In this Chapter

How often have you heard people joke about still not knowing what they want to be when they grow up? Let’s reverse that and say maybe we knew what we wanted to be when we were children and growing up got in the way! There are actually so many clues from our youth that go undetected. So we are going to take a retrospective look at what our early dreams were.

Think about this as solving a mystery. You are in search of clues from your early life. Clues that will give you information about your true character and preferences. The mystery tour will continue when you jump to the present and assess how you feel about the life you are living today. You will look at how satisfied you actually are with the choices you have made so far. And last but not least, you will create a five-year vision to see what the future may look like for you.

There is so much information stored in our minds and our imaginations. Visioning can help us to release this knowledge. When we are finished looking back, looking at the present, and looking ahead, we will have our dream board started. Your dream board can take the form of drawings, pictures, or writing. It can be in a notebook or journal or pasted on your wall. It is a tangible representation of you and your dreams. And, it can be a motivation and guide for the pursuit of these dreams. It can also change and develop over time.

We actually know quite a bit about ourselves and what we really want. It’s more a matter of making the space and having a way to get at that information. This chapter will give you both!

What did you want to be when you grew up? Yesterdays are often forgotten in the bright glare of today’s realities. But in those early years of our childhood we all had dreams about what we would be when we grew up. Part of those dreams was based on liking the red fire trucks and the great noise they made on the way to a fire. Not so fast—how about the adventure and excitement and risk involved in being a fireman (or woman)!

There is usually information in our early dreams that can remind us of hopes and aspirations and parts of our character that we might have lost over the years. For example, my son used to spend hours with his small plastic armies, moving them around, sending them to battle. I hated the battle part, but he loved the strategy, and that’s what he uses in his business today.

Remember, you are on a mystery tour to find out what really interested you and excited you when you were young. What were your favorite playtime activities? What were you drawn to doing when you were alone? What did you like to do with other children? Start from the earliest age you can remember (some of us are better at this than others). Did you like to build things, make things, watch people or things, talk, sing, dance, help to do things around the house, plant flowers, do risky things (without permission), or read books?

Write down all the fun and interesting things you did during these different time periods. If you are having trouble remembering, ask those who were around you (parents, siblings, cousins, friends, and extended family). They often have wonderful and insightful stories to tell about what you spent your time doing! List the activities and write down why you liked them. What about them interested you, excited you, drew you to them?

Too often we skip over information that has important clues to what we really enjoy doing in our lives. Solving a mystery can be very gratifying. And, you have to pay attention to all the subtleties that lead you to the right answer. Looking back over your life and uncovering those early interests and dreams will help you to solve the mystery of finding your perfect career.

This is where you capture your early career/job dreams. What did you want to be when you grew up, and why do you think that was so interesting to you? From a very early age, my child wanted to be in business for himself. At around age 10, he wanted to own a Toy Store—well, this made sense for age 10. The part that remained true was being a business owner. The content of the business changed over time.

Write down your early dreams. Did you want to be a dancer, a clown, an actor, a police person, a cook, an architect, a teacher, a doctor, a farmer? What appealed to you and why? Figure out what about these jobs/careers drew you to them. Again, ask other people in your life what you talked about being when you grew up.

It’s never too late to pick up themes that were present in your youth. You may not want to pursue being a doctor today, but what was it about that career that interested you? Was it the helping people, or analyzing and problem-solving, or interest in how the body works? These themes can still be used to create career choices that bring to life your early loves. It’s never too late to uncover information about yourself that you can use today in your career search.

Of the jobs, careers, and activities that you loved to do when you were a child, what still remains true for you? What do you still like about them today?

Look at the reasons you liked the activities you engaged in and careers/jobs you wanted to do when you grew up. Now, make a list of those career elements that are still true for you today. Do you still like to be outdoors? Do you have a flair for being on stage? Do you love finances?

