Incubate Your Destiny!

Nancy Goodman, MSEd, LPC

Central Academic Advising

goodnanc@isu.edu

IncubateO to develop or produce as if by

hatching; give form to:O to develop; grow; take form: O to develop or cause to develop

graduallyO  To maintain (eggs, organisms, or

l iv ing t issue) at optimal environmental conditions for growth and development.

DestinyO something that is to happen or

has happened to a particular person or thing; lot or fortune.

O the predetermined, usually inevitable or irresistible, course of events.

O the power or agency that determines the course of events.

Joseph CampbellO Sarah Lawrence CollegeO Mythology and Comparative

ReligionO Hero’s Journey/MonomythO George Lucas and Star

WarsO “Follow Your Bliss”O Power of Myth with Bil l

Moyers—featured on Gilmore Girls episode

O The Hero With a Thousand Faces

O www.jcf.org

Quotes from An Open Life with Michael Toms

It takes a l itt le courage at f irst, because who wants you to do just what you want to do; they’ve all got a lot of plans for you. But you can make it happen.

I think it ’s very important for a young person to have the courage to do what seems to them significant in their l i fe.

This takes a bit of prudence and very careful planning, and may delay f inancial achievement and comfortable l iving, but the ult imate result wil l be very much to their pleasure.

There are plenty of ways to coast along unti l you find your center.

Acceptance of the popular advancement is often to the detriment of your career work.

It ’s an early decision of courage to do the thing that’s your authentic drive. That’s the path where there is no path.

I don’t know how it is today, but in the 1920’s and 1930’s there were plenty of marginal areas where you could incubate your destiny. They must sti l l exist.

Example--ChrisO Double major Polit ical Science,

HistoryO Lived at home after graduationO Volunteered for many high-profile

organizations O Now Executive Director for national

organization, great salary

What careers might need “incubating?”

O Fine or performing artsO Highly competitive jobs—top

advertising firms, professional sports-related…

O Careers requiring a lot of training and expertise

O EntrepreneurshipO “paying your dues”

How might you incubate your destiny?

O Take risky classesO Live at homeO Delay marriage/childrenO Plan B job unti l plan A jobO Volunteerism while workingO “Do one thing every day that scares you”O MentoringO Personal characterist ics—patience, faith,

confidence, strategy, tenacityO Relocate

Additional ReferencesO Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway—Susan Jeffers,

PhDO Luck is no Accident: Making the Most of

Happenstance in Your Life and Career—John Krumboltz, PhD & Al Levin, EdD

O Callings: Finding and Following an Authentic Life—Gregg Levoy

O An Open Life—Campbell and TomsO Anything that inspires you to l ive bravely!