Accidental Career – How to Get Back On The Road to Accomplishing Your Dreams

If you ran into your six-year-old self and had a conversation about how you’d be when you grow up – what would that six-year-old have to say about your progress thus far? Would you be reminded of dreams you’ve put away?

In entering adulthood, have you allowed a “talent” of shelving dreams for “reality” to evolve? As you review where you are today, can you likely justify your current situation through a series of decisions which were convenient at the time, but may not propel you to where you want to be at age 60?

Like me, you may find that you are in an accidental career. A job opening appeared at the right time and the right place, which lead to other roads taken, to where you are today. The justification of a paycheck, better benefits, more time with the family, etc. have likely held us back.

If what you are doing today encapsulating your dreams and passions, then congratulations! You are probably among the top 5% of the population, if not the top 3%.

As you look at your dreams and passions, is their a tie-in to what you are doing today? I went through an exercise two years back where I wrote down everything I was interested in as a kid and then researched people who have made a profession out of their dream.

Legos and Erector sets were my world from the ages of 5-13. If you research Lego Masters on the Internet, you will find many different examples of adults “playing” or rather building and creating with plastic bricks. Brian Williams did a great piece on how to interview with Lego, you can find it at MSNBC’s website.

Legos were just one of many passions I’ve had throughout my life, another relates to the joy I get out of talking to people about what they do. I’m very inquisitive. I like to understand why you are where you are today and how you got there. Success leaves clues and I’m on a lifelong quest to understand success for each individual. I didn’t think this was a career – I was wrong.

I enlisted a career coach after reading 48 Days to the Work You Love by author and career/life coach Dan Miller. My coach was able to ask the right questions, provide the proper context, and most importantly – be an accountability to coach to ensure I met my goals. Setting up this website is a result of working with her.

Fortunately for me, I was able to find a near term solution and transition my day-to-day duties at work and I now am privileged to develop training and career development tools for almost 400 people. Longer term, however, I am looking to work with smaller groups and individuals to make an action plan and experience their career transformation with them.

Are you in a career accidentally, or are you on a purposeful mission to achieve your dreams and passion for life – not just your career?

Learn: Research professions who are making a living – and really enjoying life – with the things you wanted to do when you were 6-10.

Act: Find out what training is required, how long do professionals in your area of interest practice a day, etc. and make your own action plan.

Share: Write about your experience, use the selling 5-foot rule and talk about your passions with anyone who will listen. You will be amazed at the connections you will make. I certainly am.