Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Dream Jobs
Aired December 19, 2003 - 07:54 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, this week in our special series, we're profiling people who said good-bye to the job that was making them miserable and hello to their dream job.
In this morning's final installment, we meet a man from Wisconsin for whom getting laid off in his mid-50s wasn't the end, but the beginning, and a chance to recapture a dream.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD BORG, REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER TURNED INNKEEPER: The coffee is right there. Regular coffee, hot water, and decaf.
O'BRIEN (voice-over): Tucked inside the cozy kitchen of his inn, preparing breakfast for his guests, 59-year-old Richard Borg is living his dream.
BORG: Good morning.
O'BRIEN: For 20 years, Richard worked in real estate development, making his way up through the company ranks. But when he lost his job in 1998, Richard didn't panic. Instead, he considered his options.
BORG: So, I thought at my age -- I was in my mid 50s -- do I want to go back and work for someone else in any capacity? And pretty much came to the conclusion and the reality is, I don't. I want to do something for myself now.
O'BRIEN: Richard had always wanted to run an inn. It was a dream he and his wife, Ann (ph), shared from the early days of their marriage. But since they had divorced seven years before, Richard would have to do it alone.
His daughters were worried.
BORG: I think both my daughters, this one in particular, thought I'd lost my mind.
O'BRIEN: But Richard was determined. Then, after a few months of researching the market, he found the perfect place to start over.
BORG: I had put a business plan together before I went on my search, and this pretty much filled the bill.
O'BRIEN: With the money from his company's severance package, Richard bought the historic inn at Pine Terrace, and dove head first into his new life as an innkeeper.
BORG: It was like, OK, this was a dream. You've reacted to it. You've done your due diligence. You signed the papers, and an hour later you're at the inn and people are asking, how do I get to a local restaurant? You know, how do I -- you know, the toilet doesn't work in my room. So, it's like you're thrown into it right away.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Welcome to the inn.
O'BRIEN: In a sweet twist of fate, Richard's professional change led to a profoundly personal one. As he helped plan his youngest daughter's wedding, Richard and Ann (ph) began spending a lot of time together and meeting at the inn.
BORG: We realized we had had 20 good years together. The next thing you know, we were planning a wedding, and then Ann (ph) moved up here and then we planned our wedding.
O'BRIEN: Richard and Ann (ph) will celebrate their second wedding anniversary for the second time now this summer. Thirty-five years and two careers later, his life has come full circle.
BORG: It's everything I expected and more, and now I guess I'm just contemplating the next dream.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Steve Viscusi is back with us. He's an author and host of the nationally-syndicated radio show, "On The Job," and he's been with us all week to talk about how people can make their dream jobs come true.
Nice to see you again.
STEPHEN VISCUSI, HOST OF "ON THE JOB" RADIO SHOW: Nice to see you, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: I love that story, and I like it because it all sort of ends up happily ever after. Everybody says, you know, one day I really want to run an inn. But what do you advise people when they're taking on a project or something like as big as this is?
VISCUSI: Well, he did something important that a lot of people overlook, which is that business plan. I think it's sort of like a dress rehearsal. It's doing your own kind of MBA course, and it's sort of important. It gives you the pros and cons, and don't take anything so lightly, particularly in today's economy.
O'BRIEN: I don't think it's a fluke that he remarried his wife when he sort of found his dream. I have to imagine that when people finally start living the way that they feel in their heart...
VISCUSI: Yes.
O'BRIEN: ... they should be living, a lot of other pieces come together. Have you found that? VISCUSI: Yes, I think that's the nicest part of this story, in fact, is that when you're really comfortable with your business life, your personal life and the money, it all sort of falls into place, and it just happens. It's kismet (ph).
O'BRIEN: Yes, it is. I want to go through some points and tips...
VISCUSI: Yes.
O'BRIEN: ... before we wrap up for good this week. To make your dream job come true -- and I'll run through them and then I want you to tell me which one you think is most important. First, consult your family and your spouse. Assess your personal and financial needs. Do your homework about the reality of your dream. Don't give up.
What do you think is the most critical thing to have to be a success when you ditch one job that you don't really like and you're tackling something that's your dream? But as we saw from all of the stories this week, really, it's not going to be handed to you.
VISCUSI: Yes, none of this is going to be handed to you. And I think the bottom line for the most successful people is that they don't give up. They stay with their dream. They focus on it. And they're relentless in the pursuit of what their ultimate goal is. And that's so important and so critical to really be successful in ultimately whatever that dream job is.
O'BRIEN: Well, I thought the series was really fun to do.
VISCUSI: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Wendy Sacks (ph), our producer, did a terrific job.
VISCUSI: She did.
O'BRIEN: Steve Viscusi, nice to have you. Thanks for coming all week.
