A cartoonist, a magician, and a dolphin trainer walk into a bar…

Certain job titles seem to ooze fun. But I have a hard time imagining very many jobs that can’t be made fun with just a little bit of effort.

Kim and I are in California this week for a series of speaking engagements. We were able to spend Monday and Tuesday out and about in the San Francisco area before hunkering down and getting some work done in our hotel room today. We saw many examples of people who had fairly ordinary (and even mundane) jobs, but who interjected a level of fun into their work.

We bought an all-day pass for the cable cars, giving us many opportunities to witness quite a few different operators. First of all, as romantic as it may sound to be a cable car operator in San Francisco, it’s a pretty monotonous job. You’re collecting fares, handling the grips, traversing the same route back and forth, all day long. But one guy really stood out. He offered some interesting trivia, witty banter, and patiently paused at various interval so tourists could get the perfect picture of the Golden Gate Bridge or Lombard Street. His cheerfulness added to the experience for everyone aboard, and I’m sure it made the time fly by for him.

While strolling Fisherman’s Wharf, we spotted a bakery that specialized in sourdough bread. It also specialized in fun. Besides offering free smells, it also offered free views of the bread making. One guy was making some very unique loaves of bread. He sculpted turtles, alligators, and crabs out of the dough. A crowd of people had gathered to watch the culinary art show. It was hard to tell who was having more fun: the bystanders or the baker.

The main ingredient used by the baker and the cable car operator was fun.

So why bother? What difference does it make if you have fun while you work? Well, it makes for a more productive workplace (people aren’t so lethargic), keeps us healthier (75% off all our doctor visits are stress related), helps minimize employee turnover (they’re enjoying themselves too much to look for a new job on Monster.com), and can even add to the bottom line (wanna bet animal bread guy sells more bread at higher prices than regular loaf bread guy? I am reading a book about the great promoter, P.T. Barnum. One of the things he knew quite well was that the one thing people would spend their last nickel on, even during a period of time as tough as the Great Depression, was…fun.

Whether you spend your days in a wet suit in Orlando or in a dry suit on Wall Street, I challenge you to try and interject a little childlike fun into your workday. If incorporating some fun into your day job is something you already do, please share some of your techniques!

Technorati Tags: San Francisco, fun, fun jobs, P.T. Barnum, cable cars, sourdough bread, Fisherman’s Wharf

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This image speaks to me.

I saw it on a very cool blog post entitled "Young at Heart" on the blog, Hope.Faith.Love.

It challenges me.

Am I really living my life like that? I sure want to.

As I sat and listened to Jason speak today at one of his last of eight programs for January ‘07, I found myself hearing a sentence he shares regularly for the first time.

"Inside of everyone there is a little kid just dying to get out."

My sisters would agree that when I was little I was a wild child, somewhat miscievious and full of energy, similar to the comic strip character Kim. Somedays as an adult I feel such the opposite. I feel so boring and dull. So full of Adultitis.

I was reminded of this wild child during the recent funeral services for my Boompa. Something I realized about my relationship with Boompa upon his passing is that he always saw me as that little wild child, even when I was an adult and struggling with Adultitis. He would tell Jason, "Watch out for this one!" When I would sit down next to him at a family gathering, he would predictably joke about me being full of energy and mischief, letting others around us know that I might stir up trouble. He still saw a side of me that has since faded more than I’d like to admit. Now that Boompa is gone, I realize that I need to make a special effort to be that spunky bundle of joy he saw.

Someone who doesn’t hesitate to sing my heart out in front of other people.
Someone who laughs loudly.
Someone who befriends a stranger with a smile.
Someone who dances wildly at a favorite song.
Someone who does cartwheels on the beach.

Technorati Tags: Hope.Faith.Love., Adultitis, cartwheels, Boompa, childlike, joy, young at heart

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I would have to say that I’m in my dream job. I write this blog post from a hotel room in Pleasanton, California (near the San Francisco/Oakland area.) I had a speaking gig this morning where I was able to encourage a gym full of people to make their lives a little bit more fun an fulfilling. We sold prints and comic books featuring funny pictures I’ve drawn over the past six years. Kim and I will be able to spend the next few days in San Francisco, while collecting some footage for our new project, Escape Plan TV. I draw, write, talk (and travel) for a living. Certainly not a typical job by any standard. There’s a good chance it may not even be that appealing job to many people. But if I were asked what my ideal dream job would be, I’d have a hard time topping this one.

