Maybe it’s Time to Dream….

You know, I’ve said before that to contain fear, it’s best to focus on the hour, the minute or whatever, just to gain back a sense of control. Well, I’ve been thinking this week that maybe I’ve been too focused on the here and now and not daring to dream. I know, this is totally contrary to what I wrote last week. Well hey, maybe some of us are in a different place. Maybe I really need to pull up my socks and get me to another place.

It started out on Monday, when I was talking to a friend and she said that her goal was to find a job by April so that she could go on a good vacation with her friends. My immediate reaction was oh God no! Not that it was a bad goal, but that I immediately focused in on “what if you don’t make the goal?” what then? I’ve been pretty darn disappointed too many times over the past year or so, but hey maybe I need to turn that around and not let it manage me. I’ve been thinking a lot about aspirations.

What do we aspire to? I think about this when I’m running on the tread mill or when I’m meditating; starting to try to formalize the process. Hello? Process Queen here! I am seriously thinking of running the NYC marathon…eeek. Well I did just start running over three miles a day after all. Not saying which year I’ll do it in. The other thing I’ve started back focusing on and formalizing through meditation (whether on my couch or at the gym) is “I am landing the job of my dreams; meaning working with creative intelligent people on challenging exciting projects..” Yup, today even put in there “I am getting an offer next week for the job of my dreams”. What I’m thinking is that this is along the lines of the stretch goal right? If we only think of what we will accomplish today and lose sight of what it is we want, we may end up in the wrong place.

So all I can say is dare to dream. What have you got to lose? It’s free and leads you to places that you want to be in.

Now for some practical advice; yes those job applications out there are ugly but fill them out completely. It’s their game. Please complete the EO information. I hear from someone in HR that they won’t even look at them if you don’t. Networking does work. I actually got a job lead from a friend at a fundraiser the other night. You all probably know by now that I’m not the best networker in the world. If I can do it, most of the rest of you will probably have excellent results. One of my friends suggested the other day to think of networking as an information exchange. That’s for those of us who feel we need to give something to get something. Finally another suggestion I heard, was to respond to articles in the paper or online. It not only gets you thinking but it also gets you involved and who knows what will happen. I would love to sit down and chat with Paul Krugman wouldn’t you? Or, how about corresponding with Bob Hebert or Tom Friedman, wouldn’t that be fun. I guess you all know what I’m going to be doing Sunday.

Enjoy your weekend everyone. Please do take some down time. You need it. Most of all keep dreaming.