VISCUSI: Thanks, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: We certainly appreciate it.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired December 19, 2003 - 07:54 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, this week in our special series, we're profiling people who said good-bye to the job that was making them miserable and hello to their dream job.
In this morning's final installment, we meet a man from Wisconsin for whom getting laid off in his mid-50s wasn't the end, but the beginning, and a chance to recapture a dream.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD BORG, REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER TURNED INNKEEPER: The coffee is right there. Regular coffee, hot water, and decaf.
O'BRIEN (voice-over): Tucked inside the cozy kitchen of his inn, preparing breakfast for his guests, 59-year-old Richard Borg is living his dream.
BORG: Good morning.
O'BRIEN: For 20 years, Richard worked in real estate development, making his way up through the company ranks. But when he lost his job in 1998, Richard didn't panic. Instead, he considered his options.
BORG: So, I thought at my age -- I was in my mid 50s -- do I want to go back and work for someone else in any capacity? And pretty much came to the conclusion and the reality is, I don't. I want to do something for myself now.
O'BRIEN: Richard had always wanted to run an inn. It was a dream he and his wife, Ann (ph), shared from the early days of their marriage. But since they had divorced seven years before, Richard would have to do it alone.
His daughters were worried.
BORG: I think both my daughters, this one in particular, thought I'd lost my mind.
O'BRIEN: But Richard was determined. Then, after a few months of researching the market, he found the perfect place to start over.
BORG: I had put a business plan together before I went on my search, and this pretty much filled the bill.
O'BRIEN: With the money from his company's severance package, Richard bought the historic inn at Pine Terrace, and dove head first into his new life as an innkeeper.
BORG: It was like, OK, this was a dream. You've reacted to it. You've done your due diligence. You signed the papers, and an hour later you're at the inn and people are asking, how do I get to a local restaurant? You know, how do I -- you know, the toilet doesn't work in my room. So, it's like you're thrown into it right away.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Welcome to the inn.
O'BRIEN: In a sweet twist of fate, Richard's professional change led to a profoundly personal one. As he helped plan his youngest daughter's wedding, Richard and Ann (ph) began spending a lot of time together and meeting at the inn.
BORG: We realized we had had 20 good years together. The next thing you know, we were planning a wedding, and then Ann (ph) moved up here and then we planned our wedding.
O'BRIEN: Richard and Ann (ph) will celebrate their second wedding anniversary for the second time now this summer. Thirty-five years and two careers later, his life has come full circle.
BORG: It's everything I expected and more, and now I guess I'm just contemplating the next dream.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Steve Viscusi is back with us. He's an author and host of the nationally-syndicated radio show, "On The Job," and he's been with us all week to talk about how people can make their dream jobs come true.
Nice to see you again.
STEPHEN VISCUSI, HOST OF "ON THE JOB" RADIO SHOW: Nice to see you, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: I love that story, and I like it because it all sort of ends up happily ever after. Everybody says, you know, one day I really want to run an inn. But what do you advise people when they're taking on a project or something like as big as this is?
VISCUSI: Well, he did something important that a lot of people overlook, which is that business plan. I think it's sort of like a dress rehearsal. It's doing your own kind of MBA course, and it's sort of important. It gives you the pros and cons, and don't take anything so lightly, particularly in today's economy.
O'BRIEN: I don't think it's a fluke that he remarried his wife when he sort of found his dream. I have to imagine that when people finally start living the way that they feel in their heart...
VISCUSI: Yes.
O'BRIEN: ... they should be living, a lot of other pieces come together. Have you found that? VISCUSI: Yes, I think that's the nicest part of this story, in fact, is that when you're really comfortable with your business life, your personal life and the money, it all sort of falls into place, and it just happens. It's kismet (ph).
O'BRIEN: Yes, it is. I want to go through some points and tips...
VISCUSI: Yes.
O'BRIEN: ... before we wrap up for good this week. To make your dream job come true -- and I'll run through them and then I want you to tell me which one you think is most important. First, consult your family and your spouse. Assess your personal and financial needs. Do your homework about the reality of your dream. Don't give up.
What do you think is the most critical thing to have to be a success when you ditch one job that you don't really like and you're tackling something that's your dream? But as we saw from all of the stories this week, really, it's not going to be handed to you.
VISCUSI: Yes, none of this is going to be handed to you. And I think the bottom line for the most successful people is that they don't give up. They stay with their dream. They focus on it. And they're relentless in the pursuit of what their ultimate goal is. And that's so important and so critical to really be successful in ultimately whatever that dream job is.
O'BRIEN: Well, I thought the series was really fun to do.
VISCUSI: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Wendy Sacks (ph), our producer, did a terrific job.
VISCUSI: She did.
O'BRIEN: Steve Viscusi, nice to have you. Thanks for coming all week.
VISCUSI: Thanks, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: We certainly appreciate it.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
