Here Are Some Tips

No one wants to spend their life doing some job that they ultimately hate and find unfulfilling, in the hope that the income they attain as a result will make up for the general disappointment of their professional lives. And, of course, no one wants to live a life which seems broadly meaningless and which fails to capture and manifest the joy, excitement, and mystery that we’re all looking for on some level.

Nonetheless, many people do indeed find themselves in situations where, looking around at their current lifestyles, things just don’t seem to gel properly. More than a century and a half ago, the writer Henry David Thoreau wrote that “most men live lives of quiet desperation”, and that worrying and upsetting observation seems pretty relevant in the present day, as well.

Ultimately, what everyone wants is to live their “dream life” in which their “dream job” plays a prominent central role. But what does it really mean to live your dream life and have your dream job?

Or, perhaps a better way to put it would be, what do you need to do in order to live your dream life and have your dream job?

There are many different suggestions that could set you on the right track. Here are a few that might be worth considering.

Get clear on what you really find meaningful, deep within. Not just what you find interesting or profitable

One of the fundamental reasons — if not the single most significant reason — why people frequently fail to attain their dream lives, is that they put things that could broadly be defined as “practical considerations” above the fundamental question of what it is they find meaningful.

Of course, we all need to pay the bills, buy groceries, and so on, and any reasonable approach to life takes those necessities into account.

But simply having the means to feed and clothe yourself does not constitute a really fulfilling and engaging life. Instead, for that, you’ve got to get clear on just what it is that you find to really be meaningful, and then take active steps to prioritise the pursuit of those things.

Keep in mind here that “what you find meaningful” isn’t the same as just “what you find interesting”.

Instead, “meaning” is about the stuff that seems to have a bigger purpose, that gives your life as a whole value, and that puts you in proper alignment with yourself and the world.

You might find building model trains interesting, while becoming a doctor might strike you as meaningful. Suffice to say; there’s a big difference between the two.

When you do work that you find meaningful, the bad days will seem justified. When you just do something that’s interesting, they probably won’t. And when you’re doing a job that seems meaningless to you, and also uninteresting, every day is going to fall short of your hopes and dreams.

Commit yourself to pursuing an education that will equip you for your career of choice and, ideally, set you above the competition

There are, of course, various practical considerations that need to be taken into account when working to attain your dream job and, subsequently, your dream life. It’s not all just sitting around and thinking about what you find meaningful and uplifting.

For many people, working in healthcare seems like a fundamentally meaningful career path, and no wonder, either. Healthcare is a field where you make a real, positive difference in the world and in the lives of others, that goes beyond your mere self-interest.

But, of course, entering the world of healthcare — especially at a high level — often requires you to pursue rigorous education and meet the standards expected of those who work with the sick and needy.

With the wonders of the modern internet age in full effect, you can do some of this studying from the comfort of your own home, thanks to programs such as an online MBA in healthcare management.

In any event, you cannot simply walk into your dream job, in most cases, on the basis of the fact that you really like the idea of doing so and feel yourself to be well-suited to the meaningful work in question. You’ve got to put skin in the game up front, and prove that you’re serious, by pursuing an education that will not only equip you for your career of choice but also, ideally, even set you above the competition.

Constantly observe and analyse the course of your professional life, and re-assess and re-formulate your goals as you go

One of the great not-so-secret secrets of many of the world’s top entrepreneurial successes and high-performers in various fields, is the fact that these people virtually never “nail it” on the first attempt. Richard Branson, for example, has more than a dozen failed business ventures to his name, and he is by no means an exception to the rule.

The basic fact that you need to absorb is that, while pursuing your dream job, you are almost certainly not going to nail it on the first attempt, because it’s almost an impossibility to do so.

One thing that this means, in practice, is that you should constantly be watching yourself and your circumstances as you progress down the path of pursuing your dream job, and should analyse the course of your professional life, and re-assess and re-formulate your goals as you go along.

Now, by no means is this to say that you should have an existential crisis and abandon your goals at the first sign of trouble. Not at all. But it does mean that you should take new information into consideration, and be willing to adjust your strategy and vision as you go along, preferably in somewhat subtle ways, but perhaps — at times — also in major ones.

For example, perhaps you’ve got a certain vision in mind of what it would mean to become a doctor, but after getting involved in healthcare more broadly, you’ll discover that your temperament is much better served by becoming a nurse, a hospital manager, or an EMT. In all cases, you’ll still be performing the fundamental role of helping people to heal through healthcare, but you’ll be doing so from various different angles.

Master the art of discipline — get orderly

In the realm of psychology, the personality traits that reflect a tendency to be disciplined, organised, and orderly, are said to be some of the strongest predictors of professional success in life.

The thing is, some of us are by no means “up to par” when it comes to our ability to be disciplined, and to master our time and overcome the tendency to procrastinate.

Nonetheless, it’s clearly essential that you develop the capacity to be disciplined, if you want to have any real hope of attaining your dream job, and performing to the required standard to keep it, and to thrive in it.

Make the development of self-discipline a priority in your life. Set yourself a daily schedule, and follow it. Wake up at the same time each day, and go to sleep at the same time, to the best of your ability. Keep a to-do list that addresses the main things you need to achieve in each day. Apply productivity strategies such as the Pomodoro technique. Get orderly, and disciplined.

Support your professional goals with powerful and effective systems

Scott Adams, the creator of the Dilbert comics, wrote a semi-autobiographical book some years ago where he came out with the provocative statement that “goals are for losers”. The alternative he proposed was that people should, instead, follow a systems-oriented approach to life.

In practice, what he was suggesting was that goals are essentially too rigid and dependent on outside circumstances, thereby making them unreliable.

Maybe you set yourself a goal of achieving a particular professional milestone by the end of the year, but then you find, along the way, that the goal is not actually tenable after all. Adams argues that this situation essentially undermines your control of your life, and puts you in a more or less permanent state of anxiety or despondency as a result.

His proposed alternative — systems — involves focusing first and foremost on performing the right habits each day, that will increase your odds of success, day by day.

For example, if aggressive marketing was required to achieve your dream job — as it may well be — then a “goal” might be to land 10 new clients in a year. A system, on the other hand, would be to make 50 client calls a day.

There are good reasons to think that Adams was being unduly harsh in his treatment of goals. As many people will argue, goals help to give your life a real, focused structure and purpose. By aiming at something, you are able to manoeuvre the various aspects of your life to achieve that end.

But Adams was right about the fact that robust systems are likely one of the most surefire ways of success. So, how about this — keep your professional goals, but be sure to supplement and support them with powerful and effective systems that give structure to each day.

Sell yourself shamelessly and get to know your strengths and weaknesses so you know the value you offer

Another pro tip is to sell yourself shamelessly and get to know your strengths and weaknesses and the value you offer. If you are confident in your abilities, employers will be keen to hire you and take you into the organization. 

Start by using resume templates to get an idea of how to make yourself look good on paper. You want to make sure you present information about who you are and the value you can offer in a logical way. It’s also critical to ensure you include all personal information about yourself so future employers can get a feel for what you offer and the experience you bring. 

Getting to know your strengths and weaknesses helps with this process. It shows you the areas where you are doing well, and where you need to improve. It also gives you an idea of what you can offer long-term and how you can generate sustainable value for firms in your chosen industry.

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