If you were given the opportunity to write a message, place it in a bottle, and send that bottle out to sea without knowing if it would ever be read - - what would your message be?

Would it be a message of introspection? Would it describe your hopes and dreams? Would thinking about your hopes and dreams starting you thinking about leaving your 20-plus career for something more fulfilling? Would you think about buying a prime start up? Maybe start your own business.

The point is, spring time is a great time to rejuvenate, reinvent, and re- energize yourself. Take some time to pull out all of the stops and jump completely out of the box when thinking about your answers to these questions. It's the perfect time for you to zone in on your passion!

If you're wondering how you're supposed to find the time to zone in on your passion ("Reinvent Yourself" article above), here's a tip.

Twenty minutes is a perfect amount of time for some good, honest introspection.

According to CIO Magazine, here's how you do it:

Find a quiet room where you won't be disturbed. Ask yourself if you're working toward something or just working. Focus on your passion. It doesn't matter what you have your sights set on, but they must be set on something. If you don't know where you want to go, it's unlikely you will succeed in the long-term. This step should take five minutes.

If your goal is vague (grow, get promoted, make more money) spend the next five minutes seeking specificity. Throw out modesty and uncertainty. Someone's got to come up with the next best thing since sliced bread. Why not you?

The last 10 minutes will be the "10 minutes of truth". Ask yourself what you're going to do when you leave this quiet spot in minute 21. Will whatever it is help you achieve the goal you just set? Or will you be just getting a job done, earning a paycheck? If it's the latter, you've still learned something important: You need to change.

Source: Gene Bedell's interview with CIO Magazine.

Caring for Your Parents, an intimate look at five American families engaged in the struggles of tending to aging relatives, will air nationwide on PBS April 2. After the program, former NBC medical correspondent Art Ulene will lead a panel discussion on how to talk to parents about their future care.

Check your local listings for air times.

Mary Currey of The Entrepreneur's Source has a mission: To help people discover if business ownership is right for them.

Mary educates her clients about self-employment and helps them clarify their goals, needs and expectations. Under Mary's guidance, clients are empowered to choose the outcome that is right for them; to remain employed, start an independent business, or become a franchise owner.

For clients who decide franchising is for them, Mary introduces a variety of franchised business models and coaches them through the franchise evaluation process.

Please visit www.TheESource.com/MCurrey to download the free 11-page report on "20 Most Frequently Asked Questions about Franchising," or contact Mary directly at mary.esource@comcast.net or 916/813-6688 - - you won't be disappointed!

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports 55-plus workers spend 22 weeks job-hunting compared with 16 weeks for younger workers.

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I'm a big fan of Pixar's animated films, particularly their short films. Their short film, For the Birds is the 2001 Academy Award Winner for Best Animated Short Film. But, that's not why I love that film. I love that particular short film because it absolutely is art imitating life. My life that is. For the Birds is the artistic version of my last Corporate job. If you want to "see" what I mean, well you'll just have to see the film. And if you do see the film - - here's a hint. . . I'm the "big dopey bird".