We spend a great deal of our time working for a living and many of us have “dream jobs” that we wish we could afford to do. Sometimes we try something out and find that in spite of all our anticipation, years spent training and educating ourselves that our dream job is anything but! Others work at something for years and find that as they grow older, mature change lifestyles that what was once a wonderful way to earn a living is no longer so fulfilling.
My father worked at a job that he hated for 45 years. As an immigrant, his training as an army pilot was not acceptable in North America and as he had a young family to support he took the best job he could at the time. My father complained very little, but we could see the stress and strain it caused him and I vowed as a young girl never to allow myself to suffer in the same way he did. Here are some tips that I have found useful, by the way, I love what I do, I love working with people using hypnotherapy, NLP and Psych-K.

1. Consider who/what you are working towards very carefully. Sometimes the best way to figure out what we do want is through a serious examination of what it is that we do not want! Write out lists, pros and cons etc.

2. Plan for right now because if your life isn’t where you want it to be now, it will be even harder to get there later on, especially if you are way off your chosen course. Think about what you want to do when you retire and consider doing at least some of those things now. Keep learning, taking courses and workshops, reading books, research on the internet, learn another language, crossword puzzles and games like Scrabble, they all help keep the brain fit! Keep your body fit; make time for exercise or better yet keep fit doing something you love like sports, dancing etc.

3. Remember to take small steps, break down your big goals into doable segments, set deadlines and stick to them as best you can.

4. Would you still want to live your dream (musician, actor, lawyer etc.) even if you weren’t going to be rich and/or famous? If riches and fame are really what you want then say so and consider the best way to get there for you.

5. Remember it takes about 10,000 hours of actual practice to become truly expert an anything which is why loving what you do is so important. If you hate it, chances are you simply won’t be motivated to put in the time.

6. If there are legal, moral, ethical shortcuts, find them and use them. Do not however short-change your customers/clients, bosses etc. this just leads to trouble. The kind of shortcuts I speak of involve finding the quickest way to work and back home, consider a home office and/or work from home, job share, save time without sacrificing quality, get organized!

7. Living your best life often entails going off the beaten track, taking risks and doing things on your own way and in your own time. Learn to be comfortable in the face of naysayers.

8. Think, speak and act according to your truth. Put your money where your mouth is and rely on your own inner guidance system to lead you.

9. Mind your manners, don’t burn bridges, be grateful for helping hands, and be willing to help others. Learn to apologize well and make amends, this goes a long way to showing you mean business if/when you make an error. Do not become a slave to the difficult customer or boss. Cut your losses and move on quickly, firmly and politely.

10. Be open to possibilities, sometimes what we want or wish for comes in unexpected forms, recognizing opportunities is critical.
And of course when you are doing what you love, they say you will never have to do another day’s work and retirement becomes a moot point!

Author's Bio: 

Alison L. Longley is a Master of Clinical Hypnotherapy, certified practitioner of NLP, PSYCH-K, Heart Resonance Energy Therapy and HypnoBirthing prenatal education. Alison specializes in treating women children and teens with an emphasis on anxiety, infertility and childbirth. Visit her website at http://www.hypnotherapy-vancouver.ca