Preface
We all have a dream for our lives. We may not have the dream all mapped out, but on some level we all have a vision dancing in our heads of what we would like our life to be. That dream is comprised of images of a particular lifestyle, which likely includes a thriving career. What does your dream look like? What really stands out for you? You will be asked to explore this dream as you read this book, and I want you to really get in touch with what matters most to you. Is it being home with your kids during the day? Getting home early enough to cheer at the soccer games? Pulling in a certain amount of money each year? Or perhaps doing work that you love?
Whatever the cornerstones are of your dream lifestyle and dream career, I want you to hold those images in mind as you read through this book. That vision for your life is possible. It is! Instead of sweeping that dream to the back of your mind as some fantasy that will never come true, allow it to come to the front of your mind. Be open to the possibility that your dreams can become a concrete reality. In Zen Buddhism this openness is called adopting a beginner’s mind, which is eager and open to new ideas and free from assumptions or foregone conclusions. The more experience you have in the workplace, the more challenging it can be to assume the beginner’s mind because you may have some strongly held beliefs about who gets ahead, why, and how. However, you have to ask yourself if the paradigm that you currently subscribe to is benefitting you. In other words, are you happy with your work and your lifestyle? If the answer to that question is no, now is the right time to stop and reconstruct the dream that you have for your life. Invest in yourself and develop your dream lifestyle. Don’t just think about it; make it happen!
In this book you will follow me through a step-by-step process for defining the lifestyle that you long for with a career to match. For more than twenty years, I have been designing my dream and expecting results from myself and the world at large, in part by developing an annual ritual that makes tailoring a life plan and sticking to it more routine than anything else. I’ll describe how you, too, can systematically develop a vision for yourself and create a constructive plan for getting results. I feel so passionate about sharing this 9-to-5 Cure with you because I know from firsthand experience that you can become the dream that is in your mind’s eye. If you will invest in yourself by doing the preparation, you can step away from the rat race and into your dream, whatever that dream may be for you. Don’t settle for surviving—start thriving!
If you hesitate to take a chance because you have been disappointed before by other people or your own inaction, I say to you at the top of my voice:
Take the most important lessons that you learned from those negative experiences and leave the rest behind!
Take the energy of that shame, humiliation, rage, resentment, or whatever it may be and channel it into getting on with your life. Use that force that pulses within you for something that will bring you up instead of drag you down. Dig deep and rediscover your passion for life, for your dreams. And dream big! This time, dream bigger than you ever dreamed before. Give yourself the opportunity to learn about the transformational power of reconstructing your career in a way that lets you get in alignment with your dreams. Go ahead, get your hopes up!
Acknowledgments
I am grateful to so many people who contributed to the success of this project, including
Sue Pines, Jennifer Lynn, and the entire team at JIST Publishing, for believing in the concept and helping to shape the content masterfully.
Ken Horn and Jennifer Mulchandani, for sharing countless hours of your time and talent with me.
My wonderful family and amazing friends, for cheering me on throughout this process and loving me always and in all ways.
My daughter, for inspiring me to work on purpose; I love you.
My husband, for your unwavering love and support now and always; I am so blessed to be on this journey with you.