"We move toward and become like that which we think about. Our present thoughts determine our future."
- Lou Tice
Are you dreaming about a new job? Do you find yourself thinking about what it would be like to work at a certain company? Are you fantasizing about a career where you get to utilize your greatest skills in an environment where people are happy and productive? Do you wish you had a Bachelor's degree to make your advancement a reality?
Put that daydreaming to good use. Walt Disney believed, "If you can dream it, you can do it." There is more power to visualizing then you may know. The mind is the most powerful job-finding tool you have so it's important to use it wisely. When you spend most of your time at work, you want to be sure what you dream about is what you want, not what you don't want. Here are a few tools to get you started.
Write It
One of the most potent ways to begin is to give a voice to what you see in your mind's eye. Write down the dream of what you want to have in your next job in great detail. There is power in the written word and also in clarifying what you want.
As you write out your vision, focus on the experience that you want to have in your job. What is the environment like? Do you like to work alone or with the team? Are you good with details? Do you want to work directly with customers or would you rather be behind the scenes?
All of these questions are important to help you clarify what you really want to experience in your ideal work situation. Through the process of writing, you will not only have given voice to your vision, but you will have made a record to revisit and to keep yourself accountable and focused on what is most important to you.
As you gain clarity in what you want, you will be able to express it to others as well. This clarity helps you naturally attract what you visualize for your future. Simply put, writing and visualizing is about doing the inner work first. Then the outer work of finding a job becomes much easier.
See It
Once you have defined what your goal is, the next step is to visualize yourself there. When picturing what you want to create, speak in the present tense, as if you are already there. Develop and document "I am" statements. Here are some examples:
- I am valued and appreciated for my experience, skills, and knowledge.
- I am a part of a team that is fun, loving, creative, and positive.
- I am learning, growing, and expanding my skills in a safe, loving, and supportive environment.
- I am joyfully accepting a salary of $____, with great benefits, a flexible schedule, and a contributing 401(k) plan.
- I am proud to represent the product or service of the company.
- I am open to companies that focus on health and wellness or that support a better quality of life.
Each of your statements must be at least 50% believable. The way you talk to yourself needs to be in alignment with your vision to give it power and propel you forward. Go ahead and stretch a bit. Keeping your vision strong will keep you inspired.
Reinforce your statements by visualizing them over and over. Read them to yourself every day. Add to them, change them around, and continue focusing on what energizes you. Post the statements on your refrigerator, on your desktop, in the bathroom, or on your dashboard - anywhere you can to paint the picture of your ideal job. Napoleon Hill said, "That whatever the mind can conceive, and believe, the mind can achieve."
Nail It
This is your life, and you are always in control of your thinking. Athletes are a great example of how visualization and affirmations are used very effectively. They rehearse in their minds as well as on the field. We can do the same in our daily life. Take time to visualize yourself nailing the job interview before you go into it. See yourself sitting up straight, being calm, and competently answering any questions. Visualize yourself engaging easily with those who are interviewing you. Rehearsing this scenario in your mind, as well as role playing with others, locks success into your muscle-memory. If your mind starts to let doubt creep in, work to steer it in the direction of success.
Your words have enormous power and how you speak to yourself creates a vision. But, writing and visualizing is a never-ending process. You cannot just write your future once or imagine what you want for just a moment. These practices must become part of how you live. Talk to yourself constantly with language like, "Everything I'm learning on my current job will help me in my new job,” and "My new job is coming to me today through someone I know or from my networking."
Visualizing yourself in that dream job is easy. But it takes practice. Get started right now. Write it. See it. Nail it!
Written by University Staff