Sometimes people remark about how lucky I am to be in this position. Blessed, yes. But lucky? No.

I remember years ago when I worked for a car dealership while I was in high school and college. It was a pretty good job as far as flexibility goes. But I hated it. I hated sweating my butt off during the summer when I had to vacuum hot cars. I hated cleaning the yellow-filmed interior car windows of heavy smokers. I hated breathing car exhaust because the lazy mechanics wouldn’t always put the hoses on the tailpipes. I hated brushing the snow off the cars in the winter. I hated coming home dirty and smelling like oil. I hated having wet socks from washing cars all day. And I hated one of the shop foremen — he was a real jerk.

I remember working there one day when I made a promise to myself. I decided that no matter what, I was not going to get stuck in a dead-end job I couldn’t stand. I was going to make something of myself. I was going to finish school, chase my dreams, and never give up, no matter how hard it would be.

Well, so far, it’s been a LOT harder than I though it would be. Kim and I have made a lot of sacrifices (a kindergarten teaching salary does not go as far as one might think.) We’ve gone through a lot of air conditionless summers. (Thank God heat is included in our rent!) And I’ll never forget the slew of disappointing craft shows where we unsuccessfully hawked some of the very same prints that now sell like hotcakes at my speaking gigs. (One particular show in Milwaukee cost us over $250 in fees and expenses, and we sold a grand total of three greeting cards in two days. That was good for a whopping $7.92 in revenue. Take that, Trump!)

So what is the point of this long-winded tale? The point is that finding your dream job is more about making choices and being persistent than it is about waiting for the perfect opportunity to fall in your lap. It’s about evaluating your talents, dreaming big, following your heart, and trusting God to guide your path.

Are you in your dream job? If so, I applaud you. But you are in the minority. According to a CareerBuilder.com survey released on January 25th, more than four out of five U.S. workers are still searching for their dream job. One way to begin the search is to look back at your own childhood. I find the comments by one of the CareerBuilder.com representatives interesting:

"What defines a dream job is surprisingly reminiscent of childhood wishes for many workers," said Richard Castellini, vice president of consumer marketing at CareerBuilder.com. "Workers said they want to enjoy their work experience, apply their talents and feel like they’re making an impact. Having fun at work was the most important attribute of a dream job for 39 percent of workers, which heavily outweighed the 12 percent who said salary was most important."

Salary was one of the least important factors in determining a dream job. Money ranked third (12 percent) compared to having fun at work (39 percent) which topped the list, followed by making a difference in society (17 percent).

I have been accused of being an idealist, but I can’t help but wonder what our country would look like if EVERYONE was in their dream job. Heck, I’d like to see the effects of even three out of five folks working at their dream job! Are you one of those people who think that it would be impossible for everyone to be in their dream job? Wouldn’t everyone want to be Donald Trump, or Oprah, or a movie star? I’m not so sure about that. (Keep in mind that across all professions in the survey, police and firefighters reported the highest incidence of feeling they have their dream jobs (35 percent), followed closely by teachers (32 percent.) Everyone I know has such a unique mix of skills and interests and passions that I like to think that somehow, everyone would fill a specific need and there’d be plenty of dream jobs to go around.

So what about you? Are you in your dream job? If not, what would it be?

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In this episode, brought to you from studio 203 in Madison, Wisconsin, we interview Eliz Greene, an amazingly passionate woman known as the Red Dress Lady. We also talk about a Chinese laugh-a-thon, how to make your life a great adventure, and share some news about an exciting new project we’re working on.

[What is a podcast?]

Listen now by clicking on the podcast icon below.

