Is it time to get a job? It’s a question I am answering for myself. And, I’ve decided that yes is the answer. It’s time for me to take that leap!

When I examine employment vs. entrepreneurship, I actually have to admit some real advantages of corporate employment. I feel, especially in these economic times, that it’s a question worth examining for every entrepreneur who is feeling ready for a change.

I have been working for myself for about 10 years. There are many interesting and challenging aspects to it. I have loved it most of the time, but other times, not so much. Frankly, it can be an unrewarding struggle, lonely, and just plain tough. As much as I value the upside (the freedom, the flexible schedule, etc.) I am grown up enough to recognize the other side too.

Even though I left the corporate world when they told me 60 hrs a week was “lazy”, I know that not all employment (dare I say, most) is abusive like that. When I reflect on my own experiences, I can recall many years of bliss. I remember the supportive team environment, the mega pile of available resources to do the work, and the glee of going home after a hard day’s work. I confess that I miss it. To me, after years of working for myself, working at a corporate job sounds like a vacation – a welcome and exciting one.

So, I guess, this is my quiet public announcement. I am officially on the job market. My decade of marketing skills, my management experience, my BBA-Finance educational backbone, and my social media skills are up for grabs. If you know someone who needs someone like me, you can let them check out my resume here: http://bit.ly/83DMlH

In closing, I have always said that being an entrepreneur is something I am, not what I do. I will carry my entrepreneurial spirit with me wherever I go. Innovation, clever problem solving, the ability to make decisions quickly, and the chutzpah that comes with wearing many hats (and living to tell about it) is what I am made of. I embrace this change and will keep you in the loop on how it all goes. Viva la Difference!

I am on a mission to reform internet marketing. Fear based marketing seems to be so prevalent yet it truly gets under my skin. 2010 is my year to shift my focus to inspiration and positive based approaches.

If you listen to much of advertising, email marketing, and such (all things I completely believe in as effective marketing tools), you might notice that the underlying assumptions include scarcity, violence, competition, and fear. If you don’t “act now” you’ll lose – limited time offers, only an idiot would do nothing, if you don’t do this you will be beaten, use this software to annihilate your competition, install this plug in to keep you “safe”, etc. Many put countdown clocks and send emails with screaming ALL CAPS subject lines with urgent pleas for your money since your very existence as a entrepreneur is in peril. Hurry!! You’re in danger! Buy now or ELSE!

I find it all a bit tiring. If you ask these marketers why they do it, they inevitably say either “it works” or “it’s how it’s done.” Is that really a good enough reason? Can’t we move into this new decade with innovative tools and new approaches? Can we learn to sell without fear? What do you think?

I am doing all I can to find my own tendencies to include a scarcity and fear mentality in my approach and I’m tossing it. Want to join me? We could start a movement…

I have entered a contest to be sent to the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos 2010. Here is my video submission – am anxiously awaiting the judges’ decision on finalists. Wish me luck – and, please add comments and ratings if you’re so inclined. I will let you know if I am a finalist.

Verbal abuse is destructive. Verbal abuse in business, or life, or really anywhere, is hurtful. And, it’s debilitating. Allowing someone to degrade you, insult you, demean you (with and/or without physical contact) has long term, insidious impact. It’s certainly not something we’d want to teach our daughters, yet many of us remain in relationships that include this abuse. We feel trapped and we know, deep inside, that it’s not the best way to live.

I have lived through a verbally abusive marriage. I tolerated my husband’s caustic words because I thought I was supposed to accept, tolerate, and endure. My self esteem was very low. I thought I was just supposed to tough it out, turn the other cheek, and ignore the insults. I turned off my emotions and slogged through, doing the best I could to put on a happy face and not stick out too much.

At a certain point, it was all just too much. I had a moment of epiphany that changed everything. And, I got out. It was a long, painful process, but I got out. You can listen here to me describing that epiphany moment if you wish:

Now, I have healed enough to accept my own role in the situation and to make better choices going forward. I don’t blame anyone else. But, as someone who has felt the sting of this issue, I now see examples of it everywhere. And, I am committed to awareness.

Let’s think about the places verbal abuse exists now – why do we allow the media to casually banter about the words stupid, idiot and Nazi? Why do we tell young boys to toughen up and learn to fight back to the bully on the playground? Why do we think that a boss yelling at us is just part of the job? Why do we stifle our dreams because we are told we’re crazy, an unrealistic dreamer, or worse too screwed up to ever follow through on something that important because we’ve never done anything right before.

We tend to look past these every day examples, explaining it as “how it is”. I have seen both sides of this and I can tell you, it’s not how it is. It’s how we choose it to be. We all have the power to begin to ratchet down the histrionics and choose differently – choose more kindly. When we accept our role in pervasive verbal abuse, we can begin to shift away from it. The massive amounts of energy being used to defend and protect ourselves begins to become available for creativity and fun. The change starts with us.

So, next time you write an email subject line like “You’d be crazy not to take this offer” or you decide that fear based marketing “Do it now or you’ll always be a loser” is the best approach, I am asking you to reconsider your technique. The next time you call someone a moron because they don’t agree with your political position, check yourself. Imagine a man calling your daughter an idiot. Imagine her making the choice to tolerate the insults because she saw you participating in that. See it forward and I suspect you will reconsider your need to spew.