Dream A Little Dream
It may be because we are working from home during this pandemic and seeing lots of layoffs in the news, but lots of people have been asking me about how to help them find their “dream job” instead of just a job. Mainly, it sounds like this: “Given the current status of our economy, how can I ever hope to get my dream job?”
I know it's easy to get discouraged right now. Negative news is everywhere, but here are some quick tips to get you through it all and keep your dream alive:
1. Turn off all negative stuff: I did this myself this past summer, and the results were immediate and amazing. My overall attitude and well-being improved immensely. Trust me, I still watched the news—but if a story was negative, I changed the channel. And if you feel you need to stay connected with the news, watch when you get home, but not just before going to bed. None of us need all that negativity rolling around in our brain at night.
In addition, turn off all those negative people who tell you finding your dream job will never happen. While they may mean well, people often bring loads of their own stuff to career conversations. If I had listened to all the naysayers out there, I would never have started my former company, nor would I have grown it and sold it to a public company!
2. Check your dream: What I mean here is to check that your dream is realistic. Now, be careful here: don’t decide for yourself it will never happen. It is easy to talk yourself out of your dream, get discouraged, or not go for it all. Check your dream with someone who knows and has your best intentions at heart—someone in that field, or a change coach, school counselor, mentor, or peer. In other words, get independent advice from someone without a hidden agenda.
3. Research, research, research: There’s an old saying that 99% of success is in the preparation, so do your research. We live in the world of the Internet and social media like LinkedIn and Twitter. You can now reach unprecedented numbers of people in many different ways. It’s vital to educate yourself so you can create a realistic new life/career plan.
4. Breathe: Yep, the best de-stresser I know. This is new for me, and it works—every time.
5. Create your own little mini board of directors: When I started my first company, I did this. Mind you, we didn’t meet regularly, but I had my go-to people who I went to when I got stuck on employee issues, financial problems, and strategy and marketing. If you are stuck on how to create one for yourself, email me at info@thecomefordgroup.com, and we'll brainstorm.
6. Practice gratitude: I think gratitude is one of the most powerful forces in the universe. We can’t just practice this for one week out of the year: it's best as a daily practice. That practice has helped me through the good and the bad in all aspects of my life. Buy a gratitude journal and get in the habit of looking at each day through the lens of gratitude. Every time I do it, my whole attitude—my whole being—enters a different space: it can be magical. Give gratitude a go, however you choose to do it, and observe how life- and attitude-changing it can be.
7. Embrace successes: Recognize that you’re here today because of past successes. Many successful business professionals and lawyers I coach worry from year to year that their business will dry up. Yes, that can happen if you aren’t keeping informed about your industry, using a marketing strategy and marketing yourself, but my experience is that we all torture ourselves with these concerns. It's often just anxiety. My best advice is to gently let those fears go.
The main point of all this? Take your power back and take ownership of your dreams. Maybe, after doing your research, your dream needs to change, alter or be tweaked a bit. But don’t just toss your dreams out because the economy is bad. Dream, dream big, dream really big. One of the best quotes I have come across in that regard, and which has always kept me going is from Joan Baez: “Action is the antidote to despair.” Now, how powerful is that?
