What's your soul-on-fire superpower? On Seth Godin, Spreadsheets and Creepy Crawlers

I was on the phone with my brother yesterday, and I gave him some career-related homework (the pro or the con of having a sister who's a life coach, depending on how you see it). I asked him to write this question at the top of a piece of paper:

What am I uniquely suited to do, given my random talents, skills and interests, that makes me feel ALIVE?

Dig back to your childhood. My brother manufactured and sold Creepy Crawlers and hustled so that he could own every new gadget -- probably to a fault (remember MiniDisc players? Biiiig mistake). I practiced being a news anchor, took dance classes, started a family newspaper, hosted a neighborhood carnival, and opened a library operation out of my bedroom.

What lights your SOUL on fire?

It might be a set of skills so random you have NO clue how they relate. Write them down anyway. Those of you who have been around a while know that I love teaching, organizing, inspiring people and dancing (ideally on tables in Las Vegas if we're getting really serious -- ha).

Enter Seth Godin, The Domino Project and a peek into my crazy brain

Yesterday was a big GIANT day for me. Seth Godin linked to my 15-tab book marketing spreadsheet from The Domino Project blog, and it set my inbox ablaze. Within an hour we had 100 retweets. I watched with glee as dozens of people seemed to exhale a collective sigh of relief upon seeing the spreadsheet -- something that at one time I was afraid to share for fear that it makes me look LIKE I'VE LOST MY DAMN MIND to a bout of uber-neurotisism and compulsive organization.

But alas! Yesterday clarified that one of my superpowers is organizing complex ideas in service of making people's lives easier. How many thousands of authors have gone before me, and yet -- none have chosen to share their process in this much detail before. If you're promoting a book -- or anything really -- check it out. You can read the full back-story of how the Seth connection came about here. An excerpt:

Against today’s conventional book marketing advice, I decided to self-fund a 14-city ACTUAL book tour (in person! not virtual!). When I was invited to share my experience with Seth Godin and his team at The Domino Project headquarters in New York (by my good friend Willie Jackson), I jumped at the chance.

I had 15 minutes to present something related to my experience as an author. With a bit of nervous excitement, I decided to share the book marketing spreadsheet, which also felt very vulnerable. I was sure that sharing my spreadsheet with Seth and his team would brand me as a Type-A obsessive compulsive freak. But there was also a small chance that they would like what I had done — and that my crazy template brain could be put to use to make other author’s lives easier too.

Long story short, everyone loved it. Willie remarked that my spreadsheet “glows in the dark,” and Seth’s literary agent Lisa wanted to recommend it to every single one of her clients as a way to get organized. Seth offered to share it with his readers -- and that's when I knew I was really on to something.

Here's one of my favorite tweets from the day:

Pop on over to The Domino Project blog to check-out the post -- HUGE thanks to Seth for the great opportunity!

Speaking of superpowers...the Only72.com personal development fire-sale ends tomorrow morning! (9am Pacific Time on Thursday)

I can't think of a better way to reveal, dig-into, enhance and plot world-domination-style greatness around your unique strengths than with the Only72 mega-pack of over 22 personal development products. A quick reminder for those of you still thinking about grabbing a set: the bundle is valued at $1087 and is selling for $97...but for three days only (ending Thursday at 9am PT). It will not be offered again.

I think this is a killer deal, but it won't be for everyone. This offer is great for anyone who has considered buying these products independently (a particularly good deal if at least three or more look interesting), and for those of you who are looking for a summer boost on productivity, relationships, and goal-setting.

If you purchase the bundle, you'll get a sneak preview at the course I'm launching later this summer called Make Sh*t Happen. This is my new baby: an 80-page e-book formatted very similarly to my actual book that I started working on in January to help you tackle a GINORMOUS goal. I think you're going to love it :) To receive a free preview of 3 sample chapters and to get on the early notification list for when the 8-week Make Sh*t Happen coaching course launches this summer, sign-up here.

I leave you today with a set of questions to consider:

• What lights your soul (and your brain) on fire? What fills your heart with glee (beyond puppies, wine and chocolate)? What would you pay someone to be able to do?

• What brings out your inner hustle? What gets you out of bed in the morning on your very best days?

• Given your random background, education, job history and skillset -- what are you UNIQUELY qualified to do or talk about? It might be the psychology of stardom, how to crush it when your parents are no longer with you and you're allergic to the 9-to-5, or first-class hustlin' -- buying office supplies from stores going out of business and selling them BACK to Office Depot for profit (ahem...my brother).

• If you weren't waiting to be good enough, smart enough, skilled enough or rich enough -- what would you share with the world?

Don't know the answers? GOOD! That means we're running your brain through some new and exciting calisthenics. Write these questions at the top of a piece of paper and let them marinate for a week or two. And answer in the comments when you think of something! Nothing lights me up more than hearing about what gets you going :)

Only72 Sale: 22+ Personal Development Products (valued at $1,087) for $97

I'm super excited today for two reasons:

1. I get to share an incredibly sweet deal with you
2. My next project is included in this product bundle of awesomeness, and this is your first opportunity to check it out!

72-Hour Personal Development Bundle Sale:

For the next 72 hours (3 days), you can purchase a mega-pack of over 22 personal development products (valued at $1087) for $97. Most of these products sell independently for $35-$59.

I purchased the first bundle of products during the last release, and I still refer to them all the time for advice on setting up my business. It was absolutely worth the $97.

I'm sharing this with you today because I think it's a rockin' good deal, but it won't be for everyone. This offer is great for anyone who has considered buying these products independently, or for those of you who are looking for a summer boost on productivity, relationships, and goal-setting.

The full product list for this go-round includes:

• Focus by Leo Babauta ($35)
• Momentum Kickstarter Kit by Charlie Gilkey ($47)
• Reclaim Your Dreams by Jonathan Mead ($47)
• 52 Weeks to Awesome by Pace & Kyeli ($52)
• 5 Ingredients | 10 Minutes by Jules Clancy ($77)
• Rebel Fitness Guide by Steve Kamb ($37)
• Fear-Crushing Travel Guide by Farnoosh Brock ($47)
• Overcoming the Fear of Uncertainty by Sean Ogle ($47)
• The Creativity Toolbox by Ali Luke & Thursday Bram ($47)
• Make Sh*t Happen by me! ($47)
• The Language Hacking Guide by Benny Lewis ($67)
• Sex, Love, Liberation by Ev'Yan Nasman ($47)
• Learn More, Study Less by Scott Young ($67)
• A Daring Adventure collection by Tim Brownson ($47)
• The Less Work, More Harmony Relationship Guide by Cara Stein ($47)
• Brilliantly Better Collection by Dragos Roua ($43)
• How to Become an Advanced Early Riser by Steve Aitchenson ($37)
• Cheap Family Fun by Kim & Jason ($52)
• The Art of Relaxed Productivity + The Power of Positivity by Henrik Edberg ($44)
• Discover Package by Barrie Davenport ($59)
• Mind Control Method: How to Get What You Want by Karol Gajda ($47)
• Sell Your Crap by Adam Baker ($47)
• TOTAL VALUE: $1,087

The sale opens at 9am pacific time on Monday, June 20 and closes at 9am on Thursday, June 23. It will not re-open after Wednesday, so this is your only opportunity to buy these products at this price. Click here to learn more and grab your set!

***

Announcing my next project: Make Sh*t Happen: The Step-by-Step Guide to Achieving that One Big Dream 80-page e-book + soon-to-be-released coaching program

The backstory on how I got involved in the Only72 sale:

Many of you know that I hosted a Creative Night of New Years Genius in January to ring in the new year. The event proved to be a success -- I started writing my next book and designing a coaching program, which I am incredibly excited about, called Make Sh*t Happen.

Then, in a case of dejá vu, I did nothing with it for six months. I had 80% written, but I got super busy launching and promoting Life After College (the book), so I put the new project on hold.

While in Portland for the World Domination Summit, I was sitting at a table with Adam Baker, Karol Gajda and Cara Stein (the masterminds behind today's sale), creating the launch plan for their second Only72 sale (the first focused on business products). Next thing I know, Baker turns to me and says, "Do you have a personal development product you want to add to the mix?"

I hemmed and hawed... “Well, I’ve had a draft of an e-book done since January but it still needs SO much work.” Baker: “Can you have it to me within the week?” With raging fear slight trepidation, I said “Sure.” The perfectionist in me would have worked on it for another three months, waiting far longer than necessary to share it with the world. But this opportunity was too good to pass up, so I finished the e-book after several marathon days of writing and editing, hired my friend Andrew Osborn to design the cover, and couldn’t be happier with how it all turned out.

Why Make Sh*t Happen?

In my work with dozens of coaching clients and interactions with hundreds (if not thousands) of book and blog readers, I’ve realized that just about everyone I talk to has a big giant goal that they are tip-toeing around. These goals are so gigantic that it’s hard to even say them out loud, let alone start taking action.

I put together this program as a natural extension of my book; after people get clear on their ideal vision for every area of their lives, they are ready to pick one or two major areas in which to take meaningful action.

Your soul hopelessly, desperately, madly, passionately needs you to do that one thing that you’ve always known you need to do. I'm here to help you take your dreams off hold, and start becoming the amazing, talented, confident, self-expressed,no-holds-barred, accomplished person you were meant to be.

This book (and coaching program) will take your goal from impossible to inevitable -- and I can't wait to share it with those of you who are ready for the challenge!

To get on the early notification list for when the 8-week Make Sh*t Happen coaching course launches this summer, sign-up here. If you don't purchase today's bundle, your next chance to grab a copy of the e-book will be when I officially launch in July.

***

People On the Go -- Career Track Series

Speaking of courses and personal development, I'm going to be part of a three-part webinar series on Career Development this summer. Here's a quick overview if you're thinking of changing jobs or interested in taking your career to the next level:

Career Track Webinar Series:

• Career Management in the Age of the Apps (2 x 60-minute webinars, 7/11, 7/18, 12:00 pm PT)
• Discovering your Strengths and Putting Them to Work (60-minute webinar, 7/27, 8:00 am PT)
• Social Networking for Career Development (2 x 90-minute webinars, 8/12, 8/19, 9:30 am PT)

***

If the courses in today's announcements are not for you, that's okay -- I'd love to hear from you on how I can be most helpful. Please feel free to send me an email (jenny [at] lifeaftercollege [dot] org) or reply in the comments; and keep an eye out for an upcoming survey on what you'd like to see more of as my blog approaches its fourth birthday later this year!

