Taking the time to assess your priorities, values, desires, wants, needs, dreams, and talents is certainly not the easiest thing to do. It is, however, one of the surest ways to discover focus and provide direction. Can you spare a moment to quietly explore the answers to these questions? (Can you afford not to?)
As you answer these questions, think of the “ideal” situation, in other words, knowing what you know about yourself and where you’ve been and the times you’ve been happiest, think about and describe the answer that would be most gratifying. Don’t filter or reject ideas. Just dream!
You wake up and start your morning ritual. Describe the details: what time is it? What activities do you do? What do you decide to wear? How long does it take? Paint a picture of what your morning would look like.
It is now time to start your work day. Where do you go? How do you get there? How long does it take?(You may determine that you work from home, describe this commute as well). Do you commute alone or with others? Describe the commute.
It is officially the beginning of your work day. Describe what your office looks like (if you go to an office) or the environment/surroundings. Describe the details of your work space. Describe the people you work with (if any). Define how you get paid and how much (do you bill hourly? Submit a your hours weekly? etc)
Now, hour by hour or project by project, describe how a typical day is filled. What kinds of activities are you working on? Are you working alone or in a group or something in between? How is your day structured and who determines this? Create the ideal day.
It is now the end of the day. What time is it? What do you do when your work is done- do you go home or somewhere else? How long does it take to get home and how do you get there? Describe the trip back home.
At the end of this day, how do you feel? What do you look forward to doing the next day at work? How do you fill your free time? What do you do to indulge yourself? How do you give back to others?
Now that your done with this…was it helpful? Did anything become clearer to you?
Perhaps you will decide to share this with people you know and ask for their advice on how you can make this happen. Avoid the naysayers right now as you have fun exploring the possibilities!
Hannah Morgan speaks and writes about job search and career strategies. She founded CareerSherpa.net to educate professionals on how to maneuver through today’s job search process. Hannah was nominated as a LinkedIn Top Voice in Job Search and Careers and is a regular contributor to US News & World Report. She has been quoted by media outlets, including Forbes, USA Today, Money Magazine, Huffington Post, as well as many other publications. She is also author of The Infographic Resume and co-author of Social Networking for Business Success.
