Welcome to episode #157 of the Own Your Best Life Podcast. Do you know what your next dream job is? Do you have an idea of what you would love to do for work? Maybe you’re already doing it already and you realize you can have even more of what you want or help other people find their own versions of their dream jobs. If so, today’s episode is for you. We’ll cover a simple strategy that will lead you to getting paid and enjoying your work too.

Clarity on your current situation

Work doesn’t have to solely be a source of stress. I want you to be able to be in your current work situation and see it with a bit more neutrality. That’s one of the first things I do with my clients. Getting comfortable talking and thinking through any discomfort you might be feeling now. 

We acknowledge that feeling of not realizing your full potential or the shame of feeling like you should be happy when you’re not. This is so important because often we bypass all these parts of ourselves when they are vital to understanding why you are where you are today. Instead of seeing these embarrassed or shameful thoughts as something to fix that has gone wrong, we understand them. The same part of you that has fears of losing something really important is also a part of you that is making decisions about what you want tomorrow.

When we get that type of clarity into what we fear and what we are worried about, we see our choices. You are likely making choices about where you spend your effort and time to have exactly what you have today. Much of it is rooted in fear that drives us towards safety, stability or certainty. If we can get more clear on what you’re choosing now for work and why, we can figure out what you want next and how to get there.

Small tweaks add up

One of the biggest things that holds us back is thinking we have to take big leaps today. Whether you feel like you are making enough money and enjoying your work or you feel disengaged and want to make more money, you don’t always have to make huge drastic changes to have what you desire tomorrow. 

Simple, incremental moves are all it takes. When you do incremental moves day after day, they add up to what looks like big changes years later. 

There are likely already some simple moves you can take today that get you closer to your dream job tomorrow. 

Don’t use the word “dream” against you

Dream jobs tend to have an aspirational aspect. The idea of it being a “dream” will create a bit of disbelief of whether it is possible. This feeling that there is a big gap between here and there. This doesn’t help because that large gap leaves you thinking you have so much to lose that you don’t want to make any changes. 

Yet, dream jobs are simpler than we realize and not as risky as we make them out to be.

They are usually some reasonable combination of income, type of work and lifestyle. The only thing is that we just don’t have it yet.

We are talking about a few tweaks that would help you create the vision of that dream job, mapping out what’s next and then starting to take decisive action. Maybe you want a different work environment or to change trajectories, but you don’t know where or how. I work with you to map out a path that makes sense based on where you are now and is entirely simple and doable. It’s your own personal strategy map for your career that allows you to achieve more than you realized is possible because it’s not about a linear path. 

It’s about taking the obvious and different path, but making small changes that keep moving you forward.

Creating a Plan B and Sunk Cost Fallacy

When you stick with something that you’ve invested time, effort and money into  even though the current costs outweigh the benefits, this is the definition of sunk cost fallacy. The reason you may be engaging in sunk cost fallacy is that same reason people keep gambling after a loss. It’s hard to leave something even if it’s not great. 

The way to combat that is to go and find more options now while increasing your emotional strength to detach from your past. You don’t have to leave without a back-up plan and you’re not only what you’ve done in the past. 

Yes, you have invested time and energy into your current career but you have a long life ahead of you and if the current costs outweigh the benefits, you have to only consider the future. If you wouldn’t choose this job now, that is a strong indication that you wouldn’t keep throwing “good money after bad.” I help my clients create back-up plans and build emotional fortitude so they have options and a healthy sense of detachment.

Moving towards what you want is important – it’s progress over perfection and a sense of calmness towards your work situation instead of fear or panic. Moving towards what you desire may look like taking roles that may not have crossed your mind, but when you are able to see it objectively you see that it ticks all the checkboxes for you. You have an openness to the infinite possibilities available to you.

Sometimes, making changes looks like big, decisive actions and other times it will look like small and steady steps.

Either way, when you are open to talking about what you want and don’t want, the dream jobs are closer than you realize. You don’t need to be set up with the best work experience or network. You just need to be willing to start making some changes today.

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If you like this blend of both practicality and mindset, you will love coaching. You can schedule a consultation at www.mayempson.com/contact  to learn more about working together and joining this community of like-minded, open and curious seekers. It is the powerful group and private coaching hybrid experience for achievers who want to expand their vision of what’s possible. Twelve months of support, individualized guidance, community and retreats. We will help you build your confidence, trust your intuition and make decisions that you love.

If you’re ready to Own Your Best Life, I want to invite you to watch the free training on how to Stand Out and Lead, using spiritual, high-performance strategies. You can access the training at https://may-empson.mykajabi.com/stand-out-and-lead.

You can then apply to join my Spiritual Achiever® program, where you’re going to create your next chapter with spiritual and high-performance strategies to achieve time and financial freedom using my proven method. It’s risk-free. You either start seeing results within your first month or I give you your money back. Schedule your call HERE. We’ll see you inside.

That’s it for this week. Have an amazing one and I’ll talk to you next time.