More than One Career?

Question: Can you pursue more than one career path at one time?

Last night, I had supper with a friend, who wanted me to meet her daughter.
It seems that her daughter has several career paths from which to choose -- fashion designer, singer and actress. She asked me which one I thought she ought to pursue. I told her to focus on the one for which she had the greatest passion. She said she liked that answer.

But, the truth is, she can try to pursue all of them simultaneously. Today I received an email from a friend who has invited me to her art opening. She paints and she makes jewelry, but she is also a business coach.

Since when do you need to have one, all-encompassing career? You don't.

As a career coach, I have often heard my clients say that they wish they knew what they wanted to do from a young age, that they envied people who knew from the time they were 5 that they wanted to be a doctor, or a lawyer, or a teacher, or whatever. It would be easier, they said. These clients told me that they had multiple interests, and were often told by others that they were "all over the place."

So, where did we get the idea that we had to pick just one? That's what conventional wisdom says. But, it's not true any more. Here are some examples:

Oprah - she is a talk show host, an actress, a TV show producer, magazine founder and owner

Rachel Ray - television personality, author, chef

Serena Williams - tennis player & fashion designer

Of course, these are just 3 examples of highly-publicized celebrities. What they share is their ability to leverage a brand -- their own brand.

So, my question is: why can't the rest of us have a brand in the world and work on activities that reflect and support our own brand? We can.

I have helped hundreds of clients find ways to pursue more than one interest -- and to make money from each. Stay tuned...