With Gratitude: Book Tour Best Moments (that can't possibly do the whole thing justice)

I'm typing this post with a heart full to the brim of gratitude. The sun is rising, and I'm reflecting on my last official book tour stop in Los Angeles on Tuesday night -- a room full of bright, warm people and blog friends (new and old) that my Dad and grandma described as "smart as a whip." YES. That's what every stop has been like.

I remarked the other day that I feel rich with friends. Above all else, that's what this book tour has taught me. I am rich with brilliant friends, readers and community -- in every city, including the ones I haven't had a chance to visit (yet!).

People often ask Chris Guillebeau if his self-funded 50-city book tour was worth it and he always says yes. Mine -- albeit a little smaller scale (coming in at 10 cities) -- was absolutely worth it too.

I've never felt more inspired or more ALIVE. I sometimes resist doing recap posts because I hate the thought of leaving someone important out of a link round-up and I don't want anyone to feel left out. So this post may not contain a lot of names....but you know exactly who you are.

You know if you purchased a book, came out to my book launch party, a bookstore event, an after party, a conference; sent a tweet, a text, an email, a Facebook note, a picture, or commented on a blog post these last three months. If you did any one of those things -- or even just quietly followed along through this blog -- I am grateful. You have given me wings.

Below are some book tour highlights from every city. If I left your name out, just know that it isn't because I don't love you!

1. Austin Texas -- SXSW: a giant dinner hosted by Nick Reese with 20+ awesome people, the first official book launch party, hosted by Betty Jean Bell with my first ever cupcake sponsor. Late night Philly Cheesesteaks with Andy Drish talking about business and big plans.

2. Las Vegas, Round 1: Cancelling my flight home (despite a mile-high to-do list just two weeks before my book launch) to hop into a car for a spontaneous 19-hour drive to Vegas with Sean Ogle, Ryan Martin and Jenna Forstrom -- all friends I had met just days prior.

3. Bay Area, CA: Doing my first two book store readings; looking out to an audience of friends and family, feeling like a REAL author while signing books, realizing that the whole writing journey was absolutely worth it. Receiving quite possibly the nerdiest-but-most-awesome gift ever from my high school friends -- a framed picture of my book's ISBN number.

4. The Internet at Large: Having you all tweet, email, comment and share your love as you helped me launch the book (check out the post-game analysis of how it all went). Getting tweets with picture of the book on bookshelves across America at Barnes & Noble (and on the beach in Hawaii!).

5. TEDxCMU: delivering the opening speech to a live audience of 500 people; almost panicking when my slides went out, then feeling proud of the recovery while watching the video back; hanging out with Charlie and Amber and supporting each other as we helped show the audience what is possible for their lives and careers; having giant margaritas with the whole TEDx student organizer-crew after the event.

6. Making an appearance on my first Morning Show (Video ~2 Minutes)

Heading over to the BetterTV studios in NYC on the morning of my book launch party to film a two-minute video segment. Being swept into the green room where every other guest waited with their personal assistant and/or handler; watching the girls from Jerseyliscious do their thing. Feeling as nervous about those two minutes as any major speech (with only one take to get it right), but being really happy with how it all turned out and keeping fingers and toes crossed that it helps The Today Show find my phone number!

7. An Epic NYC Book Launch Party (with 2-minute Video)

Having over 200 people attend the book launch party in New York City. Receiving a larger-than-life cake from my NYC Angel Ann Turi; dancing and connecting with friends throughout the night; signing 200 books for the gift bags with Allie Mahler's help; doing my version of a Sex and the City Photo Shoot with photographer Galo Delgado. {Full Flickr set here} Click on photos below to enlarge.

Here's an awesome two-minute video-recap from videographer Bryan Ridgell (big thanks to NY Creative Interns, Victoria Monsul at Wix Lounge, and Ruth Ann Harnisch!!):

8. Converging on Las Vegas for a second time to attend Bloggers in Sin City (hosted by the amazing Nicole Antoinette): Meeting Grace Boyle in person for the first time (after knowing her for almost three years online), catching up with old friends, making new ones, having "business breakfasts" with Molly and the brilliant Bob Calise, and Jenn and I dancing our hearts out at Pure on the last night with a new friend that we picked up on the walk there (who clearly made the best decision EVER to ditch his friends hang out with 60 crazy bloggers instead). 

9. My last bookstore event in Seattle, WA: Being greeted at the airport by the fabulous Molly Hoyne, having Derek Shanahan come down from Vancouver to hang out and shoot-the-shit before my book talk, meeting an awesome crew of readers and friends (including Seattle host Mike Krass), giving a talk at the bookstore where my dad grew up (check out this great recap from Devon), heading around the corner for drinks with the awesome people who showed up and sharing our scariest can-barely-say-them-out-loud "secret" dreams and big goals with each other.

10. An amazing weekend in Portland for the World Domination Summit: with far too many great memories and new friends to count. Exploding with inspiration and possibility as I thought about all the ways I can grow Life After College. Morning techno dance sessions in the hotel room with my roommate Andy, catching up over a glass of wine with Doniree, meeting Dave for the first time in person by running into him in the elevator (telling him "my heart's going to explode!" in the coffee shop the day after the conference ended), meeting the bow-tie master himself Mike Ambassador Bruny, Sunday night shenanigans at Dante's Sinferno (h/t Sean Ogle!), countless strategy and tip-sharing talks over lunch, learning from people I've long-admired like Jonathan Mead, Charlie Gilkey and Corbett Barr, making many new friends (major girl crush alert!) and deeply feeling what it's like to be surrounded by 500 people who would call you crazy for NOT following your biggest dreams.

11. Los Angeles, CA: The final stop with the most energetic group of book tour attendees yet! Organized by Scott Asai and generously hosted by his friend Melissa in the "Hall of Fame" room at the New York Life offices. Writing a new speech an hour beforehand on fear, change, and big leaps; having my grandma attend one of my speeches for the first time (since high school graduation); meeting two incredible women (and several others) who traveled two hours to be there; and seeing what an inspiring group of people make up the LAC community; going out to dinner with my family afterward to celebrate and trying not to look ridiculous staring as we spotted the judges from American Idol at a table nearby (Randy Jackson, Ryan Seacrest and Steven Tyler).

12. Plane ride to NYC: Jumping back on a plane for a whirlwind trip to NYC to present at a conference; reflecting on the last 3 months of memories, blissful moments, worn out nights, living out of my suitcase, and knowing that every single minute and every dollar spent was absolutely, unquestionably WORTH IT.

As I was writing this post, the Black Eyed Peas' The Time (of my life) song came on. This book tour has absolutely been the time of my life, and I have every one of you to thank for it. I am rich with friends, I am rich with community, and I bow to you in gratitude.

Thank you for giving me wings. There are some big updates ahead -- inspired by you -- and I can't wait until it's time to share. In the meantime, Namaste (I bow to the divine in you) -- and cupcake CHEERS! To great things ahead for all of us :)

Pardon the interruption; my blog has the flu (+resources for bloggers)

**Update: both problems below are solved!! I'm doing a jig around the house. Leaving the post up anyway so that you can learn about my favorite people and helpful resources. Cheers!** I am taking a break from my regularly scheduled programming to fix two urgent blog issues at the moment:

1. My blog has been hacked. In a possibly related issue (but not sure if they're linked)...
2. My new posts are not publishing to the RSS feed; therefore you are not being notified of new posts (via email or RSS). It's like a tree falling in the forrest -- if you don't know when I post, then I have no blog!

I will be taking a short break from adding content so that we can focus on getting these issues fixed. This is my baby and I didn't realize how much my LIFE revolves around my blog (for better or for worse) until this all went down. A piece of my heart breaks when my blog does!

I'm feeling calm at the moment only because I am graced with the help of three (yes three!) rockstar men who you should absolutely know about. For bloggers: I also want to share some of the tools that they've shared with me.

My Heros:

• Willie Jackson -- who got me all squared away back-up wise after my laptop was stolen in March. He is a WordPress security and optimization machine.
• Robert Granholm -- an incredible developer recommended by my good friend Cath Duncan, who has put in hours with me troubleshooting the RSS issue even though we've never met or talked.
• Andrew Norcross -- a self-described (and confirmed by the masses) WordPress ninja who is the go-to guy for just about anyone and everyone on the Internet. He discovered that my blog had been hacked, and kindly pointed me to the right place to get it fixed.

Tools every blogger should know about:

• VaultPress -- "Complete website backup and security that's as simple as WordPress itself"
• Arq -- "Online back-up for Mac" that syncs files on your desktop to the cloud. Connects directly with...
• Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service) -- Fast, super cheap storage for the Internet. I'm using this to back-up all my files (not just blog related). Storing about 40GB is currently costing me $8/month. Amazing. Some alternatives: Drop Box, SugarSync, and now iCloud. I use CyberDuck as my FTP client when I want to manually move files to/from S3.
• Sucuri Security -- Annual service that protects your blog from malware and preforms a clean-up within four hours.

Any other awesome security or storage-related tools we should all know about? Share them in the comments por favor.

That's it for now...wish us luck getting this train back on track! And stay tuned...an exciting redesign is in the works by the lovely Nina Cross -- my rockstar girl addition to the team :)

***

Last book tour stop -- join us in Los Angeles if you can!

If you’re in the LA area, click here to RSVP for the event at 7pm on Tuesday, June 14 put on by Scott Asai of Growing Forward — we’d love to see you there!

***

Support the Kidney Raffle

Speaking of Cath (one of my very favorite coaches and writers), her inspiring week-long Kidney Raffle begins today with some killer prizes (14 total packages from your favorite personal development bloggers and coaches). Cath has put her heart and soul into this project, and Robert (mentioned above) did an amazing job with the website and technical side of everything.

About the raffle in Cath's own words:

Last year, Cath and Andy Duncan’s one and only daughter (who they named Juggernaut) died at 5 months gestation because of Cath’s hereditary kidney condition. As part of Cath’s journey back to hope and strength, she committed to raising funds for kidney research and a dedicated team of friends has joined her campaign. Now you can also do your part to help fund this critical research and also get some wonderful inspiration in return.

Get some inspiration & join us to BE AN INSPIRATION…

Your favorite teachers, coaches and authors have generously donated their best work for you to stand a chance to win in our 14 free raffle draws.  We’re not talking about cheap E-Books or low-value give-aways… We’re talking high-value, “inner-circle” prizes, annual memberships, premium 1-on-1 coaching with people like Jonathan Fields, Adam Baker and Fabeku Fatunmise, and even some prizes that you can no longer buy even if you wanted to pay top dollar for it!

