Make your skill set work for you

For a week I’ve been thinking about web designing bowlers

I think of people who come to me and ask how I come up with these ideas for projects and what inspires them.  It’s nothing more than my skill sets and interests in life.  They’re all deeply rooted in stuff I love to do.

Think of being an incredible bowler.  That’s great, there is some opportunity there, but a lot of people with the same skill set.

Think of being an incredible web developer.  That’s great, there is some opportunity there too, but a lot of people with the same skill set.

Now, think of being an incredible bowler that’s an incredible web developer.  All of a sudden the opportunities you can create for yourself increase dramatically and the number of people with the same skill set suddenly decreases.

What if said bowler has an incredible knack for socializing and networking and tops it off with a lot of personality?  If you ask me, the bowler has a new career.  Now it is completely feasible that this bowler can be the Gary Vaynerchuk of bowling rather than wine.

Merge your skills for 2010

Whatever your skills are, I challenge you to merge them, mix them, and mingle them for 2010.  Take three of them and figure out what can be created from those.  When you’re not working on that, what’s a new skill set you can learn and pick up on the side?  I know there are a few things I’m hoping to learn such as using the Getting Things Done process and using video more.

Combine a few skills and you’ll stand out in a crowd, you’ll crush your competition, and increase your likelihood to succeed.

How I’ve combined my skills…

I’ve done pretty well my little projects in life, Hometown Invasion Tour, Daily Fruit, Yooper Steez, Beer With Branson, and there are a whole lot more I’d like to work on. I thrive on these.

Combining skill sets is what made them work. The Hometown Invasion Tour (HIT) is the best example. When people ask me what inspired it or what made me want to do it, it’s all because of a collection of interests.

When I graduated from MSU I had two degrees, sociology and advertising. On the other hand I have always been passionate about photography, web design, travel, and had been keeping some form of journal most of my life. The HIT was my chance to merge everything I love to do into one. I was driven to make my skill sets work for me and not just go into advertising.

• I was able to use my sociology degree as I stayed with 100+ households I had never met.
• I was able to use my advertising degree to help find sponsorship to fund the trip and spread the word
• I was able to use my photography, web design skills, and love for writing to document all of it.

With only couple skills it still would have been great, but the more skills I was able to work into the trip the greater it became, the more unique it became, and the more I was able to standout to sponsors, press, etc.

The HIT was not some big creative idea, it was just the most logical way to combine everything I love to do and merge it into an ultimate sort of dream job.

On the other hand there are many other skills I wish I possessed that would have made the trip even better: podcasting and interviewng, video editing, organization and planning skills.

However, it’s all about the skills you do have, and how you can make those skill work for you.