3 Steps to Jump-Starting Your Job Dreams

Curt Rosengren

In response to my post last week about dreaming, Earl from New York said:

I am so busy with work during the day and family at night that I have no idea what I want to do but I know I need a change. Do you have any advice about how to start dreaming again?

That's such a common experience, the answer merits a post of its own. So here are three steps to jump-start your dream discovery:

Find time.

Nothing happens without space for it to happen in. The first step is making the time to focus on you, your dreams, and your future (try a Web search on "finding time for yourself" for ideas on how to make room for your exploration in an already overpacked life).

Ask questions.

By definition, dreams are internally inspired. But when you're consumed with life's external demands, it's easy to lose track of that internal inspiration. Asking questions can help uncover it again.

Start with questions like:

• What do I love doing? Why?
• When do I feel most energized? Why?
• What activities do I lose myself in? Why?
• What work sparks my interest? Why?
• What feels meaningful? Why?

Explore.

Once you piece together an understanding of what makes you tick, you can look around and ask, "What kinds of work have that?" Read. Talk to people. Take classes. Find ways to dip your toes in multiple ideas. Keep asking, "What appeals to me about this? What about it doesn't work for me?"

Bit by bit, your dreams will come to light.

After years as a professional malcontent, Curt Rosengren discovered the power of passion. As a speaker, author, and coach, Rosengren helps people create careers that energize and inspire them. His book 101 Ways to Get Wild About Work and his E-book The Occupational Adventure Guide offer people tools for turning dreams into reality. Rosengren's blog, The M.A.P. Maker, explores how to craft a life of meaning, abundance, and passion.