Do you remember your childhood dream? As young children, most of us were able to clearly and directly state what we wanted to be when we grew up. Our possibilities were endless. Maybe you wanted to be a teacher, or an astronaut, or maybe a rock star. Whatever the dream was, you were pretty certain it would become your reality. Now, fast forward 30 years and you not quite where your nine-year old self thought you’d be. You have a seemingly great career, but you regularly feel as if life is passing you by, like something is missing.
Often times I work with professionals who appear to be living the American dream. They have great careers and solid reputations within their industry. Many of them have spent years following the path of success the ones before them laid out. The only thing they seem to have left to do, is to retire. Yet, they are plagued with hopelessness. They feel as if their true talents and skills aren’t being fully used. Their inner voice is persistent in telling them that there is more, but they push it back and continue to do “what needs to be done.” Sound familiar?
A recent study conducted for LinkedIn surveyed 8,000 of the social media sites’ members finding that only 30.3% of the professionals from around the world were currently in the job they had always dreamed of or a career linked to those plans. The other 69.7% were in careers completely unrelated. While some childhood dreams were merely imaginative wishes, other reports declare that childhood dream jobs give a sense of true passions and talents. Reflecting on your childhood ambitions can help you determine the parts of your current job you love, and the pieces you feel are missing.
What do you desire? Right now you might feel as if it’s too late to get your dream job. And while being a rockstar or an astronaut maybe out of the question, it isn’t too late to mesh your fantasy with your reality.
This can be done by truly getting to know yourself. Knowing your strengths and limitations, and how those qualities can impact the world, will help you discover a way to turn your dreams into a reality. Be honest about your strengths and limitations. Only then will they help you align your dreams with a new reality that will fill you with joy. Taking the time to self-assess will help you discover new routes you can explore to enhance your sense of purpose.
It’s not too late to step inside of the arena.
You can transition from feelings of defeat to hopefulness by remembering your childhood dream and what it was about that dream that got you excited. Was it the feeling of helping others, the idea of discovering new things, or the excitement of praise and admiration from others?
Whatever it was, acknowledging the why of your childhood dream will help you transition your passion into something that you can pursue today. Even if you no longer have the desire to be exactly what you wanted to be as a kid, you can still achieve the feeling of purpose that you long for. Remember, it’s not about the job, but the joy and feelings of fulfillment attached to it. It’s not too late to step inside of the arena!
Action Steps:
1) Find a picture of you during your childhood with you smiling and write down your original childhood dream
2) Enroll in our e-course at monicamotivates.thinkific.com to keep the momentum going
3) Register for Pitch University at pitchuniversity.com to pivot to your purpose and discover your unique value proposition
4) Connect with our global community at monicamotivates.com