Extreme generosity, contribution and teamwork that makes a difference is inspiring, isn’t it? We’re asking you to join their ranks and be an inspiration by making a donation of your own. 100% of your donation will go to the Kidney Foundation.

Click here to donate.

May Miscellaneum

Greetings, everyone! Before I get into a collection of random updates, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude for all of your kind words, condolences and support in response to my last post, In Memory of Harold Deino (my grandfather), who passed away one week ago. My family and I miss him dearly, but we take solace knowing that his legacy will continue to live on in all of us.

I would also like to acknowledge my mom and grandma (both loyal subscribers to this blog), who handled the news with unparalleled grace and strength. After 60+ years of marriage, my grandma will be facing a cavern of empty spaces I cannot even begin to fathom. Grandma -- I will be thinking of you and sending love and light at every step.

Now onto some updates and invitations...

The Domino Project's 30-Day Emerson Pledge:

I'm excited to be one of the contributing authors for a 30-day writing/reflection challenge to help promote The Domino Project's recent (re)release of Self-Reliance (organized by my good friend Amber Rae). The 30-day challenge starts on Tuesday, May 31 -- I'll be answering on my Tumblr (and my prompt runs on Sunday, June 4). Read more below and sign-up if you're interested!

Trust30 is an online initiative and 30-day writing challenge that encourages you to look within and trust yourself. Use this as an opportunity to reflect on your now, and to create direction for your future. 30 prompts from inspiring thought-leaders will guide you on your writing journey.  Sign up to receive the prompts by email.

In the media:

I was on my first morning show a few weeks ago (a little nerve-wracking, but mostly exciting!) to talk about money tips for recent grads. Fun fact: the guests on before me were two of the girls from Jerseylicious, and though I wasn't rocking leather pants, 5-inch heels at 10am, or leopard print fake nails -- I was very happy with how my segment turned out.

Guest post for Forbes.com (via the Young Entrepreneur Council): 5 Tips for Managing Your Energy, Not Your Time

A few other mentions: US News & World Report -- Can I Afford to Take a Sabbatical?, USA Weekend - Grads Get Help with Your Money, and CNN.com/Career Builder -  Graduates, Start Your Career Search Off Right.

Upcoming book tour stops:

I can't believe I'm two months into the book tour -- it's a small miracle that all the travel plans and events have come together so smoothly so far (knock on wood!). Where I've been: SF Bay Area, Austin, Las Vegas, San Diego, Pittsburgh, New York City, and Las Vegas (round 2).

Where I'm headed:

• Next up will be Seattle on Thursday, June 2 -- my last bookstore event will be at University Bookstore at 7pm (with an after-party/happy-hour organized by Mike Krass of The Anti Resume) -- click here to RSVP if you're in the area!
• Then I head down to Portland, Oregon for Chris Guillebeau's World Domination Summit from Friday-Tuesday.
• Assuming I'm still standing, next up is a trip to Los Angeles for a wedding and my final official book tour stop in mid June. If you're in the LA area, click here to RSVP for the event on Tuesday, June 14 put on by Scott Asai of Growing Forward -- we'd love to see you there!

Spreading the love: Joy Juice from Stratejoy: 120 Prompts to "Tune in, Get Unstuck & Boost Your Confidence"

I'm excited to share another great coaching tool with you from Molly Mahar, one of my favorite coaches and a total business inspiration. She recently launched her Joy Juice program -- which will deliver to your inbox a yearlong dose of inspiring, thought-provoking journal prompts for a year of personal growth (that's three prompts a week) for only $38 (~$3/month). Click here to learn more and sign-up!

*I am an affiliate, but as you hopefully know, I am very selective and only bring you products that I have vetted, love and think are worthy of your time and attention.

***

Life After College hits the beach! An awesome reader email (and photo) from Nick White of New Zealand

Hi Jenny,

I've really enjoyed reading your book - it arrived in New Zealand a few days before I flew out (on my way to portland). The book is SUPERB. I just couldn't leave it behind, so it is currently spending some quality time with me on the beach at Oahu, Hawaii (see below). Then it is flying out to Portland to WDS. It will be a well travelled copy!

This book is so good that I think people shouldn't just Read it - they can & should Go Through It, because it's beautifully pitched and is a refreshingly honest and personal mix of coaching & tips. Best of it's type I've ever seen (and I've seen quite a few!)

All the best :) Nick White OutwardLooking.com

*Note from Jenny: After receiving this email, I learned that Nick has an amazing story himself -- he wrote his first post from a hospital bed in the ICU, just days after coming out surgery for head and neck cancer in June 2009.  He "lost his speech for a while, so started a blog as a way of expressing [himself]." INCREDIBLE. Nick -- you are an inspiration to us all.

In memory of Harold Sydney Deino

This Monday morning started pretty quietly. I woke up at home after an amazing weekend in Las Vegas. Voice scratchy, eyes tired, smiling as I reflected on good times and great friendships.

I made coffee and an to-do list: write a blog post, send the next edition of my way-too-long-overdue Inside Scoop newsletter, address the 200 emails in my inbox, make a few calls, plan a webinar for Wednesday, walk the dog, go for a run and to yoga, and drop my clothes off at the dry cleaner.

Then I got  a call from my uncle saying that my grandpa died of a sudden heart attack this morning.

He was leaving the gym (never misses a workout) and according to the garage attendant, had the wherewithal to put his car in park even while having a heart attack. Life is short, but he lived a long beautiful one and left us today at the age of 83.

The to-do list vanished immediately.

All I could think about was reaching my family, canceling everything, and driving down to Southern California. It's amazing how families can instantly come together in times like this, and I am grateful to be part of one that has.

The remainder of this blog post is dedicated to my grandpa: Harold Sydney Deino (1928-2011)

Grandpa -- thank you for being so wonderful. You were an amazing, generous, kind-hearted man.

You celebrated your 60th wedding anniversary this year, and I am in awe of the family, career and retirement you created with your incredible wife, who I am proud to call my grandma.

You were a child of the Great Depression, and taught us all innumerable lessons about spending, saving and investing wisely.

I've always loved knowing that you drew the exclamation phrases for the original Batman show when you worked at ABC; you taught me to value design and precision, and to take pride in my work.

I loved all of your routines: sitting outside with coffee, toast and your newspapers in the morning, 24 Hour Fitness with the latest Nikes (even at 83!), religiously taping every Lakers game, and the way you took diligent notes to learn how to use the computer,  your iPod, and your new iPad.

You take organization to a whole new level -- no gadget goes unlabeled, no file sits out of place. We all smiled this evening when we went to use the coffee grinder and saw a note on the lid about how high to fill it; you really did think of everything.

You taught me to value exploration and new cultures by watching you and grandma travel the world -- every continent twice over and too many countries to count.

You were the MacGyver of the house, creating contraptions and hacks and ingenious solutions for every inconvenience and product design flaw known to man.

When I visited in April you wanted to make sure I had a nice dress for my book launch party in New York, so you waited patiently while grandma and I went shopping after dinner. I absolutely love the dress we found, and I loved the proud smile on your face when I showed it to you once we got home.

The picture below is for you, grandpa -- I will think of you every time I see it. We miss you so much already. Your memory will be with us always...may you rest in peace.

Reminder: send a note -- or better yet, give a hug -- to someone you love today.

Video: My TEDxCMU Speech (Career in the Age of the App)

Remember that one time I almost panicked in front of an audience 500 people? Well folks, the moment-of-truth video has arrived! A quick recap for those who didn't read the original post: I had the great pleasure of speaking at Carnegie Melon in April for their TEDxCMU conference. I was the opening speaker, and about five minutes in I realized that the audience couldn't see my slides. I debating stopping altogether, but decided to continue and power through because I didn't know if I would have the opportunity to do it over, and there were 1,000 eyes staring at me waiting to hear what was next. So I kept speaking, but as the crew worked to resolve the issue I could no longer see my own slides. I delivered most of my speech from memory while watching one monitor count down my 18 minutes and the other monitor flickering with various troubleshooting methods.

Which brings us to today: I was so nervous to watch my TEDxCMU speech back -- I tend to be self-critical as it is, and I was dreading seeing the panic wash over my face when I realized my slides weren't working.

The crazy thing is that the moment of near-panic and confusion I experienced is almost imperceptible, as is my distraction throughout the rest of the speech waiting for my slides to return.

My stomach was doing backflips and my heart was pounding out of my chest, and yet -- in this video, you can hardly tell (it happens right around 5:50 and again at 7:07). I realize that's a very good thing -- but it strikes me as a reminder that a) there often more going on with people than meets the eye, and b) we are probably a lot more self-conscious about imperfections, speaking, or social situations than others actually notice. (The slides finally come back around 13:18 and I let out an embarrassing Howard Dean scream -- remember him??).

For those who don't want to watch the whole video: click here to read the transcript (this was my prep document so it won't be word for word, but you can see how I prepare for a big speech). Alexis Grant of US News & World report also summed up my career development philosophy quite well in her article, Treat Your Career Like a Smart Phone.

TEDxCMU Video -- Career in the Age of the App (click here to watch in a new window) -- 18 minutes

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Life After College is in the news! Check-out some of the recent media coverage:

• USA Weekend - Grads, Get Help With Your Money
• CNN.com / CareerBuilder - Graduating? Start Your Career Search Off Right
• CBSNews.com (totally random news clip while I was in NYC) - Local SoHo Residents Irate Over Will Smith's Movie Trailers (for the record, I was not irate...nor am I a SoHo resident -- yet! They caught me while on a run and I gave a very cheerful California spin on why it comes with the territory of living in an awesome city, but they didn't show that part. Still -- I got my 3 seconds of fame :)

Stay tuned for some long-overdue book tour updates and launch party pictures! To get the full behind-the-scenes peek at everything (and access to an upcoming Q&A call), join my Inside Scoop monthly(ish) newsletter.

Revolution.Is: Act As If

I had the great pleasure of being featured this week for Amber Rae's exciting new venture, Revolution.is. As Amber describes the project:

Our mission is to motivate people to take initiative, trust their gut, and live what they love. Each week, we’ll share stories of up-and-coming change-makers, people who are changing the world by spending their energy living their passion instead of just talking about it.

Here's an excerpt of my story -- Act As If:

Just about every law of attraction tome advises dreamers to “act as if.” Act as if you are wealthy, act as if you’ve already achieved your biggest goals, act as if you’re on top of the world. I used to shrug it off as nothing more than an adult version of playing house. Nice in theory, but I’m not suddenly a doctor because I act as if I have a stethoscope in my hand.

