Is a dream career possible?

‘What we’re really after — being able to make a good living and have an impact doing something we love’

I do believe that at the end of the day, this is what most people are really looking for in their ideal job.

I wanted to break down this sentence so that we can see that it does not seem so far-fetched and show you how it is in fact something we can take action on immediately.

‘Make a good living’

• I hear this often in my coaching sessions. ‘I want to be able to live comfortably’ or ‘I want to be financially free’.
• What you can do is to define for yourself what is that $x/month that you are looking for. That helps to make the goal a lot more concrete.
• A deeper level consideration is to think about what implications does earning $x have. Most people just think about what they can buy with $x but don’t stop to consider the responsibilities and stress that might come with $x. Considering this upfront will help you to make a more informed decision and manage your expectations down the road.

‘Make an impact’

• I believe that most people want to feel that they mattered at the end of their lives. Ideally in both personal and professional domains.
• On the work front, I do think that the key driver of impact is your value-add to the company and your value-add comprises your skills – both hard and soft.
• Do continue to assess your skill stack and continuing honing them. The world is moving too fast that you need to constantly upgrade yourself to stay relevant.

‘Doing something we love’

• Through my coaching sessions, I realize that people feel that they are not ‘worthy’ of doing something they love. They say things like ‘I should be lucky to even have a job’ or that ‘there’s no such thing as a dream job’.
• I can understand these sentiments because this is exactly how I felt before. Sometimes there are factors beyond our control such as the current economic situation that we are in. We definitely should be grateful for what we have.
• However, the key difference here is the mindset: If you just accept defeat and believe that there’s nothing you can do, you will always be stuck in a place of resentment. If you believe that you can slowly but surely craft a better job for yourself – one that is more aligned to your strengths and identity, you will consequently take steps to improve the situation you are in. Therefore, it ultimately comes down to whether you want to stay reactive or be more proactive!
• What you can do next is to (1) slowly get into this mindset and (2) start to introspect on what your ideal job would look like. Penning it down in more detail would help you to visualize it better and therefore help to make this goal more concrete.

I hope this is helpful for you to think about what are the steps you can take immediately to start building a better and more fulfilled future for yourself 🙂

P.S: Even though the concept of ‘a dream job’ may seem like such an elusive concept to many, I strongly believe that a dream job CAN be crafted. In this personalised program, we will explore aspects such as being crystal clear of your ideal job, understanding what is holding you back and crafting actionable steps to get there. Apply here.

🍀If something in this post made you pause, that’s usually worth looking at. Learn more about working with Natalie here.