Do Your Childhood Dreams Hold The Secret To Your Career Dilemma?
Revisit your inner child and rediscover yourself
As adults we can find it hard to know what it is that we actually want. We become so bogged down with life and what we think we should be doing, we often forget how to enjoy ourselves and as a result, we can misplace our real passions and what makes us tick. Sadly, this can translate to our careers.
Kids are so free. There are less inhibitions, less worrying about what others think, and no responsibility weighing on their shoulders.
As kids, we are taught to use our imagination - dream big. Kids play at being footballers, princesses, rock stars. They have passion for nature, space, art, and everything is viewed as a possibility.
When we start thinking about our careers, it becomes serious business. As teens we are asked questions like:
“What do you want to be?”
“What do you want to do with your life?”
Suddenly any fun is removed. Dreams are forgotten and it’s all about being sensible.
“Astronaut? Don’t be ridiculous, think of something within your reach”
“You can’t take a subject like art, it doesn’t lead to a proper job”
We can end up choosing subjects at college, taking degrees, and starting out on a career path of something that we don’t love, simply because it seems like a more realistic option or something in line with what we think we should be doing, whether we enjoy it or not.
30+ and miserable
I’ve worked with many clients who don’t enjoy their jobs. They’ve started off with something they don’t love and followed it through, getting in what they believe is too deep to turn around and make a change. Most of these people are in their mid 30s and reach a point where they can no longer do something that isn’t aligned with who they feel they are.
At this point, I often work with them to rediscover what they loved as children.
Reconnecting with the child within
When we start exploring what we loved as a child, it opens up new possibilities. It’s not as simple as thinking “as a child I loved art so I’ll be an artist”, but discovering what you did enjoy and experimenting to see if it’s still a passion can make way for new ideas that you can incorporate into what you do now. It’s about examining the possibility that the thing you love can actually be your career and changing your mindset to believing your career can be anything you choose to make it.
It might even be as simple as just bringing in some of these forgotten elements to your existing career, or starting a side hustle.
A word about me
When I was a kid I wanted to be an author. I used to spend hours writing stories. When it came to university, I chose to study psychology. It seemed more fitting for a successful career and I put my pens down from then on.
Years later I rediscovered my passion for writing and I incorporated it into my business until it became pretty much the sole way I make an income. I didn’t hate what I was doing before, but making writing a prominent feature made me enjoy my work so much more.
Now over to you
If you are feeling stuck, I urge you to take a quiet moment to think about what you used to love. Don’t worry about whether it seems realistic or tangible, just write down what you loved and commit some time to pursue it and test whether it’s still something that makes you happy.
Even if it doesn’t help with your career plan, you might be able to turn it into an activity you do in your free time.
I’d love to hear whether what you do now aligns with what you loved as a kid. Let me know in the comments.
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