I was wrong. It works, but in unexpected ways.

I’ve wanted to be an author ever since I was a little girl, sitting on the floor of the Green Apple Bookstore in San Francisco, dog-earing pages of books because I knew I would be back the next day. In 2008, after mustering up the courage to write a book for college graduates based on my blog, I completed the first draft. I told everyone I was going to self-publish because “I was on a roll” and “just wanted to get my book out there to the world.”

But deep down I knew it was because I was terrified that I had nothing of value to say and that I couldn’t handle the rejection that might come with pursuing a traditional publisher or of having a book that didn’t sell. And so instead of choosing a direction at the fork in the road – self-publish or pitch to big houses – I stopped . . . paralyzed. I didn’t open the Word file with my book in it for five months. Graduation season – my peak promotion opportunity – came and went.

For every day that I ignored my project, it felt like a part of me died. I was watching my life dream free-fall through my fingertips, and I couldn’t muster the strength to do a damn thing about it.

I started hating myself for giving up and for being so weak. I felt dull and uninspired and lost. But then – in an aha! moment – I realized that the only way to move forward was to act as if.

{Keep reading about what happened after my aha moment at Revolution.is...}

Just because you're not seeing progress doesn't mean it isn't being made

Big goals, big decisions, big projects...big plans. We itch to see progress -- to know that our hard work is not wasted. We become desperate for answers -- to know that our brain's churning is not in vain. We are anxious to see results -- for confirmation that we are on the right track and/or not making a huge mistake.

We get nervous if we can't see progress or if we don't feel we're moving fast enough on a big decision.

So we pound on unlocked doors, not realizing that we will find our way through when we're ready.

Worse yet, we start comparing our (lack of) progress to others' success. We wonder why we don't have their level of happiness, income, notoriety, success. Comparison is a losing game and it robs us of enjoying our own pace of progress or decision-making.

Just because you don't see progress doesn't mean it isn't being made.

• On big decisions: your gut collects dozens (if not thousands) of pieces of data every day. Just because you don't FEEL closer to a decision doesn't mean that it isn't around the corner. One day you will wake up and you will KNOW. Although we often feel like those decisions happen overnight, we tend to overlook the invisible path that progress took to get us there. Decisions blossom when they are ready...not a minute sooner. Sometimes you just need to bite the bullet and decide, but sometimes you need to give yourself time and space. It's a fine line. If you want help wrestling with a big decision, check out my decision-making template.

• On big goals: With our biggest, hairiest goals it's easy feel scattered, confused, stalled or overwhelmed. Not to mention the times that we're just flat out LAID OUT at the bottom of an ugly, uncomfortable dip. Just because you haven't crossed the finish line doesn't mean that you aren't getting closer every day. This applies to weight loss, healthy eating, starting a business, learning a new skill and anything else that requires perseverance and hard work.

It's important to feel like we are headed in the right direction and to take meaningful action that moves us forward, but consider releasing the need to SEE progress at every turn.

Progress is often invisible to the naked eye. Imperceptible improvements start to accumulate right beneath our nose. Sometimes we're so busy looking at the horizon that we miss the thousand flowers blooming. Stop for a moment and breathe…relax…and trust. You are farther along than you think.

Where in your life might you be making progress even though you can't see (all of) it yet? What progress have you already made that you haven't yet acknowledged yourself for?

Big thanks to my dad, who inspired this post during one of our weekly walks.

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P.S. Congrats to our contest winners from the Almost May Giveaway Day!

The winners are:

• The Book of Awesome: Tiffany Mayfield
• Business Cards: Sarah Peck, Emily Smith, Kerri Ford
• Digital Camera: Kristen Byers

Winners - please send me an email when you get a chance -- jenny [at] lifeaftercollege [dot] org. Thanks, and have a great week everyone!

P.P.S. Final reminder to join us on Thursday for the Book Launch Party (hosted by the kick-ass NY Creative Interns team) if you are in the area :)

Authors@Google Video: 10 Lessons I Learned During the Publishing Process

After hosting many authors at Google myself (before taking my leave of absence), I had the great pleasure of delivering my very own Authors@Google talk in March as part of the book tour kick-off. Below is a 38 minute video of my speech, where I take you behind the scenes of the publishing process and share 10 lessons that I learned in the process. Big thanks to Cliffbusters for the great intro!

Authors@Google: 10 Lessons I Learned During the Publishing Process

Click here to open the video in a new window, or here to purchase the book on Amazon!

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Life After College - NYC Launch Party

East-Coasters! I would LOVE for you to attend my book launch party in NYC next Thursday, hosted by NY Creative Interns (an incredible group of women who are helping with everything from a chocolate fountain to custom cupcakes to catering to gift bags, a DJ and photo booth). If you think it sounds more like a wedding than a launch party, you're right! This is it, baby. It's my big day - beyond a dream come true.

The party is made possible by the most amazing woman I've ever met, Ruth Ann Harnisch. When I was worried that my book would get written off as a pile of meaningless cliches, she encouraged me to bust through my upper limits and move forward anyway. She said she wanted to throw me a book launch party in NYC, which served as a beacon of light at the end of a very long creative tunnel. I'm thrilled to announce that the launch party is on May 12 at WIX Lounge - click here to RSVP!

It's-Almost-May Giveaway Day!

As someone whose mood is directly linked to the weather (for better or for worse), I find myself practically skipping as I write this post...Spring is springing, people! A colony of butterflies in my brain just got their wings. And yes, I realize that sounds like I'm on drugs. A drug called Sunshine! And coffee. Too much coffee... It gives me great pleasure to bring you not one...not two...but THREE giveaways today as a thank you for being the best readers on the planet! Details on how to enter are in the footer of the post.

» Giveaway #1: A copy of Neil Pasricha's The Book of EVEN MORE Awesome I reviewed Neil's first book last year, and I'm so excited to announce that he's already releasing book #2...today! Neil is an amazing writer who brings optimism, laughs and great perspective with his quirky and heartfelt lists of Awesome Things. I can't help but smile when I read his work -- The Book of Even More Awesome had me grinning from ear-to-ear. Check out #256 - When the Bass Kicks In (one of my favorite things too!) to watch the awesome book trailer video.

» Giveaway #2: THREE sets of Business Cards from UPrinting.com ($70 value each) Working on a side hustle and declaring the start of {Your Name} Enterprises? Need some business cards that are just for you (not your company)? Enter to win one of three sets of business cards from UPrinting.com that you can use to promote your business...or to give random hot Italian waiters your number (I know nothing about this).

» Giveaway #3: A Kodak EasyShare digital camera (~$60 value) from National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Remember that one time I had my car broken into and my laptop, Italian leather bag, Flipcam and Moleskine stolen? Yeah, that sucked. When I tried to get my bag covered by my homeowner's insurance, I was told that I needed a receipt (it was a gift) or at the very least a picture of me holding the bag. I had neither.

So it was particularly timely when Allie from NAIC reached out to me a week later encouraging me to spread the word about how important it is to photograph your belongings for insurance purposes. Prior to the car incident, I would have shrugged this off. Now I'm sold - and want to share the digital camera as a boost for you to do the same. Even if you don't win -- I highly recommend you follow the NAIC's helpful home inventory tips. Unfortunately a similar thing just happened to Grace who also provides great reminders in her most recent post, Stolen.

A little insurance inventory education for all of us (from Allie):

"Do you know how much ‘stuff’ you own? Unfortunately, without a clear grasp of our property, our most prize possessions might not be covered by our homeowners or renters insurance. One of the best ways to make sure possessions are fully protected is to document them through a home inventory.

A home inventory basically involves documenting the “stuff” in your home to ensure all your favorite things are covered in case of a fire or emergency. As a young single, you might want to consider purchasing renters insurance to cover your possessions, even if living with roommates — don’t rely on the landlord’s insurance.

While there are several options for forming an inventory, a new option is an iPhone application called MyHOME Scr.APP.book. The free app, from NAIC, lets you quickly photograph and capture images, descriptions, bar codes and serial numbers, and then stores them electronically for safekeeping. The app organizes information room by room and creates a back-up file for e-mail sharing."

How to Enter:

I've created three prompts on the Life After College Facebook page -- one for each giveaway (that way the entries don't get all jumbled in the comments here depending on who wants what). Respond to each prompt (no more than once, but you can answer all three) by Wednesday, May 4 for your chance to win!

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Update: Speaking of giveaways, huge congrats to Sarah Peck and Amanda Hansen who won the Life After College launch day coaching session giveaway! If you didn't win but want a major life/inspiration/action plan boost, feel free to check out my coaching packages -- I would love to hear from you :)

Audible.com Review & Free Audio Book!

If you hand me a book, the first thing I'll do is crack it open, stick my nose right in the center of the pages and give it a giant inhale, eyes closed as I soak up one of my favorite smells in the world. I may look like a crazy person, but I don't care. I love books THAT much. (As a biased aside, my own has a GREAT new book smell - give 'er a whiff if you haven't already!)

So you can imagine my own surprise at writing a review on—gasp!—AUDIO books today! But hear me out (no pun intended).

What is Audible.com?

Many of you may have already bucked the paper book trend (what are those again?) in favor of reading e-books on Kindle or your iPad. Audible.com is a subscription-based service (much like Netflix with a similar price-point) that allows you to listen to books while running, driving, or dancing in your room.

I first discovered Audible while I was in NYC for one glorious month as part of my self-funded 14-city book tour, and I hyperventilated at the thought of narrowing down my book companions to fewer than 5, seeing as I have no less than 20 unread books on my shelves that I am dying to read (check out my full list on GoodReads).

Given that I would be traveling so much, it seemed like a great time to (slightly begrudgingly) make the switch to audio—at least for a little while. So I signed-up for a free trial at Audible.com and wanted to share the experiment with all of you! I used my free download to get the book Talent Code - a must-read recommendation from my brother.

How the Free Trial Works (which includes one free book download)

You can sign-up by clicking here (note: these are affiliate links—all proceeds go to cupcake consumption). If you cancel before your trial period is up, no harm done! You still walk away with a free audio book. If you continue your membership, you will be charged a monthly fee ($14.95 or $22.95, depending on what plan you choose), which gives you one or two book credits to use each month. There are also incentives if you refer a friend.

The Audible Affiliate Program:

Audible has a fantastic associate program, in which anyone with an account can create links to refer their audience to Audible and Amazon. It's free to become an affiliate, and it's very simple to set up. With each successful referral, you earn an advertising fee.