To subscribe to the RSS feed of our podcast and automatically receive all new shows, paste this url [http://feeds.feedburner.com/EscapeAdulthood] into a podcast aggregator like iPodder. Or, if you have iTunes, you can click on this little icon to be subscribed automatically:

Show Notes:

• We have a new theme song! Listen to more of Ethan’s music at www.EthanElkind.com.
• To Relieve Stress, 600 Chinese Organize Laugh-a-thon (story)
• Life as a Great Adventure (article)
• Eliz Greene is the Red Dress Lady. Check out her website, read her blog, buy her book, Passion for Life!
• Learn more about the Escape Plan.
• Get your sweetie a sweet gift for Valentine’s Day. Guys: use the coupon code FORHER07 to get a free card and gift wrapping. Girls: use the coupon code FORHIM07 to get a free scoop of bath ice cream to pamper yourself with. (Minimum order of $14.)
• You are too blessed to be stressed. Get this mug to serve as a reminder!
• Learn more about booking Jason to speak at your group’s next get together.

Win Stuff: Win a copy of Eliz Greene’s book, Passion for Life, by letting us know, "What were YOU most passionate about as a kid?" E-mail us or leave us a message at 608-554-0803.

Vote For Us: We’d really really appreciate it if you took a few moments to vote for us over at Podcast Alley. Thanks!

Show Music: Coyote Sleeps by Ethan Elkind

Show Length: 49 minutes, 24 seconds

Shout Outs: Thanks to Dave for the e-mail, Ethan for use of his great song, and Eliz for sharing her passion!

Feedback: We’d love to hear your thoughts! Add a comment below, e-mail us, or give us a jingle at 608-554-0803.

Technorati Tags: podcast, stress, escape adulthood, Adultitis, Ethan Elkind, Eliz Greene, Red Dress Lady, passion

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For those of you who follow the Kim & Jason comic strip, I’m sure you are familiar with Boompa, Kim’s grandpa. Jason describes Boompa like this:

Boompa is a wise and witty senior who provides answers to some of life’s most challenging questions. A retired carpenter with a heart of gold, Kim’s grandfather is always giving the kids gifts and explaining how things work. He is old enough to know the wisdom that children possess, and always takes time to honor their questions, stories, and ramblings. Despite a lifetime of experiences, Boompa has not yet outgrown his childhood.

Some of you know that my family really does call my paternal grandpa Boompa. Between me and Jason, three out of our four grandpas were carpenters and his dad is a carpenter. Jason created the character Boompa to be a combination of all of the strong, playful and wise men in our lives. For the last six years that Jason has been creating the strip, my Boompa has been the only living grandfather on both of our sides. Some of you may remember the post I share this past summer with a picture of me and Boompa together.

A week ago today my Boompa passed away at the age of 92.

Just like Jason’s description of the character, my Boompa was a big kid, sharing his childlike spirit and faith with everyone he met. He sure got a kick out of reading Jason’s strips.

My emotions have been on a roller coaster this week. I am so happy that he is finally in a better place. Just like the character, my Boompa was a widower living alone. Him and my grandma Rosie were married for 65 years when she passed away a year and a half ago. He missed her so much. As Jason shared in the eulogy on Wednesday, in a way this is kind of like a good love story- in the end the guy gets the girl.

So, I feel happy for him, but I have been so sad this week. I’m selfish, I guess. I miss his smile.

On Monday night I read through the hundreds of strips Jason had created featuring Boompa and it was amazing how it brought back so many wonderful memories, even though Jason wasn’t even there in my childhood to have those experiences with him. I think the character Boompa serves as an example of that “grandpa” in all of our lives.

Boompa always had a spark in his eye. His life inspires and challenges me to also live with that spark!

We just got a new cd recently by one of our favorite bands, Switchfoot. On the way home from the funeral one of the songs just connected with the moment. This is a great song for anyone who has lost someone. You can actually download the program Rhapsody very quickly and hear the whole song here.

