The Four Enterprises

What if you viewed your “work” as the pursuit of four lifelong enterprises?

An enterprise according to Merriam-Webster is “a project or undertaking that is especially difficult, complicated, or risky,” An enterprise supplies something that is needed–both for the kind of continued progress that most of us define as a career and for the satisfaction that we crave from work. Whether we are employed, retired, unemployed, or under-employed, regardless of our passions, aptitudes, credentials, employment experiences, assets, and constraints, we all need to pursue these four lifelong enterprises with greater intention and purpose.

The four enterprise are:

Dream Calling. Using your imagination fully. Paying attention to the sensory experiences, images, and cultural expressions that swirl around you and mindfully pursuing those that awaken your mind, heighten the intensity of your emotions, and enrich your soul. Exploring possibilities, envisioning your desired future, and inventing the kinds of endeavors that will both fulfill you and make a positive difference. . More.

Life-Embedded Learning. Taking advantage of the numerous learning opportunities afforded by books, media entities, technologies, community resources, and people in your sphere. Continually investigating what you know and what you think you know. Consciously developing and applying new skills, adapting existing knowledge and skills in new areas, and finding greater depth of meaning and significance in the people, environments, and experiences you encounter. More.

Solution Crafting.  Looking at your life from different perspectives and seeking ways to synergize your assets and talents. Bringing an artistic sensibility, design thinking, and surprise into whatever you produce. Continually generating divergent ideas about how to look at and respond to circumstances, problems, challenges, opportunities, and desires–both individually and collaboratively. . More.

Venture Launching. Thinking about and testing ways to carry your ideas and solutions forward into the marketplace for your profit, into the public sphere for the good of others and the enrichment of the culture, or just into a wider conversation for their continued development. More.