Ask someone about what their dream job would be. Go on try it. What happens?
Probably the same thing that career coaches see regularly.
Most people draw a blank, divert by saying they wouldn’t have a job, or come up with a fantasy job. This got me thinking about the 2 big misconceptions that people have about finding a dream job.
- Fantasy jobs or dream jobs
The first misconception is it is easy to confuse a fantasy job with a dream job. So here is the difference.
Ask a child what they want to do when they grow up, the chances are they will respond with a fantasy job: a top footballer, a famous vlogger, a pop star…. You get the picture! As you’d expect, a child’s answer is spontaneous and bears no consideration to current realities.
As an adult, we still have fantasy jobs – these are the things that we know full well go beyond being a challenge, the expectations are unrealistic. For example, I’m in my 50s, not tremendously fit (certainly no athlete at least) and I have back issues – this is the reality. Therefore, to hope to achieve Olympic gold medal position in the men’s skiing downhill is unrealistic. To consider being an Olympic skier would be classed as a fantasy job because the gulf between reality and goal is simply not going to happen at this point no matter how much I practice going fast on skis.
But dream jobs do exist and are certainly no consolation prize.
If I wanted to be a ski instructor, this although currently far removed from my current reality, is achievable and therefore not an unrealistic expectation. I would have to commit to improving fitness, skiing techniques; I would have to invest in learning how to be a ski instructor and go through the grading systems to demonstrate my abilities meet standards. And I’d probably have to invest in a specialist to fix my back! But if this is what I really wanted to do, I could (and would) do it to achieve my dreams.
- Only one shot at a dream job
The second big misconception is the idea that there is only one dream job out there and if you miss your shot, that’s it.
This is simply not true.
There is not just one single dream job out there, so waiting for “the one” prevents other opportunities from being considered that would equally bring happiness and fulfillment at work. Even in relationships, people who find “the one” (and live a happy life together) are capable of finding love again. And that’s a far bigger deal than finding a dream job!
The truth is, there are different dream jobs out there for each of us. This is not limited to a single shot.
We have a choice to limit our potential or seize the opportunity to find our dream jobs and live a life we love.
When do you want to take your next shot at living the dream in a job you love?
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