My initial review of Audible.com

Pros:

• I love the preview feature that allows you to listen to snippets of the book before purchasing
• I like the price consistency - one credit is applicable to almost all of the books on the site
• Books are super easy to download and play in the Audible app
• There is no need to create a new account—it's conveniently linked up with Amazon.com
• If you decide to cancel your membership, Audible pitches some great deals to keep you there a while longer :)

Cons:

• My own ADD! I still have a hard time listening to audio books without getting easily distracted or wishing there was music on instead.
• The site navigation is a little bit clunky
• The search feature leaves MUCH to be desired (:::cough, cough they should use Google enterprise!:::)

Ready to give it a shot? About the Audible Membership Free Trial

From Audible.com (who will do a much better job describing the details of the free trial than me):

Download any audiobook, free, when you try Audible for 30 days. Choose from 180,000+ best sellers, new releases, sci-fi, romances, mysteries, classics, and more. After 30 days, Audible is just $14.95/month. Membership includes your choice of book each month. Don't like your book? We'll exchange it for you. Cancel anytime—your books are yours to keep.

I'd love to hear your thoughts: Are you an audio book convert and/or already an Audible.com member? Does this seem like something that you could get into, or are you still stuck on books like me?

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Book Tour Update:

I've been a little quiet lately...landed in NYC last Wednesday and decided to take a complete break from everything—from work, commitments, social media, and from buzzing around to see everyone and anyone I can fit into my schedule. I've gotta say—it feels amazing.

At first I caught a case of the Slow-Down Sads (my new term for feeling low when you suddenly slow down and stop DOING) but it's nothing that daily yoga isn't helping to cure. I'm in a place of transition and reflection—and though a little uncomfortable at times, it's a welcome opportunity to re-evaluate everything I'm doing. More on all of this soon...for now, I'm continuing with my semi-hermit-just-enjoy-the-big-apple plan!

The picture below is the first time I saw my book in a major chain—facing out at Barnes & Noble Union Square!

Life After College Book Launch: Post-Game Analysis (What Worked, What Didn't)

Now that the initial book launch frenzy has subsided, it's time to do some Monday-morning quarterbacking on what I think went well and what I would do differently. Hopefully this is helpful to aspiring authors out there, and at the very least interesting to the rest of you!

"A professional writer is an amateur who didn't quit." --Richard Bach

Launch Stats:

• #11 -- The book's peak ranking in Career Guides on Amazon. It also ranked at #30 in Personal Development. The overall ranking peak was #747. Not a bestseller, but out of 8 million books I'm pretty happy with it :)
• #53 -- Current ranking in Career Guides...not bad! #9,576 overall.
• 0 (GOOSE EGG) - Number of times I made the NYT Bestseller list. Oh well! A girl can dream. And once The Today Show finds my phone number I'm sure the book will skyrocket up to instant bestseller status.
• 52 -- The current number of 5-star (!!) Amazon reviews. I am blown away by the quality and thoughtfulness of all the reviews. Thank you all so much!
• 130 -- @replies I received with people tweeting about the book on launch day...by lunch time! I lost count after that...the response was incredible.
• 38 -- Number of book reviews, interviews and article mentions (that I know of) during the launch week. Huge thanks to all the bloggers that took the time (and valuable online real estate) to help me promote the book!
• 2,330 -- Visits to my site on launch day -- almost five times higher than my normal traffic days (though lately the number has stayed consistently over 500/day).
• 236 -- Number of new Twitter followers since launch day on March 29
• 8 -- Number of speeches, webinars and workshops I delivered during the two-week launch window
• 4 -- Book signings. Those were the crazy-awesome moments that really made me feel like an author. I still can't believe people want me to sign anything other than a receipt!
• Unquantifiable -- number of cupcakes I've eaten at said signings and events since starting sabbatical, number of people I annoyed on March 29 by taking over the Internet, number of times I've checked my Amazon stats (slowly weaning myself off), and the immense out-of-this-world gratitude I feel for everyone who has supported me throughout this launch.

Book Launch -- 5 Things that Worked:

1. Blogger outreach -- Thank GOODNESS I did not rely on traditional media to carry this book launch (not that it was ever the plan). The lion's share of the momentum came from my friends online -- some I've known forever, some I'd only just met. How I did it: I had the publisher send 200 advance copies out in early March. I asked for 200 expecting them to negotiate me down to 100. Surprisingly, they said yes! Which gave me an impetus to reach out to a lot of people I've never met. I wrote a personal letter for the publisher to include in the press kit that listed ways people could help. Not everyone who received a book promoted it, but that is perfectly fine with me. You never know when they might recommend it to a friend!
2. Starting my Inside Scoop Book Newsletter a year ago -- my inside scoop readers have been with me behind the scenes at every turn, providing support, encouragement and ideas. I felt so comforted knowing that I had a group of passionate readers and friends who were cheering me on from the moment I wrote the proposal to the moment the book hit stores.
3. Creating a book website -- this has come in handy countless times. Things like the downloadable media kit, blogger kit, Around the Web page, and book tour schedule have allowed me to clearly communicate what's going on with the book without losing people in the many pages of my blog.
4. Attending conferences -- I am meeting so many amazing people through conferences like SXSW, TEDxCMU and pretty soon the World Domination Summit. The people I've met have given me countless great ideas and are inspiring me to really take my business to the next level. They have been incredibly generous with their time, and proactively reach out to ask how they can help -- an amazing quality.
5. Creating a template email for friends, family and inside scoop subscribers to forward -- some people wrote back and said they were single-handedly responsible for selling 10-15 copies among their friends and family! Amazing. Word of mouth is so powerful -- and it felt great to spread the word among the part of my network that isn't immersed in the Internet.
6. Bonus: taking leave from Google so I could focus 150% of my time/energy on the launch. I love Google -- don't get me wrong -- but trying to do all of this WITH a full-time job would have sent me to an insane asylum. I have been working around the clock since the day I left -- having fun for sure, but still wishing I had more hours in the day! (What happened to those visions of sipping a margarita on a beach in Mexico during my sabbatical?!) I'm so thankful that Google is giving me the time off; hands down the BEST thing I did for this book and my sanity was asking for it in the first place.

Book Launch -- 5 Things that Didn't Work:

1. Traditional Media -- I've had two radio interviews, and not a single TV, magazine or newspaper mention that I know of. I don't know what I could have done differently, but I do know that there was a huge missed opportunity here in reaching parents and people looking for graduation gifts. It's not too late, but I still have no idea how to break into the big players in these markets. The publicist at Running Press sent out hundreds of galleys to magazines and newspapers, but not many have bitten...yet.
2. Guest Posts on HUGE blogs -- I just didn't have it in me to do any more writing amidst trying to balance my speaking events, finishing up at Google, writing launch communications, keeping up with the blog, and sending inside scoop newsletters. I had every intention of submitting a guest post to Copyblogger (even got an introduction) or the Huffington Post...but I didn't. Guest posting and adding value for big time bloggers seems to be a strategy that has worked very well for other authors, so this was probably a big missed opportunity for me to generate additional buzz during launch week.
3. Not following up individually with people who received advance copies -- There are many people I could have directly emailed to ask for support or Amazon reviews (after my initial group reminder email). I know now is not the time to be shy or tentative -- but I just didn't want to force it. I wanted people who genuinely wanted to help -- but it's also possible that many of those people were just super busy and needed (or wanted) a nudge from me.
4. Not having freebies (or paid products) to capture interest from launch week buzz (beyond the book) -- I would have loved to have a book club kit (still in progress!), a free guide and even some additional paid products that could continue to capture people's interest and provide value even beyond the book. These are all things I'm working on, but I wish I had something ready for the launch week. As the saying goes, "The best time to start is yesterday. Barring that, start today."
5. Purchase incentive structure -- I had every intention of creating a tiered incentive structure post for launch day (as many authors do -- led by example from Ramit and Tim Ferris). Buy one book, get a signed bookplate. Buy three books, get access to a Q&A call. Buy 10+ books, get something awesome. Buy 50+ and I'll do a custom webinar for your group for free. I thought about this often for weeks (if not months) leading up to the launch, but nothing was clicking and I was already overwhelmed. I finally scrapped the idea at 11:30 p.m. the night before the launch (after semi-frantically calling Sean Ogle for 11th hour advice). It was just too much to think about, and I didn't want to do it if I couldn't do it well.

Given that we're still only two weeks out from all the launch madness, I'm sure I'll think of more for both categories -- but these are the broad strokes! The really interesting thing will be trying to keep the book sales alive over the long-term (post-honeymoon). That will require a whole new strategy -- I feel like I'm starting over as a beginner again, but that's what keeps this whole process exciting!

Next stops for the book tour: I'm in San Diego this week filming videos with/for iGrad (awesome crew) and hanging out with my grandparents, then a bachelorette party in Lake Tahoe over the weekend, then headed to NYC for a month on Tuesday! I'll be taking the first two weeks OFF - as vacation (what a concept, I know) - I'm not planning any meetings unless they are mission-critical, and will probably be slow to respond to email.

If you're on the East Coast, save the date -- my NYC book launch party is on May 12 at WIX Lounge! It is being organized by NYC Creative Interns (angels!) and sponsored by the most amazing life coach I've ever worked with, Ruth Ann Harnisch on behalf of Thrillionaires.org. {Click here to register to attend!}

"Difficult things take a long time, impossible things a little longer." --André A. Jackson

Are you a hypocrite?

Someone asked me this in an interview the other day. It's a perfectly fair question. I didn't know what to reply other than,"Yeah...I guess so."

Don't think I haven't already asked myself this exact question a hundred times while writing, editing and promoting my book. Facing this question on a regular basis is the price of being a personal development writer (slash junkie).

I know I need to take care of myself to be the best author/speaker/coach/friend/etc I can be. And yet, I'm still finding it challenging. I have never launched a book before. Every day is part of the learning process.

I hate that despite having a "Health Manifesto" on page 223, I haven't been able to get on a consistent workout routine in weeks (if not months), that I've stopped my daily yoga routine (gut-wrenching when I admit it), and that newspaper reviewers say that I look "well fed."

When I worked at the start-up company, I remember referring to my cubicle and post-grad work life as "ass expanding." Try rolling out of your bed straight to your laptop and working for 14 hours day-after-day because you're so committed to launching your big project. That is ass-expanding too.

