phil Johncock
Wanted! Trained Grant Writers and Fundraisers!
Learn a New Skill Set and Double Your Income in $300 Billion Industry of Grants, Fundraising & Scholarships!
Go to http://4Grants.Net/mentoring.htm
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