Yesterdays

Flowers cut and brought inside
Black cars in a single line
Your family in suits and ties
And you’re free

The ache I feel inside
Is where the life has left your eyes
I’m alone for our last goodbye
But you’re free

I remember you like yesterday, yesterday
I still can’t believe you’re gone, oh…
I remember you like yesterday, yesterday
And until I’m with you, I’ll carry on

Adrift on your ocean floor
I feel weightless, numb, and sore
A part of you in me is torn
And you’re free

I woke from a dream last night
I dreamt that you were by my side
Reminding me I still had life
In me

I’ll carry on

Every lament is a love song
Yesterday, yesterday
I still can’t believe you’re gone
So long my friend, so long

Technorati Tags: Boompa, Kim & Jason, Switchfoot, death, grandpa, grandfather, Rhapsody

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My passion lies in helping people go seek their hidden childlike spirit. I believe, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the world would be unimaginably better if everyone was just 10% more childlike (not sure how one would even measure that, so don’t ask.) I do fear, however, that my plea comes across as an idealistic, free spirit, give peace a chance echo from the sixties. I assure you, I may be a dreamer, but I am no hippie. (I worshiped Alex P. Keaton, for crying out loud.)

However, when we let our childlike spirit slowly slip away, life does get worse. We become more stressed, anxious, and cynical. Life takes on an air of monotony. When Adultitis sets in, life is like watching the Rose Bowl parade on a black and white television: all the floats and flowers are there, but we can’t help but wonder, "Isn’t there more to it than this?"

My aim is to spread this message far and wide. I hope that I can convey it as equally relevant to the stay at home mom of three and the high level executive in the three-piece suit. A world without Adultitis is in the best interest of everyone, from hippies to housewives, from kids to capitalists.

Life is meant to be lived in full color. Is yours?

Technorati Tags: Rose Bowl Parade, floats, flowers, television, Seth Godin, hippies, Adultitis

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Every month, one Club K&J subscriber is drawn as the winner in the Supremely Wonderful & Exciting Loot Lottery. This month’s lucky recipient is Amy Miller! She wins some Bath Ice Cream! Congrats, Amy!

Join Club K&J for your chance to win this month’s prize Loot Lottery!

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I must be in the minority, but I never was a big fan of tag. Or rather, I was never a big fan of being "it." Being "it" was alright as long as you weren’t "it" for too long. Once you exceeded a certain amount of time as "it," you very quickly approach a harrowing state of shame and humiliation. Maybe that was just me.

Well, I’ve been tagged. Tagged by a fellow blogger, Mr. Make it Great, Phil Gerbyshak. Now that I’m "it," this particular game requires me to share 5 things that other people don’t know about me. I like this game a little better, because I have some control over how long I have to be "it." But in the spirit of tag, I shall now share a few things that put me in danger of entering a harrowing state of shame and humiliation:

1) When I was an adolescent, I had a picture of Michael J. Fox taped to my ceiling. Over my bed. Why? I thought he was cool. (And I didn’t realize just how gay that seemed. Not that there’s anything wrong with that…) But before you think this is a post about me coming out of the closet, let me also say that I had about 15 pictures of Elle McPherson on display (torn from the highly coveted Sport Illustrated Swimsuit issues.)

2) I had six wisdom teeth. Now I have just four, the same amount normal human beings have. The dentist told me that once in a while, it’s possible for people to get an extra two or four wisdom teeth. He didn’t mention anything about alien abductions or anal probes, but he didn’t sound very convincing, either.

3) When I was about three or four, my parents used to dress me up in a brown plaid robe and carry me around the house while singing "Scandinavian Hotshot." I think it’s a real song, but I’ve never heard it and I don’t know what it means. From time to time, they also intermixed "Gonna Fly Now," the theme song from Rocky.

Now for some cool ones…

4) I was named the co-captain of my varsity baseball team. I played second base (like my hero, Ryne Sandberg) and one time I caught a fly ball with my bare hand. It was a high pop hit to short right field. I scrambled out to get it and got a little disoriented. (Those things can be tricky.) I finally located the ball and at the last minute, reflexively thrust out my non-gloved hand. The ball just stuck — the third out. It was the weirdest thing. Of course, I trotted back into the dugout acting like I had planned it all along and it was no big deal.

