Experience the power of setting an intention for yourself in order to make your dream a reality!
In my last post on Career Paths, I encouraged you to experiment with your possible selves and explore the different career possibilities that might exist for you. There will come a time when one of these options feels right. That’s the moment to visualize your dream and describe yourself doing what it is that you long to do.
You do this by setting your intention for that dream. All you do is pick a period of time down the road and state what you are dong in that future time. The trick is to write this in the present tense, as though you were already doing it:
In ____years, I am a ________doing___________.
Set this down in writing and be sure to date your entry.
Congratulations! You have just announced your intention to the world. That is step one in making that dream a reality!
I experienced the power of setting an intention a number of years ago after I was downsized from my job at a large non-profit organization because of the poor state of the economy. I decided to take a little breathing time to figure out my next steps. The only thing I did was to change the title of my résumé from “Deputy Executive Director” to “Arts Consultant”. A few months later, I was headhunted for a position and decided to go forward with the interview. The interview was conducted by the organization’s outside consultant. While the job turned out to be the wrong fit, I felt an immediate connection to the consultant, so much so that after the interview, I called him and suggested that we meet for coffee so that I could find out more about his work. We met a few weeks later, hit it off famously and ended the meeting by deciding to go into business together—as arts consultants!
Why does setting an intention work? Because if you are able to visualize what it is that you want to do and capture that thought in writing, you are likely to seize the opportunities that will make that dream a reality. That is why I encourage you to articulate your dream. If you can see it, write it down as if you were already doing it. Then look for ways to make that dream a reality. You will be amazed at the results.
© Astrid Baumgardner 2010
