People who love what they do for a living, without exception, can ALL answer this question.
What is your dream?
Unfortunately, people looking for more happiness at work skip taking time out to dream about their future. Some believe it is a luxury they cannot afford, while others say they have forgotten how to use their imagination and many are afraid new dreams will create too much sacrifice or change. We help people get over these fears and get back to that place of, “what do I want to be when I grow up” informed by their personal and professional experience, values, needs and preferences.
Dreams are essential for everyone, no matter your age, work situation or the career stage you are at. Whether you are in a career transition, job search or just want more meaning from your current work, clarifying your personal and professional dreams can help you in five main ways which, by design, spell DREAMS!
Drive: Dreams help you be more productive. If you do not know where you are going, you expend effort travelling in circles instead of driving toward a vision which will lead to satisfaction and effectiveness. Dreams also help motivate you when things are challenging.
Relevance: Many cannot see how their work is relevant outside their workplace. Clarifying your personal and professional goals can create a connection to how your job is meaningful, which will help motivate you and perhaps give you more peace around your career decisions, such as when a client decided their primary dream was to send their kids to college. This helped them decide to stay at their current company and change departments as a way to move toward more enjoyment rather than making a more drastic change.
Engagement: According to a Gallup study last year, 70% of the workforce is disengaged. However, people who pursue their passions and purpose through work are so engaged, they often lose track of time. Ultimately, if we were all more engaged, our workforce would be happier and our economy would improve.
Authenticity: A proactive plan for how to turn dreams into reality can be better than molding your passions and yourself to fit a particular job or corporate culture. Ultimately, going against who you truly are will create resentment and in some cases, exhaustion. A client’s dream was to make a positive impact on climate control which narrowed his job search and ultimately, landed him his dream job. In the selection process, he was able to articulate this dream and sentiment to his future employer from a very deep place, which gave him an edge over the other candidates.
Mastery: It will take time and effort to master any new skill, job or career. Creating and focusing on your vision of the future will keep you on task and on track, despite the inevitable setbacks that will occur as you blaze new trails.
Strategy: Many people who have found dream jobs have one conspicuous practice in common: they choose career strategies aligned with their dreams that leverage their talents.
I hope this inspires you to begin the process of assessing your current situation and clarifying your dreams to fuel your career.
Exclusively for Connector Magazine readers during April only, email your details to melanie@brightlivelihoods.com for a free half hour one-to-one session with Melanie to discuss where you are on your path. Plus, the first 5 readers will receive a free copy of Laurel Donnellan’s book: ‘Born to Do’!
For more details, comments or questions contact Melanie Blackwell, Global Program Director at Bright Livelihoods on melanie@brightlivelihoods.com or 056-1702166.