5) Finally, I once saw Michael Jordan drop 55 points on the Knicks. I went with some friends to a game while we were in college. The seats weren’t the greatest, but when he hit 50 points, the crowd went crazy. It was awesome.

Well, that wasn’t so bad. Now Daniel, Tony, John, Ian, and Jason…you’re "it!"

Technorati Tags: Phil Gerbyshak, Daniel Bigler, Tony D. Clark, John Wentz, Rodeo Clown, Jason Bean, Michael J. Fox, Rocky, Ryne Sandberg, Michael Jordan, wisdom teeth, Elle McPherson

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Last week I had the privilege of addressing a group of elementary and high school teachers at a district wide meeting in Stark County, Illinois. (Read the newspaper article.) I like talking to teachers. Rarely do they have people standing up for them, acknowledging all the hard work they do, and reminding them of why they got into teaching in the first place. It was the first day back from Christmas break, and frankly, I don’t think anyone was too excited to be there. (At least that’s what Kim’s teaching experience has taught me.) After I promised that I wouldn’t say a word about curriculum and had everyone complete an Adultitis intake, I am confident to say that we had a pretty good time. Al Curry (pictured below) was one of the reasons for that…

He is a high school science teacher and was the winner (as the picture clearly shows) of the Chubby Bunny contest. He stuffed at least five jumbo marshmallows in his mouth and was still able to perfectly enunciate the phrase "chubby bunny."

While the group enjoyed his confident display of marshmallow domination, I enjoyed my conversation with Al after the presentation. He told me about one of the ways he manages to remain Adultitis-free. Every summer, he and his college-age son go on a motorcycle trip. Their biggest expense is gas, as the duo eats cheap and sleeps in tents. They’ve seen a lot of the beautiful wide-open spaces of this country, including Yellowstone, the Badlands, and scenic Minnesota. The Grand Canyon is at the top of their wish list.

Al relayed a story about a trip his son took to a leadership camp in Washington, D.C. when he was in high school. According to Al’s son, there were a lot of well-off Ivy League kids there. A discussion came up about what kinds of cars everybody had, and names like BMW and Mercedes surfaced. They were aghast to learn that Al’s son didn’t own a car.

"I have an old motorcycle, though," he sheepishly offered.

"You do?"

"Yep. Me and my dad go riding every summer."

That led to an hour long discussion about the summer road trips. The East Coast kids were mesmerized. According to Al — and I think he’s right — his son’s new friends were probably not as interested in the stories of the road as much as they were perplexed by the concept of actually having quality time with Dad.

They say time is money. I don’t know about that. All too often in today’s world, parents try to substitute money — and BMWs — for time, as if they were an equal swap. It never ceases to amaze me that no matter how young or close to adulthood a child is, they would always rather have time than money.

I suppose January is as good a time as any to look at your supply of time and money, and re-evaluate how you’re investing each of them. How do you spend your time? How do you spend your money? You can always make more money, but no one has yet to figure out how to make more time. When it’s gone, it’s gone.

Brand new BMW: $35,000.

Ivy League Education: $150,000.

A motorcycle trip to the Grand Canyon with your son: Priceless.

Technorati Tags: Adultitis, Stark County, teachers, Ivy League, priceless, marshmallows, Chubby Bunny, time management, money, quality time, BMW, Grand Canyon

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Since we didn’t have any playground equipment on our school grounds growing up we played a lot of tag (and four square…I love that game!). Looks like I get to relive my tag-playing days. My friend Phil Gerbyshak just tagged me in his fun and enlightening blog.

So, here’s how this works…I share five things that you might not know about me. Then I get to run and tag five other bloggin’ buddies. Thanks Phil! What a fun way to Escape Adulthood today!

Here goes…

1. I met my husband Jason Christmas caroling Dec. 13, 1994. I was 16, he was 18. We were two of the twenty-some friends who got together to carol around town in the snow. It’s funny to think about the fact that the first time I met Jason I was wearing a Santa hat, red tights, rudolph boxers, an oversized sweatshirt and black combat boots (Hey- they were "in" then!). How did I not scare him away?