Which brings me to two very important points about life (and my book):

1. The book is meant to be aspirational -- even for me. Satisfaction and balance in our lives goes in waves. Of all areas -- health, work, money, dating, fun, friends, family, relaxation -- some will be up while others go down. It would be unreasonable to expect your life to be a perfect 10 in every area at all times. All we can do is put our love and attention on areas that are anemic or unsatisfying and start making some changes. See Nicole's amazing related post: 5 alcohol-free weeks, the garden metaphor, and the process of getting unstuck.
2. I -- we -- you -- are doing the very best that we can. Almost every single tip in the book (of which there are hundreds) made in there because it was something *I* struggled with. I am not sitting on a throne trying to tell you how to be perfect. F*** perfect. I struggle, I learn, and I teach. Then I do it all over again. So yes -- I am a hypocrite. But we are all probably hypocrites from time to time -- because the very things we preach against are the reminders we want to give ourselves. And solving something once doesn't mean you've solved it forever.

Give yourself room to struggle a little bit.

Struggle is where the learning is.

Guest Post: 10 Tips to Shred the Competition in your Skype interview (by Jenny Foss)

Editor's Note: Before we jump in -- for those curious about how the book is doing: sales have gone up and down, but the book is holding steady at #36 in Career Guides (after peaking at #11). I'll post a more detailed update next week. As for Amazon reviews -- we're at 49 out of my goal of 100...halfway there! If you haven't left your thoughts yet, please post a review when you get a chance :) Thank you all for an incredible launch! This is a guest post from Jenny Foss (Jennys FTW!), the firecracker career maven behind JobJenny.com, a site that provides job-seekers with practical advice that is relevant to TODAY’S job market and technology. Jenny describes herself as “Your job search BFF and tough love expert on finding career passion.” She just launched her first ebook, To Whom It May Concern: Or, How to Stop Sucking at Your Job Search.

I’m excited to give Jenny the floor today because a lot has changed since I was last out there job-hunting, and these tips are relevant and incredibly helpful for anyone who uses Skype -- not just job-seekers (they've been great reminders for me as I do book interviews, and are great tips for networking calls via Skype as well).

10 Tips to Shred the Competition in your Skype interview (by Jenny Foss)

You may already know this, but allow me to reiterate: corporate HR has discovered Skype. And they’re using it with increasing frequency to interview candidates. It’s cheaper than flying you in, and it’s more personal than a phone call.

Welcome to your huge advantage in the job search. Do use it accordingly. Even if you’re not job searching, these tips are helpful for any Skype calls you do, including informal interviews and networking.

If you’re competing with older candidates for your dream job, they may very well have the “years’ experience” edge. But if you’re already comfortable using Skype? You really, truly could outshine that senior level candidate if he or she is “green” with this technology.

Of course, you must then make this your mission. Outshine, friend. Outshine.

To ensure this mission is successful, here are 10 tips to help you shred the competition on your next Skype interview:

1. When confirming the interview, provide your Skype account name. Show the interviewer that you’re comfortable with the technology right from the start. Also, ask if you are to dial them, or if they will call you. No sense starting off on this weird note.
2. If your Skype name is cutesy or unprofessional, set up another account. And not MadSkillz or HireMaddie. Just your name, please. Or something close to it if yours is already taken.
3. Practice first. I recognize that this might sound obvious, but you’d be amazed by how many people don’t do it. Dial up a friend, relative or professional mentor and run through a few mock questions. Check the audio levels, make sure the room lighting looks normal
4. Get the eye contact thing down. This can feel a little strange on Skype, but eye contact is VERY important in an interview. Be sure and look into the webcam a large portion of the time. You’ll be tempted to stare at the screen, because that’s where the interviewer’s image appears. But if you look there the whole time? It will come across that you’re looking down the entire time. Eye contact. A must
5. Don’t even think about doing it in a coffee shop. Quiet, clean room. Absolutely no environmental hustle and bustle, none.  Oh, and when I say “quiet, clean room?” Assume I mean “quiet, clean room with no weird crap in the background.
6. Silence any other phone or potentially interrupting technologies before the interview. That’d be your cell phone, your land line and any other audible alerts that could pop up on your computer during the call.
7. Go professional, but remember you’re probably sitting at home. Some professionals will argue me on this, but I think that, for most positions, it’s unnecessary to get all spiffed out in an “interview suit” for a Skype interview. “Hi, I’m sitting in my apartment in pinstripes. Just a regular old day here.” It just seems odd to me. Absolutely look polished, ironed and professional (and wear pants, for heaven’s sake,) but I say suit is not required (unless, of course, you’re in the running for some big Wall Street or CPA gig, then yes, probably.)
8. Prepare in the exact same way that you would for a face-to-face interview. Research the company, the industry and the players with whom you’ll be interviewing. Come to the interview with thoughtful questions related to these. Listen. Listen. Listen. And then answer questions calmly and succinctly. Smile. Just like you’d do in person.
9. Don’t panic if you have a dropped connection. More than likely, the interviewer already knows that this happens sometimes with a Skype call. In the event it happens on your interview? Take a couple of deep breaths and wait for him or her to re-connect. If five minutes passes and he or she doesn’t? Redial.
10. Say thank you. And do so while you’re looking at that webcam.

Finally: pat yourself on the back when it’s over. Your comfort level with newer technologies like Skype may well help you land the dream job!

Looking for more? Check-out Jenny’s just-released ebook, To Whom It May Concern: Or, How to Stop Sucking at Your Job Search. You can also find Jenny on Twitter @JobJenny.

***

Note: the e-book links in the post are affiliate links, but I am HIGHLY selective about guest posts and the content I recommend. I only bring you the best because you deserve nothing less!

10 Lessons Learned from Almost Panicking in Front of 500+ People at TEDxCMU

"Any fool can act when everything is going right. The true test of an actor is what happens when everything starts going wrong." --A quote that TEDxCMU host Dr. Michael "Doc" Chemers shared with me after I delivered my speech

I had the great honor of delivering the opening speech for TEDxCMU (Carnegie Melon) this Sunday -- in the very same room that Randy Pausch delivered his deeply moving last lecture. The team of student organizers did a phenomenal job with every aspect of the event, and the entire day went of without a hitch….except for a 10-minute glitch that felt like a lifetime to the person on stage at the time. Me.

The Set-up (how it all went down)

15 minutes prior to my speech: I checked my slides and made sure the clicker was working. Check.

10 minutes prior: I started pacing slowly and taking deep breaths to work out any last minute adrenaline and nerves. Check.

5 minutes prior: I smiled up at an audience of 500 people as I was being introduced by Doc, knowing that the talk was also live streaming to 2,000+ people and being recorded to last for Internet eternity on YouTube. Check.

GAME TIME. I walked on stage and started my delivery.

5 minutes in: I turned around to check the large projector screen and realized that the audience couldn't see my slides. My subconscious toyed with the idea of panicking as the 18-minute clock on one of the monitors in front of me continued ticking down.

At that moment I had two choices:

1. Shut down -- stutter, give up, panic, stop in my tracks. Wait at the front of the room like a deer in headlights (literally -- the lights were so bright I couldn't see the audience) until the problem was fixed and ask for a re-do, if that were even possible.
2. Keep Going -- make light of the situation, play the hand I was dealt, and use the opportunity to absolutely crush it.

In a mix of conscious choice and the universe blessing me with the miracle of grace, I landed on option number two.

The Recovery

6 minutes in: "You can't see my slides, can you?" I asked the audience. They shook their heads. "Joke's on you I guess!" Everybody laughed.

I started to feel a bond forming…like the room was on my side. They knew I was climbing uphill with a 50-pound backpack at this point. "Geez…there's like 500 of you -- one of you could have said something!" I jokingly chided. They laughed again.

For the remaining majority of my 18-minute speech, I delivered my talking points from memory. The glitch wasn't anyone's fault -- a breaker had gone out somewhere -- but the technicians' fiddling with my slides (projected for all to see) made it even more complicated to deliver my speech in a way that still clearly got my message across AND made an impact.

~13 minutes in: My slides started working again (hallelujah!), and I was able to close with a few powerful images -- all while somehow staying under 18 minutes.

When I sat down, the host (Doc) and my friends Julie, Amber Rae and Charlie Hoehn whispered, "You killed it!" And I really needed to hear that…otherwise I might have started crying from the sheer overwhelm of it all.

Bolstered by their positive feedback, I exhaled…hands shaking slightly from the adrenaline. I smiled. I felt deeply proud of myself, and the response from the audience during breaks and in "keeper" emails was incredible. I could have given up but I didn't. I persevered.

In fact, as Amber pointed out -- the technical glitches, subsequent jokes, and smooth delivery endeared the audience to me and my content far more than I could have done on my own. I had earned more than their admiration…I had earned their respect.

As soon as I sat down, I knew that this whole snafu would make a great blog post. As you may know by now, I love turning challenging personal experiences into life lessons that we can all learn and grow from. In true-to-Jenny-Blake-form, here are:

