How To Create And Maintain A Job You Love

How To Create And Maintain A Job You Love How To Create And Maintain A Job You Love 2When was the last time you felt riveted by your career?  Ever? The average  American lifetime includes  90,000+ hours of work time. Can you even fathom that? If you arent feeling great about your work like (or lack thereof), its time to deal. Its good news and bad news: You are going to have to be the one to fix this problem. After coaching thousands of people, I can confidently tell you, you CAN  create and maintain a job you love. Heres more good news from the world of coaching: 1) You create your reality. 2) Your main job (in life) is to grow and learn. 3) You have more power than you think you do. 4) Getting into action will always feel better than wallowing in self pity. 5) Things are easier than you think, especially when you are letting powers outside of you HELP! But, when it comes to a job, we get bogged down in so many  excuses  as to why we cant change or upgrade fast. Daily, we counteract the positive principles above that work toward our growth and development  by believing  silly  theories like: Im not smart enough to do that Im not brave enough to do that I dont have the self-discipline Its too hard Ive been pigeon-holed or black-balled Im too old, young, experienced, inexperienced, loud, soft, fat, thin (oh, you get the irony right?) I dont have the money And so on and so forth.  None of this is the truth.  These are bad theories and they could all be debunked (thats what coaches do!) The  real  truth is: 1) You havent  declared your  dream  out loud. What do you really want to be doing with your days? Is it really hard to commit out loud that you want to be a photographer, a chef, a sales executive or a tax accountant or a tech writer? How would you really like your day to look? Have you dared to say out loud that you want to telecommute, you want flexible hours, you want tight guidance or lots of independence? You have to start with saying what your heart really wants. Thats like programming the GPS. It really helps you get where youre going if youve never been there before. And if you are one of those people who swears you have no idea what you want, we can help you, too. You need a  solid plan with promises  to figure it out. Some promises for the confused include: Promise to write a list of all of the jobs you could see yourself doing Promise to then spend two hours a week researching what those jobs actually entail This is the only life you get (that we know of).  90,000 hours people; carpe diem already. 2)  You havent made a plan that someone else knows about and can hold you to. Once youve dared to say what you want you have to plan how to get it. That means making and keeping promises to research your options, send out your resume, interview people, and be interviewed by people. When youre in a job, you have to account to someone and that makes you way more effective. You need that in this time of transition too! Having that  sister who youve felt always had the better job or made more money,  as your accountability buddy, is perfect. Shed be sure to check in with you everyday to see how close you are to catching up to her. 3)  You havent employed a method of self-discipline that will help you silence the ever-prevalent voices of the chicken and brat in your mind that continue to get you off the hook from pursuing your dream. Whats the chicken and the brat you ask? And how do they stop me from getting my dreams? Good Questions! The Brat is a voice in your head that sounds something like this: Im too tired to research jobs tonight when I get home! Its been such a long day. I deserve a break! The Chicken is the voice in your head that sounds something like this: Whats the point of even researching that type of job when so many younger, more attractive, and talented kids are taking all of those jobs? Theyd never hire me anyway! These are the types of thoughts that keep you from getting your dream job (and most other dreams in life!).  How so? They convince you to break your promises! They make you too afraid to make that list of possible dream jobs. They convince you not to research that list! The self-discipline that can shut these voices up comes in the form of consequences.  You break a promise to yourself, you take the consequence. The consequence shouldnt be painful (mentally, emotionally, or physically). It should be something thats light-hearted but stings enough to get you back on track. For instance, if you only researched 90 minutes instead of two hours one week, you have to research an extra 30 minutes the next week. Or you could owe your partner or your child a 30 min activity of his or her choice. Declare your dreams out loud. Make promises, make yourself accountable to someone, perhaps a coach (click here for a free consult,) and set a consequence. Get those negative thoughts on a leash. Your dream job is waiting. Laurie Gerber is President of Handel Group Life Coaching,  a world-renowned coaching company that works with thousands of people  to  design  and realize their dreams across all areas of life. Handels coaches frequently speak to large audiences, teach at places like MIT and Stanford,  and  write  for publications and websites  like  Womens Health  and  Huffington Post.  Laurie has  appeared  on TV  shows such as  MTVs True Life Special  Im Getting A Second Chance. Check out  HGs  upcoming teleseminars  and learn the  3-step method to realizing any dream.