Wow! What better way to kick off ‘One Week Job’ and all it represents, than to jump off a bridge!

If it is something you have never done before, put it down on your ‘to do’ list. It truly is an incredible adrenaline rush! Although it is quite funny because you don’t realize the fun you just had until you are back safe and sound on the bridge.

I had an awesome day working with Whistler Bungee up in Whistler, BC today. A tv crew from Vancouver came up to do a story about One Week Job and we had fun shooting some stuff with them, hopefully I will be able to get some of the footage up on the site by Sunday.

There was a group jumping that were visiting from Brazil, so it was great to make some new friends and it is always fun to join in with the excitement that comes a long with first time jumpers. I did some inventory, helped strap clients into harnesses, and ofcourse coercing them into signing their lives away was also involved.

I had this interesting article brought to my attention today entitled, “Americans hate their jobs more than ever - Satisfaction level hits new low, especially among younger workers.”

What’s going on, I just don’t get it! Sounds like more ‘Sheepwalker‘ syndrome if you ask me.

Week One has been great so far and I will be announcing my job for Week Two tomorrow!

Until then,

-Sean

(well kinda)

I helped out Whistler Bungee at a Travel and Adventure Trade Show in Vancouver, B.C over the weekend in exchange for one day this week. That day was today, so it gave me the opportunity to get caught up on emails and just try and get organized before things get going.

At the Trade Show, the day consisted of meeting and talking with many different people about Whistler Bungee, what they offer, where they are located, the adrenaline rush of bungee jumping in general, and the question of whether it is sky diving or bungee jumping that is more scarier. I have been told that bungee jumping is, though I have never sky dived before so I wouldn’t know for sure. Who knows, maybe it will be a One Week Job in the weeks to come and then I can give you a first hand experience!

Some were unaware that there was a bungee jumping company up in Whistler, BC, but there sure is, and if you are ever in the Whistler or Vancouver area and feel like jumping off a bridge, there is no better place to do it than in the beautiful landscape they are lucky to have up there. I’ll show you some pics later on in the week!

I am the only person I know who has never owned a cell phone, and with the start of the project I am now finding myself in desperate need of one. That, and the fact that even my grandma has one, so I figured it was about time to pick one up.

If anyone has any cell phone ideas, plans, providers that they would recommend, please send me an email. Needless to say, I need a plan that has great long distance!

And if you haven’t yet, be sure to make your promise today.

-Sean

Seth Godin defines ’sheepwalking’ as “the outcome of hiring people who have been raised to be obedient and giving them a braindead job and enough fear to keep them in line.” Hmm, not for me thanks!

I am getting a great response to the project so far as I think it is really something that everyone can relate to. Whether you are in my generation - lost, confused with an uncertain future ahead or whether you have been in the working world for 20 years.

I think everyone, at some point in their lives, have been in a situation where they had to make a life altering decision regarding their career path. It is a big decision and I am not going to make the wrong one. I had an inspiring teacher that would always say, “Aim for the stars and at least you won’t end up with a handful of mud!”

I was on CBC Radio One: The Early Edition in Vancouver on Monday morning and it was interesting to see the different views of One Week Job through the generations. For an older generation, it seems to be difficult to comprehend the concept as it is just so far out from the norm they are used to or how they were brought up: Go to school, get a job, start a family, buy stuff, retire. The host of the show, Rick Cluff, could not get over how ‘wacky’ the idea is, and so was not able to grasp what I am trying to achieve.

I think far more wacky is the amount of people who get out of bed in the morning and absolutely dread going to work because they hate their jobs. I find it incredibly sad that so many are wasting their lives away doing something they don’t enjoy doing.

I am committed that I will not be one of them and am looking to inspire my generation to make the same commitment before they fall victim to a situation in which yearning for weekends and the illustrious two week vacations a year define our lives. I agree that on the surface it might appear to be a ‘wacky’ idea, yet dig a little deeper and I think we will all agree that it is not so wacky after all.

Are you in a job that you hate doing or that you absolutely love? Leave a comment, and tell us your thoughts and any advice that you have!

- Sean

PS — I have decided where I will be working for Week Two and will announce it sometime next week. As a hint, you will be able to see me on television every day;) Week Two is the week of March 5th.

6:00am: Telephone rings waking me up. 6:03am: I am on the radio live to a station in Syracuse, New York. What station you ask? Good question, I have no idea. I am still trying to figure out if the interview actually happened or if it was just a continuation of my dream.