10 Lessons I Learned from Almost Panicking in front of 500+ People During my TEDxCMU Speech

1. Be careful what you wish for! Earlier that morning I said to Charlie and Amber (two other amazing speakers and friends) that I didn't have any good jokes for my speech, and yet I love to make audiences laugh. Oh well, I thought at the time with a shrug. HAH -- I got some jokes alright! I actually had the audience laughing throughout my speech -- thanks to the technical glitches. Lesson 1b: when the universe throws you a curve ball, laughter is the best way to knock the pitch out of the park. And you can't find humor if you're busy panicking.
2. Practice and preparation MATTERS. In one of our prep calls, Charlie reminded me that coming across as natural and conversational comes from intense rehearsal. Practice and preparation are critical to nailing something you really care about. If I had not rehearsed (which I often don't), I would never have been able to deliver without my slides while watching a glitchy monitor and having the pressure of a countdown clock. P.S. For those who don't know Charlie, you must! He wrote the incredibly popular e-book, Recession Proof Graduate -- a must read for any recent grads looking for work or anyone looking to start a side hustle.
3. That said, all the preparation in the world won't prevent surprises. No matter how much you plan or prepare, there will ALWAYS be circumstances beyond your control. The best you can do is learn to accept them and roll with the punches as best as you possibly can. Shit happens. Focus on what you can do to fix the situation, because it's what you do when surprises show up that really matters.
4. I've said it before and I'll say it again…deep breaths are FREE. Use them! Deep breaths fix more than you probably realize. Doing my yoga breathing (as described in 8 Ways to Practice and Improve Your Public Speaking), greatly helped my release any nervous energy before I started. Once I got to the panic fork in the road, it was a single deep breath that saved me. In that breath, I gave myself the time to think and assess. Deep breaths can save you in moments when you are on the verge of panic or any potential emotional tipping point.
5. Heed the principle of Wabi-sabi - the beauty in imperfection. Wabi-sabi is a Japanese term that my dad introduced me to after we found a handful of typos in my book. As my dad (half-joking, half-serious) says, you need typos -- that's how all the demons get out. According to Wikipedia, Wabi-sabi "represents beauty that is imperfect, impermanent and incomplete." I share my highs AND lows on this blog because I want all of us to remember the beauty in imperfection and in being HUMAN.
6. Smiles are a powerful way to trick your mind into solving stressful situations. And guess what? They're free too! If you smile through a tough situation, you might be surprised at how quickly the rest of your brain will catch-on that this isn't so bad…and that there is some diamond in the rough worth smiling about. If you can muster a smile, you can start to re-ignite your positive energy. Smiling will allow you to release tension and (hopefully) handle the situation with grace.
7. There is great power in learning to master improvisation and creativity. I've taken a few improv classes, and though the idea of doing improv on stage in front of a live audience terrifies me, I enjoy the classes immensely. Improv teaches you to drop your ego and get creative. To build on whatever is happening with a  "Yes! And…" mentality. No slides? YES! I got this. AND…as Amber remarked, it was a better presentation because of it. I encourage you to push yourself outside of your comfort zone to get practice with improvisation -- whether in speaking, writing, or other social interactions.
8. There's nothing like a live (even if unexpected) demo to prove a point. One of my key messages was that ANY job can teach you valuable skills if you break it down into component parts. In reference to my time delivering AdWords product training to new hires at Google, I told the audience that "although I wasn't passionate about teaching people how to place Analytics tracking code or set their daily budget...it taught me how to stand up in front of a classroom every day; it taught me how to make people laugh, keep people engaged…and how to keep going without panicking when my slides don't work!" The audience broke out into applause. Many people said afterward that it was a great demonstration of my point…I was walking my talk.
9. Challenges we "pass" become badges we earn -- and it takes much of the power away from our fears. Now that I've had this experience, I will A) practice the s*** out of every speech from here on out… and B) feel even more confident about heading up on stage in the future. I know that I have now had a worst speaking-related fear occur, and I survived. The same goes for you -- encountering some of our biggest fears will often take the sting away as we build the resilience to deal with them and the confidence of knowing what to do if they ever happen again.
10. Kind words are one of the world's greatest currencies. Every moment of frustration and disappointment that I experienced because of the slide snafu was surpassed tenfold by incredibly meaningful comments and support from friends, audience members, the host, and the organizers. Never forget how powerful a genuine compliment can be. Those compliments sent me over the moon on Sunday. Thank you to everyone who lifted me up after nearly falling down.

Dying to watch the video (and check out Charlie and Amber's killer speeches)?

The TEDxCMU crew is currently working on processing the videos…they should be up in about a month, at which time I will definitely share with all of you! In the meantime, there is a great written recap in The Tartan, CMU's student newspaper, and a feature story on my career philosophy in US News & World Report.

Update: you can now watch the video here!

The key takaway if you read nothing else in this epically long post:

Get out there on the stage of YOUR life and stumble around a bit. It's the rush of a lifetime to fall down and get back up -- especially in front of hundreds (if not thousands) of people. What doesn't kill you absolutely makes you stronger. And more lovable, and more relatable. It will take you from average to human f***ing magic, baby.

Life After College Launch: Mid-Week Report

My heart is exploding with gratitude right now...so much that I can barely find the words to express a proper thank you.

Even amidst the thrilling chaos of launch day, I left the house (points!) to go for a run (double points!) and had a moment where I realized that Tuesday was THE proudest day of my life.

Partly because of the book being officially launched and unleashed to the world. Partly because it skyrocketed up to the top #1,000 on Amazon (#747 to be exact). But mostly because I felt such a sense of pride and overwhelming gratitude at the outpouring of support and community. I am truly honored and humbled.

Because of you: the book shot up to #750 overall on launch day, and peaked at #11 in Career guides! Because of you: countless friends, family members, Facebook readers and Twitter followers heard about the book and checked it out. Because of you: there are nearly 40 Amazon reviews to encourage those on the fence to buy the book (including an awesome video review from Marc Luber of Careers Out There!).

1. In other fun news:

• I was quoted in US News & World Report yesterday (with a full interview coming out next week). If you have a minute, check out And on the Side, I'm an Entrepreneur.
• Michael Bungay Stanier (@BoxOfCrayons) also interviewed me for his Great Work podcast -- give 'er a listen! I talk about how to find your passion, deal with "expectation hangovers," listen to physical cues about your great work, diffuse your inner critic, time-management strategies and tips for navigating your career within an organization.
• Video interview with @SeanOgle on Location 180 - 5 Things That Almost Didn't Make it Into the Book
• A peek into my brain through the eyes of my desk at Google in a fun feature on TagBento (click on the boxes for a story behind each piece of desk flair)
• Check out more awesome reviews and interviews on my book website's Around the Web page.

2. Here are some behind-the-scenes screenshots of the statistics I see on my Author's Central page on Amazon:

Statistics as of 10pm on March 30:

Sales over the last month: up and to the right, a very good thing! (Click to enlarge)

P.S. Amazon is tricky, huh? Their graph makes it look like my book is at #1 even though it's #834. But hey, out of 8 million that's not too shabby!

3. I still need your help in two major ways:

1. Launch Week Push until Monday -- If you have the book on your wishlist and plan on buying it eventually, please buy it between now and Monday! Launch week, from Tuesday, March 29 to Tuesday, April 5, is the best chance I have at making a bestseller list. Every book counts. If you're on the fence, check out some of the great Amazon reviews -- I know you won't be disappointed, and the book is currently selling for less than $9!
2. Speaking of Amazon -- I still have a goal to get to 100 reviews by Friday (we're in great shape at 38!). If you have a copy of the book, I would be thrilled if you could leave an honest Amazon review sharing your thoughts -- social proof is an amazing motivator for those who don't know me (or my work) to get their own copy.

4. Coaching Giveaway -- Reminder from Tuesday:

Two readers will win an autographed copy of Life After College: The Complete Guide To Getting What You Want and a 45-minute private coaching session ($300 value!) to help you find clarity and inspiration around whatever topic you choose.

Giveaway Rules: Each of the actions below equals 1 or 2 entries. After you’ve completed one or more, leave a comment on Tuesday's post telling me how many entries you’ve earned (we’re on the honor system here!):

1. Share this post on Twitter with the hashtag #LACBook – 1 Entry
2. Share this post on Facebook – 1 Entry
3. “Like” the Life After College Facebook Page – 1 Entry
4. Let me know you are subscribed to the Inside Scoop newsletter – 2 Entries
5. Write an honest review on Amazon.com (obviously only if you have already read the book!) – 2 Entries
6. Copy and paste this template email to let your networks know about the book – 3 Entries

The contest ends on Wednesday, April 3rd at 5pm PST.

5. Reader Testimonials...with pictures!

I've seen other authors do this and I think it's a great way to share excitement about the book, put faces to readers' names, and cross-promote all of you! If you send me a picture of you with the book and a testimonial (send to lifeaftercollege [at] gmail [dot] com), I'll tack them on to the footer of my posts. This week we kick of with Bradley Will of Forward Looking Entrepreneurship!

From Bradley:

"I wish this came out 5 years ago (wow...it's been that long). It would have saved me a lot of time and struggles!"

Thanks again for an amazing launch week everyone!! I can certifiably say I'm the happiest I've ever been...thanks to you. :)

Life After College Book - Happy Launch Day, Baby!!!

There's so much going on today that I barely know where to start! This is a three-part post: launch-day reactions and videos, interviews you don't want to miss, and details on how to enter to win a signed book and coaching session from me! 1. Pinch Me.

My house is in a state of disarray, you couldn't pry me out of my sweats if you tried, stacks of unopened mail pile higher every day, and I have to add things like "shower" and "leave the house" to my to-do list. In Jenny Blake world this can only mean one thing...book launch day is upon us, baby!!!

It's finally HERE. Today.

What?!? I know...I can hardly believe it either.

Just as some girls spend years fantasizing about their wedding, I've had visions of my book launch party and first book signing for as long as I can remember. What I'd be wearing, how I'd be glowing with happiness as I celebrated the proudest day of my life with friends and family, and a feeling deep in my gut that I was fulfilling my exact purpose on this planet.

Through all the ups and downs of the last two and a half years, I am thrilled to report that my vision became a reality this weekend. I had my first book signing on Thursday (sold out of books!) and my book launch party on Saturday -- a signing at Books, Inc. followed by drinks, dancing and cupcakes. Some short video highlights (courtesy of my brother Tom, aka T-Bones):

Video #1: Book Signing at Books, Inc - 36sec (open in new window):

Video #2: Cheers! From the book launch party - 8sec (open in a new window):

2. Interviews + "Behind the Scenes" Webinar Recording

I'm collecting all interviews, reviews and mentions on the book website -- here are some that you don't want to miss!

• Interview and book review at Forbes.com (thanks to the amazing Elisa Doucette!)
• The recording of my Behind the Scenes of the Publishing Process webinar
• My BlogcastFM interview (~40 minute podcast) on How to Get a Book Deal without a Massive Audience

3. In honor of LAUNCH DAY (SQUEE!!) I've got a special giveaway for you:

Two readers will win an autographed copy of Life After College: The Complete Guide To Getting What You Want and a 45-minute private coaching session ($300 value!) to help you find clarity and inspiration around whatever topic you choose.

Giveaway Rules: Each of the actions below equals 1 or 2 entries. After you've completed one or more, leave a comment below telling me how many entries you've earned (we're on the honor system here!):

1. Share this post on Twitter with the hashtag #LACBook - 1 Entry
2. Share this post on Facebook - 1 Entry
3. "Like" the Life After College Facebook Page - 1 Entry
4. Let me know you are subscribed to the Inside Scoop newsletter - 2 Entries
5. Write an honest review on Amazon.com (obviously only if you have already read the book!) - 2 Entries
6. Copy and paste this template email to let your networks know about the book - 3 Entries

The contest ends on Wednesday, April 3rd at 5pm PST.

Good luck and thank you so much for being here to celebrate with me!!

Big love and hugs to you all :) Jenny

***

P.S. Webinar Reminder - If you're free at 5PST/8EST tonight, join me and Brazen Careerist for a 30-minute webinar and 30-minute Network Roulette! During the webinar I’ll share my career development philosophy and side hustle tips for 20 minutes followed by 10 minutes of Q&A, then we’ll head into a 30-minute Network Roulette where the first five people to get paired with me will win signed copies of Life After College.