2. I am the nickname girl. I LOVE to call people by nicknames. I also love it when people call me by a nickname. Some of the nicknames I have are: Kimmy, Kimmers, Kee, Joobie, Jooblet, Bimmy, Snibbs, Big Bird (I don’t care for this one!), Sweet Chunk (Not too fond of this one either.).

3. I actually like smoking cigars. I’ve only smoked a few…all of them with my Dad. (I was his last attempt for a son. He got four daughters.)

4. I am officially a GTD geek. I love it!

5. I am growing my hair to model after a male Christian rock star, Phil Joel. I’ve always loved his music AND his hair. I’ve still got a few inches to go, but I’m getting there.

That was fun! Thanks again, Phil! Ok, now for my five people…Chris , Kim , Eliz, Angel and Bernie. You’re it!

Technorati Tags: 5 things, 5things, tag, meme, Kim Kotecki, Phil Gerbyshak, Escape Adulthood, GTD, Getting Things Done, Phil Joel

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The man is a legend, having ushered in new years for centuries. (Or what seems like it.) And now, in honor of the new year, if you place an order at the Lemonade Stand for $20.07 or more, you can get free shipping by entering in the coupon code DICKCLARK during checkout. The offer expires Sunday January 14th — after that, the year is not so new anymore. Be sure to check out our list of top 10 cool things to usher in a new year (and all the resolutions that go with it.)

In a somewhat related new year note, if you’re interested in sprucing up your computer’s desktop, you can download the free Kim & Jason eCalendar wallpaper for January. (Only 9 days late ;))

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Living in Wisconsin you can only imagine that there is a lot of talk about whether or not Brett Favre will retire this year. By the looks of the interview from New Year’s Eve, I wouldn’t be surprised if he does. Check out a fun Deal or No Deal version of that interview here.

To retire or not to retire. What a big decision! So many baby boomers are being faced with this question earlier than they had originally thought, due to corporate budget cutting. Companies do package up the deal pretty nicely these days. It’s too expensive to pay the guys/gals at the top.

The other day Jason and I had a great conversation with an older gentlemen about retirement. He shared that he is 80-years-old and is not interested in retirement. He has too much life left to live. He shared that he has too much to offer and his passion for sharing his gifts was very obvious within the first first minutes of our conversation. We then chatted about the people who live for retirement and what a long 40 years that must be. This really got me thinking.

Dare I say… if you love what you are doing, you wouldn’t look forward to retiring from it. I know that’s easy to say for someone who is 28-years-old, but I also know that my list of goals and dreams is very long. I find it hard to believe that I will have completed the list by the time I am 65. I’m not advocating that all 80-year-olds should have to put in 40 hour work weeks. I’m saying, what is the point of living and working towards retirement? I’m guessing some would say, "freedom to do what I finally want to do." Well, why wait?!

This reminds me two blog posts Jason shared last year. The first post was about living life for today because tomorrow is not guaranteed. The second post he shared a few months ago about staying in the wrong job. They are both well worth the detour.

Everyone knows a story of someone who worked at the job he tolerated for 40 years, counting down the days until retirement, when he would finally be able to play golf regularly, spend time with his kids and grandkids and travel more with his wife, only to have a heart attack on the way home from his retirement party. Quite frankly, living and working for some far off day in the future seems pretty risky to me.

Now Brett is in a different situation. For his own health, it’s wise to stop while he’s ahead. I also don’t see him as the type who will spend the next 50 years on his couch eating chips and dip and watching Sports Center all day. He’s too goal oriented for that lifestyle.

I think it’s all about sharing your talents with others and following the passion you have in your heart throughout your entire life…not just from age 65 and beyond.

In thinking about all of this I thought about Bob Hope, who shared his gifts of entertainment with so many for the 100 years he spent on this earth. He’s a great example of what I’m talking about.

I also think about our 80-year-old friend I mentioned earlier, who shared with us his big plans of writing a book and spreading his message to those who really need to hear it.

So make that long list of things you want to do when you retire and start doing them…today!

And Brett…this is only the beginning.

Technorati Tags: Brett Favre, retirement, retiring, Bob Hope, baby boomers, passion, talents, job, dreams, goals

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