Do you ever wonder what drives you to do what you do? What are the intentions behind your actions? Why is success so important to you? What rewards do you expect to earn? These questions led me to read the book “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us” written by Daniel H. Pink. Daniel writes, “If we want to strengthen our organizations, get beyond our decade of underachievement, and address the inchoate sense that something’s gone wrong in our businesses, our lives, and our world, we need to move from Type X to Type I. Type I behavior is fueled more by intrinsic desires than extrinsic ones. It concerns itself less with the external rewards to which an activity leads and more with the inherent satisfaction of the activity itself.”

I was fascinated by this book because it really spoke to me on a deeper level. I was in the fast paced world of being a corporate climber. I got to the rung of the ladder that I set as my goal. I made it to Vice President. After my climb came to an abrupt stop and my job ended, I started my own company. Suddenly, I was no longer driven by the salary, title, bonus, expenses and the benefits, I was driven by the work. I was driven by building something from scratch, doing the work that I love and seeing the rewards in the clients I help guide. It was a definite transition and one that I had to embrace daily. I discovered that my pride now came from a different place. I had to learn to let go of things that I began to see were connected with my ego. Instead, I had to connect with my spirit and the idea of simplicity. I was doing what I loved and I was succeeding in a whole new way.

Then, recently, I had an opportunity come my way that could have led to a very big job. This job was the dream job that I had previously always seen as my life’s direction. If I was successful at it, like I knew that I could be, it could be huge. However, if I were to accept this job, I would have to close my company, the new adventure I had only just embarked upon a few years ago. I’ve put my heart and soul into this company for three years and I’m anxious to see it continue to grow. It’s showed me the value of intrinsic rewards. I knew my decision had to be about more than just the external security and external rewards this other position could offer me. I had to really look inside myself and decipher what would offer me the most internal security. Even still, the decision was very difficult. Both were amazing opportunities. Ultimately, what I discovered was that, at this moment, I find my greatest internal security in staying with my company and watching it grow. Right now, it’s Jen Grisanti Consultancy Inc. that makes me feel most intrinsically complete.

Daniel goes on to write, “For Type I’s, the main motivations the freedom, challenge, and purpose of the undertaking itself; any other gains are welcome, but mainly as a bonus.” I had found that I was moving into what Daniel describes as the “Type I.” I was inspired when I read, “Type I’s almost always outperform Type X’s in the long run. Intrinsically motivated people usually achieve more than the reward-seeking counterparts. The most successful people, the evidence shows, often aren’t directly pursuing conventional notions of success. They’re working hard and persisting through difficulties because their internal desire to control their lives, learn about the world, and accomplish something that endures.”

Since I know that millions are going through the type of change that I am going through, I figured that these words could inspire and empower you like they did for me. I find that by identifying what drives you internally and what you connect your rewards to, you can make the choices that will lead you to find success both personally and professionally in a whole new way.

The journey from the corporate world to the private sector is a life affirming and worthwhile experience.  It means going from a secure paycheck to relying on the belief that the universe will deliver.  You learn more about yourself, your strengths and what you’re really made of while traveling down this path.  In the book, WHAT WOULD GOOGLE DO?, Jeff Jarvis states, “We no longer need companies, institutions or government to organize us.  We have the tools to organize ourselves.  We can find each other and coalesce around political causes or bad companies or talent or business or ideas.  We can share or sort our knowledge and behavior.  We can communicate and come together in an instant.  We also have new ethics and attitudes that spring from this new organization and change society in ways we cannot yet see, with openness, generosity, collaboration, efficiency.  We are using the internet’s connective tissue to leap over borders..’

What does all of this mean to you?  It means that there is no better time to start – to build something that is all yours and represents your beliefs, your knowledge and your values.  It’s about finding your niche and cultivating it.  You can create something from scratch.  You can apply what you loved about your job and market it in a way that appeals to the masses.  You can do what you love for a living.  It is about believing.

My journey after being in the corporate world for over 15 years started with a course at Esalen in Big Sur called “Completions and Transitions” with Mary Goldenson, the author of, “It’s Time, No One’s Coming to Save You.”  It was there that I was able to reconnect with myself, my core values and what I wanted in my life.  Through many thought provoking exercises as well as being part of a great group, Mary helped me to see and believe that there was a way.

After that trip, I analyzed the market.  I researched everyone and anyone who was doing anything similar to what I wanted to do.  I looked at my own experience and made sure that my work background supported my company concept.  I tapped into my relationships and set up informational meetings.  I found a phenomenal website designer in Suzie Roth of Suzie Roth Designs.  She has been my saving grace in this whole experience.  From here, I started developing a brand.  This was one of the most rewarding parts of my journey.  What message did I want to send out about my business?  I came up with  Developing From Within, my belief being that the stronger we are inside, the more access we will have to our stories which makes us stronger creatively.

I am using my story to motivate you into believing.  I’ve had so many people contact me wanting to get information on how they too can start their own businesses and redefine success on their terms.  If this is right road for you, you can do it.  The key is creating a niche that fits your background and work experience and then doing what it takes execute it with clear vision.  The internet has been one of the most useful tools in my experience.  Some of the websites that I find to be invaluable are; www.constantcontact.com, www.googleadwords.com, www.prwebdirect.com and www.summitconsulting.com.  It is about focus, determination, courage, commitment to the process and discipline.  Above all, belief in yourself is an ingredient you cannot do without.  If you believe in this, anything can happen.