6:15am: Back to bed. 6:30am: Telephone rings again, radio station from Santa Barbara, California, 7:00am: Yet another from New York. How did all these people get my number?!?

Well, it was an exciting day and lot’s of fun, definitely in part due to the great article that Fiona Anderson of The Vancouver Sun wrote today. If you didn’t catch it, you can read it here.

Some interesting offers coming in with Week One starting next Monday.

Stay tuned!

-Sean

And Whistler Bungee it is!

“Whistler’s Ultimate Adrenaline Rush” will be my first job starting next Monday February 26th. I received various offers from around the country and have decided to kick off the One Week Job project by accepting the offer to work with Whistler Bungee for Week One.

Whistler Bungee is a bungee jumping company located 15 minutes South of Whistler Village and is set in the “beautiful wilderness of the Whistler Resort Valley nestled between old growth forests and rugged basalt column cliffs.” Sounds like fun! The bridge they have up there is 160ft high and spans 300ft over the glacial fed Cheakamus river. They are open all year round and you can visit them at WhistlerBungee.com.

Looks like I will be doing various things for Whistler Bungee throughout the week, helping with a trade show, distributing some marketing material throughout Vancouver, some good old fashioned book keeping and perhaps a day or two up in Whistler at the bridge.

I am really excited to start the project next week and am looking forward to all of the various jobs I will be doing throughout the country!

I have not yet decided where I will be working for Week Two (week of March 5th), so if you have any offers, be sure to check out the ‘offers’ section and send them my way!

Until next time,

-Sean

Yesterday morning, my interview on Breakfast Television in Vancouver went pretty well. It was an earlier start than I am used to and I definitely can’t remember the last time I was out of bed when it was still dark outside. But I think I was able to get my message across.

I am coming to the realization that this project is not about what specific jobs I will end up doing, or where they will lead me. But
rather it has to do with what I feel the whole project represents — just finding the courage to take the leap in itself, putting myself out there, and saying “Alright world, let’s do this.” In the process I hope I am able to inspire all those in my situation to do the same.

At this point I have no idea what the ideal situation for me would look like, yet I do know what it will feel like when I get there. A feeling where my career and personal life merge. I want to get out of bed each day and say, “woohoo, time to go to work!”

I think in some ways we all know what that ideal situation would feel like. It is just a matter of whether we choose to act and decide to seek it in spite of the self doubt and uncertainty.

I think a good start is promising ourselves not to settle for a situation that doesn’t truly make us happy and to go after our passions. I am glad that I have made this promise to myself at 25, rather than when I am nearing retirement at 60.

If we don’t make this promise today, then when will we?

How am I going to get there? I don’t know and I am not sure it really matters. I think it is far more important that we start by making this promise, taking the leap wherever it leads, and finding the courage to walk in the face of fear with the confidence that it will be okay.

I think if we can do this today, we will then be able to make those decisions that will align our lives in a manner that will eventually make this feeling a reality.

They say that taking the initial leap is the hardest part, and that once we start, things will get easier and appear more clearly. I guess you could say I am banking on that!

Anybody got any offers for me? Send them my way! oneweekjob@gmail.com

-Sean

So, I have had a great response to the project so far and have already received some interesting offers from all over the country. From working at a bungee jumping company in Whistler, to helping organize a 100km dinner in Ontario, to working at a framing place in Quebec, to even a stint gardening at a household in London, Ontario.

Things are definitely starting to come together, and I am looking forward to starting my first job February 26th!

I have added a “Get e-updates” on the left hand column, that will send you an email everytime I make a post to the site allowing you to stay up to date with where I am and whatever job it is that I am doing.

I have also added a support section, in which companies can sponsor One Week Job and have a banner ad posted in that section, or those who would like can simply make a donation to help support me in my travels.

Be sure to check back to the ‘offers’ section as I will be posting various offers that I receive and will be announcing my first job later this week!

-Sean

PS - For those of you in the Vancouver area, I will be appearing on Breakfast Televsion Citytv Monday morning at around 7:30am for an interview about One Week Job.

OneWeekJob.com is now officially launched!

Wow, okay so I sent out the News Release last night to various news, print, television, radio and online publications across the country and have already had a great response!

Thanks so much to everyone for your personal messages of support! It’s really great to hear all of your positive feedback and helping to promote One Week Job.

I have no idea where the project will lead or what jobs I will end up doing, and the uncertainty is kinda scary but definately what makes it so exciting and all the more worthwhile at the same time!

Until next time,

-Sean

PS - You can catch me on Breakfast Television on Citytv in Vancouver next Monday morning, February 12th!