P.P.S. Bloggers - are you registered to attend #BiSC yet? This will be my second year in attendance at Bloggers in Sin City -- a fabulous weekend of drinks, dancing, and chatting poolside. If you register by Wednesday, you'll be eligible to enter to win another book + coaching giveaway!

6 Ways to Manage a Side Hustle Without Going Insane

Note: This is a re-post of a guest blog I did for Brazen Careerist (GREAT discussion happening in the comments) to promote our upcoming 30-minute webinar and Network Roulette tomorrow (launch day!) at 5EST/8PST. During the webinar I'll share my career development philosophy and side hustle tips for 20 minutes followed by 10 minutes of Q&A; after that we'll head into a 30-minute Network Roulette where the first five people to get paired with me will win signed copies of Life After College. Join us if you can, and stay tuned for an exiting launch day post tomorrow! :)

6 Ways to Manage a Side Hustle Without Going Insane

Side hustles (a term I first heard from Pam Slim of Escape from Cubicle Nation) are all the rage these days. A side hustle is anything you are doing outside of your full-time job (you know...the one that pays the bills), and often involves an entrepreneurial enterprise of some sort -- something you’re building on your own for personal satisfaction and for profit.

As Pam says, “Everybody needs a side hustle.”

Side hustles are great for the following reasons:

1. They allow you to experiment with business ideas without the pressure of trying to make your full income from them right away.

2. They are great for self-expression and self-identity -- you get to build a business (or a blog) around something you are passionate about; you get to be your own boss and set your own strategy.

3. They create a parallel career track that you could leap over to at some point -- or if you were to lose your “day job” -- you would already have a bank of skills and experiences that could either create a new income stream or help you land your next gig.

However, side hustles are not for the faint of heart:

1. You essentially have two jobs. 2. Work/life balance becomes even more challenging -- nights and weekends are easily consumed by one of the two. 3. You risk giving each scattered focus, which could result in a sub-par position on both if you don’t correct course.

A little bit about me:

I’ve been managing side hustles -- gigs in addition to my full-time jobs -- for over six years. When I was working at a start-up company after college, I started doing web development tutoring on the side (which was a great way for me to grow my skills, earn extra spending money, and learn how to find and work with clients). Then in 2007, I started this blog while working full-time at Google in Training & Development. In 2008, I started the process of writing a book and training to become a life coach.

By the time I got the book deal in 2010, my side hustle (author, blogger, coach, speaker and yoga teacher extraordinaire) had become a full time job in itself. Paired with the intense, fast-paced environment of managing global programs through my work at Google (I am a Career Development Program Manager though currently on a 3-month sabbatical) -- it has been all I could do to maintain my sanity these last three years!

With that, I share some tips with you to help you keep your marbles together during the exciting pursuit of what you love.

6 Tips to Keep Your Sanity While Side Hustlin':

1. Draw clear boundaries and create routine. Draw clear boundaries for when you will work on your side hustle. Nights and weekends? Just weekends? No weekends? I chose nights and Sunday afternoons for mine (at least until things got really ramped up with the book, when I found myself working through most weekends). Drawing boundaries will help you stay focused and stay sane -- you will never get everything done, but you will at least know what your “big push” windows are.

2. Be transparent with your employer. I realize not everyone feels that they can share what they work on outside of the office with their manager -- but to the extent that you can, this may actually help him or her support you and give you projects related to your area/s of interest. In my case, it helped tremendously to share what I was doing. Because I’ve kept Google in the loop, they felt comfortable letting me take a 3.5-month unpaid leave of absence to promote the book.

3. Set goals for your side hustle. What are you trying to build? How much extra income are you trying to generate? With limited time to work on your pet project, you will need to be laser focused on what you’re trying accomplish and by when.

4. For bloggers -- assume everything you write will be read by your boss and every co-worker. Does it still pass the “publishable” test? I’m not trying to censor you, but there is a level of discretion required when writing outside of your day job. I can’t tell you how many co-workers of mine reference my blog posts when they run into me -- many of whom I had never met in person prior to our interaction.

5. Stay committed to your social life and be clear about your mission with friends and family. I have made the mistake (far too many times) of letting my two jobs suck up every second of my spare time (partly because I am so motivated to make my side hustle successful). So don’t forget to get out of the house every now and then! Do what you can to enroll friends and family in what you’re doing too -- it’s likely that you will see them less as you ramp up your side hustle -- at least for a period of time. If they know what your greater mission is, they will hopefully understand the times you have to to buckle-down and provide support in the process (though don’t get discouraged if they don’t -- not everyone will see your vision right away).

6. Unplug, recharge, and TAKE A VACATION. No matter how energized you are by what you are doing outside of your full-time, everyone needs a break...or you’ll soon be headed for a break-DOWN. Take it from a girl who has had several hair-pulling hot mess moments over the last few years -- vacations (in which you totally unplug from both jobs) are critical to maintaining your sanity while you juggle. I recently took a week off for SXSW and a spontaneous road-trip detour to Las Vegas -- even though I fell far behind during a critical time for the book launch, the relationships I built and memories I created were unforgettable. No side hustle is worth depriving yourself completely of life’s best moments. After all, isn’t creating MORE of that why we’re doing it in the first place?

Side hustles are a lot of work, but they can also be incredibly rewarding. It’s an amazing feeling to build something of your own and watch it grow.

For those of you already hustlin’ -- what did I miss? How do you maintain your sanity while growing your business while working a full-time job?

Want to learn more? Join us for a LIVE 30-minute webinar and Network Roulette on Tuesday, March 29 at 5PST/8EST (with a chance to win one of FIVE signed copies of Life After College)!

Pre-Launch Round-Up! Events, Giveaways, Early Reviews & Free E-Books

We are in the home stretch, baby! I've said it before and I will say it again -- this book is every bit your success as it is mine. It would not be here without you. You are the greatest community of readers and friends I could ever ask for. With that friendly reminder said, there is so much going on that I hardly know where to start! This post is a round-up of upcoming events, giveaways, free e-books I contributed to, early reviews and a short list of ways you can help if you feel so inclined.

An Awesome Picture (and Moment):

This is the first time I actually saw my book in a bookstore...and to walk in to this! A tower of glory at my favorite local bookstore, Books, Inc. Big thanks to Glen and the team for putting up such a 5-star display!

The even cooler news is that people are already buying it! It's crazy to think about people I don't know picking up a copy based on the book's own merits (not just because I'm paying them to be my friend ;-) - but that's what makes this whole process so exciting! I love the idea of the book spreading even beyond the online community, into unexpected places, and finding people who need it most -- no matter where they are.

Upcoming Events:

• Behind the scenes of the publishing process - free 60-minute webinar with Pierre Khawand of People On the Go - this Thursday at 12 p.m. PST. {Sign-up here}
• Managing a side hustle without going insane (see accompanying guest post) - a free 30-minute webinar with the awesome team at Brazen Careerist on Tuesday (launch day!) at 5EST/8PST, followed by a 30-minute Network Roulette. You'll get paired with a new person every three minutes, and the first five people who get paired up with me get a free signed copy of my book! {Sign-up here}
• IRL event -- Book launch party! For any of you in the Bay Area, I would love for you to stop by my book launch party this Saturday! It will kick-off with a bookstore talk/signing at Books, Inc on Castro Street in Mountain View, followed by drinks, food, and -- what else -- cupcakes -- at Zen Lounge. {RSVP here}

Book Giveaways:

• Life After College Facebook Page - Win a signed copy of Life After College by sharing the best piece of advice (either your own or advice you've received) for life after college. The advice with the most Facebook "likes" by 12 Noon PST on Friday, March 25 wins!
• The Anti Resume - For starters, Mike Krass is awesome; we're doing a joint shindig after my bookstore event at University Bookstore in Seattle on June 2 (save the date!) for any of you living in the area. Check out his website for details on how to win a free copy of the book from him on the Anti Resume Facebook page!
• Twitter Chats - Join me and Chanelle Schneider for a #GenYChat conversation on Twitter on March 30 at 6PST/9EST for a chance to win a copy. College Lifestyles will also be doing a giveaway during their chat in April - details to follow!

Contributions around the Web - Free E-books!

• My first lesson in taking initiative - a contribution to an e-book for Seth Godin's Domino Project, compiled by the ever-amazing Amber Rae. The e-book is an assembly of "50 inspiring stories about taking initiative from accomplished entrepreneurs and up-and-coming stars."
• A transcription of my video interview with David Trotter for his 127-page FUEL E-book, "11 Passionate Voices Empowering You to Launch Yourself."
• The latest edition of Thom Chambers' In Treehouses Magazine, "The Profit in Free." I'm not in this one, but I was honored to have a feature in last month's issue, and the magazine is so gorgeous and informative that you should read it anyway!

Early Reviews:

Even though the "official" launch date is next Tuesday, advance copies and pre-orders have already shipped, and I've been completely humbled by the response so far. If you post a review, please let me know so that I can add you to the Around the Web page on my book website!

• Jessica Lawlor - Book Review: Life After College by Jenny Blake Jenny asks poignant questions that will get you thinking about what you value, what your goals are, and where you see yourself heading. Something else I really loved about this book was hearing Jenny’s stories and tips. Jenny shares several stories that show her during times of doubt and fear. She doesn’t position herself as an expert who has never experienced anything she writes about.

• SoCalTJ - I'm Not Normally One for Self Help Books... Jenny has managed to create a totally fun, INTERACTIVE book, with tables to fill in, lots of questions with spaces for your answers. And it's in color too! It's pretty much unfathomable to me that I could get a copy of this book for under $20, let alone TWO of them. (Clearly they aren't paying Jenny enough for her hard work!). I've never been that excited about reading books - I don't think I've picked one up since college, but I'm stoked to delve into this one and see where it takes me.
• Grad Meets World - Video review!

How you can help:

Next week I'll post more details on purchase incentives (buying 1, 3 or bulk). In the meantime, for those of you who have received your book/s, I would absolutely LOVE your help in any of the following ways:

• Leave your HONEST review on Amazon (my goal is to get to 100 by the end of next week. 8 down, only 92 to go!)
• Bloggers - some ideas: review the book, share an excerpt of a few tips, or use one of the coaching exercises as a prompt for your next post. I'm happy to do written or video interviews too. There's a full Blogger Kit on the book website with more resources too.
• Everyone else -- tell your friends and family! Let your networks know about the book and find more info at LACBook.com. More goodies to follow next week.

THANK YOU EVERYONE!