Career Planning and Dreaming go Hand and Hand

Figuring out what to do in terms of work can be a daunting and seemingly overwhelming task, one which is made much easier with some help. Here at OVRC, we have a wonderful crew of career professionals ready to assist you, every step of the way.

As one of the career counsellors at OVRC, my job is to help people answer the age old question “what do I want to be (or do) when I grow up?”, whether they are students starting out or retirees still wanting to make a contribution, or any one at any stage of their working life. There are many tools and techniques that can be used to help answer this all important question. Today I thought I would share with you a simple and fun one* that you can do yourself to “get the ball rolling”.

Start by writing out a description of your ideal work day. This is purely an exercise of the imagination and it works best if you imagine you have a magic wand and you can wave away any concerns about money, time, what various people in your life think or expect. In effect, if you could simply do what it is you would like to be doing for work without any other responsibilities…what would it be?

Dream Big!

Remember, this is your Ideal Work Day: describe what you are doing, where you are doing it. For example: “I’m sitting at my desk in a fancy high rise office building in downtown, helping people achieve their financial goals”. Using as much detail as possible, describe what your physical space looks like: “My office has wall to ceiling windows with loads of sunshine and a stunning view of the sky”. What are the specific tasks you are doing “I am analyzing financial market reports, collating the data and preparing reports for my team of financial advisors”. Who you are interacting with (or not!) and how: “I spend my mornings researching and interpreting data from numerous sources, I use my lunch hour to connect and network with clients at a 5-star restaurant nearby, I enjoy working my way through the excellent menu with one new spectacular dish each day (remember this is “Magic Wand time”!). “My afternoon is spent in meetings and dialogue with my cracker jack team, inspiring them to keep being the number one financial advising team in the country!”

Plan Your Path

Once you have this marvelous fantasy all written out, take a fresh piece of paper and across the top write 3 column headings: Essential (what you can’t live without) Optimal (would be nice but not a deal breaker) Pure fun (the “icing on the cake” stuff). Now go through your story & place each element of it in its proper column.

Going through this exercise usually distills what you need to the essential nuggets…what feeds your spirit and soul; the stuff that motivates you, drives you forward. Next step? Now comes all the fun of exploring how to create a career path that incorporates the essential bits, some of the optimal bits and maybe an “icing on the cake” bit or two as well. After all, isn’t that sometimes the best part of the cake?

If you would like some help with figuring out “what next?” in your career, call us at OVRC (204-989-6503) and book an appointment with one of our Career Counsellors, either Kristina Lonstrup or myself, and we’d be happy to give you a hand. We would love to be your guide as you explore your career path and plot your next best future! Our services are free and we are all set up for virtual appointments.
Happy dreaming!

Laurie Sutherland, Career Counsellor/Facilitator OVRC
*adapted from Barbara Sher’s book “Wishcraft, How to Get What You Really Want”