My Career Elements:

Now we have jumped to the here and now of your life. This is what is happening today. You will be asked to rate your level of satisfaction, on a scale of 1 to 10, with many aspects of the life you are living today. Career satisfaction is often influenced by many of these other aspects of our life. The amount of time and energy we want to spend with family and friends can affect our choice of career. Our desire for a lifestyle that allows for living in $400,000 homes and traveling around the world will affect our career choices. This means we need to take all of these areas into account. You will be presented with eight aspects of your life:

These aspects make up your wheel of life. The eight sections on the Wheel of Life represent balance. Seeing the center of the wheel as 0 and the outer edges as 10, rank your level of satisfaction with each life area by drawing a straight or curved line to create a new outer edge. The new perimeter represents the wheel of your life. If this was a real wheel, how bumpy would your ride be?

How satisfied are you today with the amount of money you are making? Does it allow you to live the lifestyle you want to live right now? Are you able to support yourself, uphold family obligations, or support those you want or need to support?

On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being not at all satisfied and 10 being very satisfied), choose the number that represents your level of satisfaction with your money right now and consider the reasons for this level of satisfaction. Record this number in your Career Profile Map in Appendix A.

Think about the work you are doing right now. You may be working for yourself, or you have a full-time job, or you may be doing several part-time jobs at one time. Whatever your current work/career situation is, think about how satisfied you are with doing the work and the reasons why you are satisfied. Don’t automatically say you are unhappy if you don’t have your perfect situation yet. Consider Jim who has his Ph.D. and really wants a full-time faculty position. Right now he is has a temporary visiting professorship at a local college. And his level of satisfaction is a 7, because he is doing the work he loves to do—teaching, research, and advising. It isn’t a 10 because it isn’t full-time, secure, with a good pay scale. On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being not at all satisfied and 10 being very satisfied), the number that represents your level of satisfaction with your career/work right now is ___. Record this number in your Career Profile Map in Appendix A.

How satisfied are you with your relationships with your family and friends, the time you spend with them, the distance or closeness? At different times and stages of our lives, our relationships shift and change with family and friends. Tap into where you are right now, and don’t worry about past or future. On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being not at all satisfied and 10 being very satisfied), the number that represents your level of satisfaction with your family and friends right now is ___. Record this number in your Career Profile Map in Appendix A.

In our teens and twenties we often feel more attached to friends than to family. We are forming our own identities. We want to be independent. Having fun is centered on things we do with friends. In our thirties we start getting the urge to move closer to home. We may want support for our new families. We appreciate the history and family connections. Friends are moving around for jobs and their own families. We want to support and enjoy our aging parents.

What is the state of your health? Are you taking care of any problems that are recurrent or beginning to happen? Do you feel in shape, satisfied with your physical ability? Do you go for regular checkups for your health? Do you have a routine to keep you physically fit? This is the vessel—our body—that makes everything else in our lives possible. And, it is often forgotten or pushed to the background as we juggle everything else in our lives. It’s easy to forget that paying attention to the health and fitness of our body often gives us the energy and stamina for all our other activities. So, how satisfied are you with your health and fitness? On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being not at all satisfied and 10 being very satisfied), the number that represents your level of satisfaction with your health and fitness right now is ___. Record this number in your Career Profile Map in Appendix A.

Make sure you consider the types of exercise that really works for you. Things you would actually do!

These three life forces complement and support our physical health and fitness. The ability to feed our spirit, stimulate our mind, and understand and communicate our emotions can have a profound effect on our overall effectiveness in life. Let’s look at each one of these separately:

Spirit: Do you feel satisfied with the amount of time and attention you give to your spiritual needs? For most people, spirituality is a form of inspiration. If you are seeking worldly success, inner peace, or enlightenment, spiritual knowledge provides another dimension beyond cognitive knowledge. Spiritual satisfaction can bring work, wisdom, love, peacefulness, and service to our lives. This can take the form of practicing a religion, meditation, yoga, or spiritual readings and practices. How satisfied are you with the time, attention, and practice you give to spirituality in your life? On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being not at all satisfied and 10 being very satisfied), the number that represents your level of satisfaction with your spirit right now is ___. Record this number in your Career Profile Map in Appendix A.

