Characteristics To Help Find The Work Of Your Dreams
"Why am I not happy?" "Why is life a struggle?" "Why doesn't
work, work?" We probe our soul with questions like these, but we
will never hear the answers if we don't take time off in our
hectic days to listen. Unless we slow down and take a deep
breath, we cannot hear the subtle responses that come from
within.
As we get older, the questions about the nature and quality of
life come up. By then, though, we are so mired in the car
payments and the mortgage and the daily routine, and we are so
used to looking for answers outside ourselves, that we fail to
recognize the simple truth: We need to find enough quiet space
so that we can listen to the answers locked deep inside. We need
to stop and let them surface.
Once we take that time, we can reflect on all we have done and
all we hope to do, and decide if we are living the life we want
or if, instead, it was programmed for us by others. Only then
can we listen to our own voice, our own intuition, our own inner
wisdom. Only than can we tap into our inherent skills, talents
and inner creativity, which form the work for which we were
individually designed. Then we will truly reap the rewards of
joy and fulfillment as well as a paycheck.
Afterward, when we go back to our busy life, we find that we are
whole beings again, not walking machines. If we have chosen to
take a break from our careers, the work we choose when we return
will be right and satisfying.
Regardless of how we use it, time goes by and then it's gone.
The combined power of every ruler in the world could not change
that by decree. So, in the end, the only thing that counts is
how we used the time. Is what we're doing meaningful enough that
if we were still doing it 10 or 15 years from now, we would be
satisfied with that?
If you just keep going the way you are, ask yourself what you
will miss and how it will affect you and the ones you love. If
you are losing some of your spirit every year, what kind of
husband, wife, father, mother or friend will you end up as after
half a lifetime goes by? If you need to take time off to stop
the downward momentum, isn't it worth it?
It takes time and perseverance to find the work and life of your
dreams. Here are some characteristics to cultivate that will
support you:
Vision -- great clarity about what you want. Describe your
vision in detail and visualize yourself in your new condition.
The more you do this, the more possible, even probable, it seems
that you will get there.
Strong intention -- determination to get what you want. Pursue
your goals when you are thinking, writing, talking, exploring,
reading and being, as well as in your actions. Be resolute that
you will achieve your objectives. Stay focused and don't let
anything or anyone stand in your way.
Unwavering belief -- a belief so strong that it stands up
against challenges. Other people, sometimes believing they are
being helpful, try to persuade us to be realistic, meaning that
we shouldn't aim too high. Successful people keep their goals
high and their expectations inline. People may tell us we are
being a dreamer. Successful people are practical dreamers. They
have dreams, and they figure out how to make them come true.
Action approach -- know what you need to do and do it. If a
person wants to drive a car, he gets behind the wheel. To dance,
he moves his feet to the rhythm. To find a new job, career or
better skills, he researches his options, decides on a plan and
implements it. Everything requires movement. Moves toward your
goals.
Focus -- stay on course. Don't stop on the way or get
sidetracked by fear or the myriad other things that hold one
back. Even the best get waylaid now and then, but those who are
sure of the path they are on don't let themselves procrastinate
for long. They just put themselves on fast forward and fly.
Faith -- truly believe you will get it. Know it is just a matter
of time. If things don't move as fast as you would like, if
something goes wrong, if you get unavoidably sidetracked, it
doesn't have a permanent effect. When you fall off the horse,
simply get right back on.
(c) 2001, Gloria Dunn, all rights reserved.