March/April 2009
dancing at your desk

Secret Dreams
Dust yours off if you've lost your job

Imagine this: we’re sitting on a beach, you and I, having a conversation about life…
“How can I possibly start over?” t ask as we stare at the waves tumbling towards us. “I’m older now. Who would hire me?”

“It’s better this way,” I say. “You know it wasn’t good the way it was. Do you remember being happy?”

We watch a flock of gulls squawking overhead on their way out to sea.
“Yes, it was in the early days of my career,” you say. “I felt filled with possibility. But my job became mostly drudgery and politics. None of that had anything to do with why I started.”

“Who were you back then?” I ask. “What did you want your career to look like?”

“I wanted to be somebody, somebody smart and innovative who inspired people. Somebody who made a difference. But it didn’t turn out that way. I stayed for the money and benefits. I was raising a family and afraid to give up job security. Now I’m tired from all the drama. I don’t have the energy to start over. Yet I still have to make a living. I’m applying to jobs that I care nothing about and not getting interviews.”

“You signed up for this challenge. Don’t bail out now. You chose to be here in the midst of this economic crisis in order to be forced to remember your real mission; to raise the consciousness of the planet with your gifts and talents, through your work,” I remind you as we walk through the warm sand.

“It seems that everything is about money now,” you say, with some frustration. “Everyone is making choices because of money, not because of who they are inside or their mission.”

“But we’re looking at this economic downturn exactly backwards,” I say. “Right now, we’re being called to do our great work, every one of us. We need to focus on the new and enlightened ideas that inspire us. When we grab hold of those ideas and launch a business or create a technology or think in a new way to solve an old problem, money flows effortlessly.”

“So you’re saying I’m stuck in the past,” you say.

“Your pattern of looking at career as simply a paycheck and benefits is an old paradigm that’s crumbling right now. It’s up for reinvention, thank goodness,” I laugh. “When we think in those old patterns about work and money, we buy into the scarcity mindset that’s paralyzing so many people. There’s still plenty of abundance on this planet. It’s required now that we work in more conscious, inspired ways to attract it.”

“How would I do that?” you ask, as we sit back down on the warm sand.

“You take all the knowledge and experience you gained in your old career and wrap it all together in a different way, a way that’s in alignment with who you are, with your path and why you came here.”

“But how does someone make a living and support a family doing that?”

“Our true work, the work we came here to do, always supports us financially. It’s the only real path to abundance and success. That’s the law of divine order.”

“You know, for years I’ve dreamed of (Fill in your dream here).”

“Well that’s your intuition, your higher self, telling you that’s what you came here to do. You always knew that your perspective was different from others. That’s on purpose.”

“The funny thing is, in college I was part of a team who developed technology that enabled physically challenged people to work on computers. I used my engineering talent to create something inspired and meaningful. It’s like I knew back then. And then I fell off-path.”

“You chose survival instead of pursuing your dream. It’s the same choice nearly everyone makes. But there’s a shift now, an opening. What if you remembered your original intention? What if you could become the person you dreamed of being long ago?”

“How would I go about getting my idea going and making money from it?” you ask as we stand up and start walking towards home.

“Now you’re talking,” I laugh, brushing the sand from my clothes. “When we get back, we’ll make a list of action steps…”

If your career has recently ended, now is the time to think out of the box about what you’ve come here to do. In order to tap into the great abundance that still exists on this planet, you must think new thoughts about your work. Here are six ways to help you do that:

1. What secret dreams have you stuffed away that you know are in alignment with who you are and what you’ve come here to do? Make a list of them.

2. What needs do you see in the world that inspire you to take action, think out of the box, get creative, and use your gifts to make a difference?

3. How can your answers to these questions be translated into a career plan? Write three ideas that pop into your head.

4. What are three small, practical, baby steps you can take this week to move in this direction?

5. Stop asking: “Who do I think I am to try to succeed at this new career?”

6. Start asking: “Who do I think I am to ignore the great work I already signed up for? Who do I think I am to ignore the gifts and talents I brought with me? Who do I think I am to ignore the purpose of my life story?”