Mind: In today’s world it’s important to be a continual learner. You want to keep up with changes in your career/work area so that the business you are in remains viable. And there is a world of new learning all around us to keep us stimulated and energized. Reading, learning a new leisure-time activity, crossword puzzles, strategy games, house projects, and repairs. All of these require thought, exploration, and learning. Where are you in terms of being satisfied with the amount of learning you are doing right now? On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being not at all satisfied and 10 being very satisfied), the number that represents your level of satisfaction with your mind right now is ___. Record this number in your Career Profile Map in Appendix A.

Emotions: Understanding our own emotions and being able to appropriately express them gives us a wealth of information for our career/life decision making. When we are able to identify what makes us happy, interested, stimulated, productive—then we have solid information about ourselves. When we ignore our feelings, tough it out, rationalize why we have to do work we don’t like—we are doing a disservice to ourselves. The important role of emotions has had some good press lately. Research has shown that the stronger our emotional intelligence (EQ) is, the more effective we are in conducting our lives and relationships with others.

Leaders who have a high EQ know their own emotions, can communicate them effectively, and understand the emotions of others. The more we pay attention to our feelings, the more information is available to help us make good choices in our lives. Where are you with your current satisfaction with being able to access your emotions? On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being not at all satisfied and 10 being very satisfied), the number that represents your level of satisfaction with your emotions right now is ___. Record this number in your Career Profile Map in Appendix A.

What is your level of satisfaction with your partner or significant other in your life? Or what is your level of satisfaction with not having a significant other in your life right now? In the realm of relationships, satisfaction can fluctuate due to circumstances or to lack of attention.

Whatever the situation, your level of satisfaction with this primary relationship can have many impacts on your career/life choices and levels of happiness. Often we consider this relationship our base of operations. If everything is running smoothly here, we have more energy and enthusiasm for the rest of our lives. What is your level of satisfaction with your primary other right now? On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being not at all satisfied and 10 being very satisfied), the number that represents your level of satisfaction with your significant other right now is ___. Record this number in your Career Profile Map in Appendix A.

At home and work what do your environments feel like to you? Do you feel good when you are in these environments? Do they energize you, calm you, or comfort you? Again we are all different in what types of environments might do this for us. Some of us would prefer to look out on lawns and gardens and forests in the distance. Others prefer the sound of traffic and people coming and going at a fast pace. Knowing what types of environments we like to be in can give us great clues to the type of work and lifestyle we want. How satisfied are you with your work and home environments? On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being not at all satisfied and 10 being very satisfied), the number that represents your level of satisfaction with your environment right now is ___. Record this number in your Career Profile Map in Appendix A.

Last but not least, are you having any fun lately? Do you have time for other things in life besides work, school, or self-study? What comes to mind when you think of the word “fun?” Laughter, play, freedom, relaxed, connections, joy, creativity, letting go—yes! Fun and recreation do not have to be separate from work, although it often is. Studies show that having a good laugh keeps us healthy—releases those good endorphins—and it definitely makes us more creative. How satisfied are you with the fun and recreation you are currently having in your life? On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being not at all satisfied and 10 being very satisfied), the number that represents your level of satisfaction with your fun and recreation right now is ___. Record this number in your Career Profile Map in Appendix A.

Vision means giving yourself a picture of the future that inspires you and motivates you to take action. It moves you closer to the reality you see for yourself. Now that you have given some thought to your early dreams of career and your current level of satisfaction with your life, you are ready to move to your future. So rev up your engine and change your mindset to five years from now.

If you wonder why we want you to visualize five years from now, it is because it helps you let go of things dragging you down in the present. Instead you can take those things from the present that you want to continue to have and imagine work/life in the future that gives you the most satisfaction.

You are going to imagine what you are doing for a week, five years from now. After you have read these over, find a quiet place to imagine your future. It helps to close your eyes so that your mind can bring forth pictures to accompany your thoughts. Afterward you can write down your vision in the space provided.

Here is a way to move through your week and focus on various aspects of your work/life:

Now write down anything that came to mind as you walked through your week five years from now.

Record your Vision Summary in the Career Profile Map in Appendix A.