I hear this often …”Adriana, I would love to find my dream job, but I don’t know where or how to start. I feel stuck. I feel disengaged at work and when I get home I feel too tired to do anything.”

When you feel stuck in your career, it can feel like a long journey through a dark tunnel. It’s frustrating, because you can’t see the light at the end. It’s also annoying, because you’re not seeing any progress.

 

So how do you get unstuck when you know that trying to push or force yourself to take any action seems difficult or impossible?

 

My tip here is – stop pushing, stop forcing.

Here are a few things you can try instead:

Step back and take some time to reflect

– it may seem frustrating to you right now, but feeling stuck also has some good aspects that are important to acknowledge. Very likely you are realising that you’d like to make a change, you desire to achieve more and you are willing to do something about it. Having an aspiration to transform your situation is already a good progress. You’ve started your journey.

Review your reaction to taking action

– if you are forcing yourself to take action (do job search, contact agencies, etc.) just because you want to escape your current job situation, it is likely that you may be developing some resistance. The question is how will you deal with this resistance?

Is it going to inspire you if you try to push or force yourself even more?

When I was in the same situation and I tried to force myself, I felt tired, disengaged and demotivated just from thinking about it …

I did it because I had to, but the energy, inspiration and joy were missing.

What helped?

The key here is to reconnect with your curiosity.

Get inspired.

Finding your dream job should not feel like a chore, race or journey through a long dark tunnel.

Finding your dream job could be a playful and inspiring activity.

Inspiration can become your natural driving force.

 

Take INSPIRED ACTION – it can be anything that will help you awaken your curiosity. Inspired action also reflects your  strengths and personality type.

 

But how do you engage your curiosity and take inspired action when you don’t know what your dream job is or where to find it?

4 tips for your inspiration:

There are a few things that you can do, but first of all I would like to ask you to consider reconnecting with your playfulness.

  • If you are people-oriented and love talking 1-2-1, you may consider having a conversation with your friend or someone you trust. Talk about your desires and dream job without any expectations where this conversation should take you. Be playful, talk about different ideas and different possibilities. It may take you one or more conversations, but as soon as you come up with the right idea, it is very likely that you will be inspired to continue and take action.

 

 

  • If you are people-oriented and outgoing, consider networking and going to different Meet Up groups. You can meet many inspiring people at networking events – especially people who successfully dealt with similar challenges to yours – don’t be afraid to ask about their experiences. Be curious and ask about their journey to finding more fulfilment and happiness in their career. Personal stories can be very powerful and inspiring. If you don’t like going to new events on your own, you can bring a friend but remember that the main point of this activity is to discover new insights and new people to broaden your own horizons.

Meet Up Group in London

 

  • If you are analytical or an introvert, you may like this exercise – draw your Dream Job Mind Map. How? Take a blank paper. Draw a circle in the middle of your paper, and then write the words My Dream Job in the middle of your circle. Ask yourself “What could my dream job look like? How can I find it or create it?” Draw a little mind map – start drawing arrows with little circles at the end. Small circles will create spaces for your notes. You can leave your mind map on your bed side table or in your favourite place at home (if you like, stick it on your fridge, the bathroom mirror or door in your toilet – yes, I am not kidding. Some people stick their vision board on their toilet door. It helps them to visualise their aspirations daily :-)). Add additional notes to your mind map again when you feel inspired. Mind map will help you organise your thoughts and find more clarity which action to take next.

    Example of mind map

 

  • If you are more intuitive and creative you may like the vision board exercise – create your own Dream Job Vision Board. If you love browsing through the internet you can google the pictures that represent your dream job – search on key words. If you love reading magazines, you can cut out the pictures that represent your dream job. After you collected your pictures and inspiring quotes/affirmations, you can create a small picture collage that will represent your dream job vision board. Your personal photographs, pictures from magazines and positive affirmations on a board can remind you of your wonderful career aspirations every day. This is one of my favourite activites and I use it almost every year to clarify my thoughts, aspirations and intensions.

    Example of dream job vision board

There is one thing that I would love to mention at the end of this post …

There is only person who can change how you approach your job search and your dream job creation. Guess who that person is?

It’s YOU.

It’s your journey to finding your DREAM JOB, so make it feel good for you.

Make it a memorable experience that is worth sharing with others.

 

Author: AdriAna Kosovska

Professional and certified international coach & founder of ZERO TO DREAM JOB ACADEMY

 

I work with employees, couples and organisations that care about

Stress reduction |  Talents and strenghts development | Dream job