Start Getting in Touch with Your Dream Job Now 
Use Basic Tools to Help You Start Taking Effective Action

Many people have no idea where to start pursuing their dreams. So, lacking a clear sense of direction, they simply put off the entire project until another day. Unfortunately, that other day often never comes. And, they often satisfy the urge by simply reading self-help books or watching programs on self-improvement (See Avoiding the Seduction of Virtual Personal Growth). Then, they continue to wonder why their lives never seem to move in a more positive direction.

If you have grown tired of the wondering, I invite you to simplify your approach.  One of the most radical ways to start moving toward your dream job is simply to start putting your dreams down on paper. Like most people, you have a secret fantasy life, a series of daydreams that flood your mind regularly in which you see yourself doing something that brings you great satisfaction and fulfillment. Nearly every day, something triggers these daydreams - an article in a magazine, a program on television, even a story that you hear from a friend or a colleague at work.

But, like most people, you keep these daydreams partially hidden from yourself.  Safely locked away in your imagination, they provide an escape from the boring routines of your everyday life. Or, they help you to tolerate the frustrations you face in continuing to work at a job you dislike, spending too many hours every day - with people you can barely stand - doing things that you consider a waste of time.  Yet, these dreams hardly justify the amount of mental and emotional energy they consume.  Does this situation sound familiar?

If you are like most people, the dreams about a life you would love preoccupy your thoughts as you take the daily commute to work. They allow you to imagine yourself as a successful, productive professional who uses his or her talents to accomplish goals that he or she finds important. Yet, as you arrive at the office and begin your workday, they probably slip away, safely back into the far recesses of your mind. And you shift your focus toward meeting the demands and pressures of the day that are right in front of you.  

Most days, following your dreams feels too risky.  After all, you could fail.  Or, you could humiliate yourself   Or, you could end up out there on your own.  And then, where would you be?  Alone, forlorn, and overwhelmed.  So, to avoid raising your anxiety unnecessarily, you convince yourself that you are lucky to have what you already have and do your best to hold onto it.  Meanwhile, a little bit of your soul keeps slowly wearing away as you realize how few of your talents you are actually using.

But, what if you did not have to put those daydreams away?  What if you could find a way to bring some of them into reality? What if you no longer had to look forward to the weekend to save you from your week because you could not wait to get back to something you love for its own sake?

Take Advantage the Power Within

The truth is, you do have the power available to make these changes. And, contrary to what you might think, gaining access to it does not take as much time or effort as you have been led to believe.  Quite simply, you use this power every time you go out for lunch or dinner. While you might ask the waiter or waitress about the specials or for a recommendation or two, you are very unlikely to place the final decision about what you will order completely in his or her hands. More likely, you will stop for a few minutes to think about what you have a taste for today, what you are in the mood for eating. Even if you make a poor entree choice, you can make the best of the situation by chalking it up to experience. You will simply remember never to order the Shrimp-Stuffed Okra and Mushroom Salad with Sun-dried Tomato Puree, no matter how good he or she made it sound.  And, you can always rescue a terrible meal by ordering something completely outrageous for desert.

The same is true for your work life, although the consequences last quite a bit longer than a simple meal and affect more than your appetite.  Most people believe they have to take big risks in order to start making changes in their work or personal lives. They think they have to quit their jobs so they have time to think about what they want and to start moving in the direction of getting it. Or, they have to flood an entire industry with their resumes, hoping they will attract their ideal employer using the sheer volume of their efforts.

Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Actually, the opposite is true. Although I am hardly what I would call a scientist, I have learned a very important basic lesson from the principles of physics: If you want to move something easily, you need to move the balance point toward the heaviest part of the load and allow the weight to perform the bulk of the work. Think about how a wheelbarrow works: The heaviest part of the load sits right above the wheel, leaving you free to move the handles and steer in the direction you want to go.

Use the Job You Hate to Find a Job You Would Love

You can use information from a job you dislike in much the same way. Only, in this case, the information is emotional and psychological. In fact, the more things you dislike about your current situation, the more guidance you will get in shaping the direction of your new career path. In other words, the more you hate your job, the more likely you are to find a job you love. And, you do not have to start by making an investment in any expensive classes or professional services. You simply need a notebook and a pen that writes well or a few removable computer disks to protect your privacy.

As with the Shrimp-Stuffed Okra Salad, the best time to recognize clearly what you dislike is when you still have the bad taste in your mouth.  What better time is there to articulate what you dislike about work than when you are completely immersed in it and getting paid for doing it?  The closer you are to this unpleasant experience, the more detail you can use in describing it.  On the other hand,  the farther you get away from it - often by finding a new job - the more likely you are to color your memories of it and downplay how bad it was.

Describe Your Thoughts and Feelings in Detail

Take out a pad of paper or open a new document on your computer screen. Number from 1 to 25 down the left margin. If you really dislike your job, make the numbers go from 1 to 50 or, even, 100. Then, without stopping too long to think, start listing what you dislike about your current job. Write about tasks and people and responsibilities. Describe situations and routines and the emotional environment. Do not get caught up in wondering whether you are coming up with the right answers. Simply record your thoughts in whatever ways and whatever order they occur to your. In a second column down the right side, start listing the feelings associated with each item that come up as you add it to the list. 

Take the time to record your feelings and emotional reactions in detail. If you have difficulty identifying your feelings precisely, take note of your physical responses - pay attention to how your body responds when you think about or remember each situation. Over time, you are likely to come up with the emotions associated with it.  If you find that a flood of emotions comes up as you complete your list, you can move over to a blank page and start recording these reactions where you have enough room.

Give yourself as much space and time as it takes to complete this exercise. Actually, the more time it takes and the more detail you generate, the better your information will be.  Do as much as you can in one sitting and then put it away. Set a regular time each day over the next two weeks to fill in the list and express all of your thoughts and feelings. Take out your appointment calendar or Palm Pilot and schedule these appointments with yourself. Write them in pen not pencil, boldface not plain type. Make sure you treat them as priorities and do not allow anything short of an emergency to intrude upon them. They are every bit as important as a dental checkup or your anniversary, maybe even more important. After all, they are about regaining control over your future and the quality of your daily life. And, they are about reclaiming your very soul.

Make a Commitment to Start Shaping Your Future

If you are feeling particularly adventurous - after relieving all of this pent-up frustration - you might take the bold step of setting a deadline for getting your new job. Pull out that calendar again, and choose a date three or four months from now. Write it in pen (or bold-faced type in your Palm) and flag it as a very important day. This act will give you an immediate sense of commitment about the future. And, it will start pushing you to outline the steps you need to take in moving toward this goal. If that day arrives before you have made the change, take some time to spell out what got in your way and make a plan to overcome these obstacles. Then, simply move the date a few more months into the future.

These three basic tools - a pad or notebook, a pen, and a calendar - will give you the power to start reclaiming your time. By putting your thoughts and dreams into words, you will start giving them tangible shape, making them believable, and bringing them into reality. By plotting out a time-frame with some deadlines, you will give some shape to that boundless span of time we call The Future. And, by expressing all of your thoughts and feelings on paper, you will free up your mind to start focusing on what you need to do to take action.

If you have ever tried to shop for groceries without first making a list, you know how much of your concentration gets tied up in remembering the items you do not want to forget. Keeping all of your daydreams in your mind has the same effect: You spend so much time elaborating your fantasies that you avoid taking action to make them happen. But, the consequences are much greater. If you forget the ingredients you need for a recipe, you can always order in or go out for dinner.

But, if you forget the steps toward your dreams, much more than your cupboard will be empty.