Trust Your Heart and Find Your Dream Career

"Nothing is as real as a dream. The world can change around you, but your dream will not.

Responsibilities need not erase it. Duties need not obscure it. Because the dream is within you, no one can take it away."

(Read to the end or this article to see who authored this quote.)

Many people don't know that actor George Clooney is a very fine caricaturist. In the early days in Hollywood, he was struggling to make a living. His family suggested that he turn to drawing caricatures as a way of temporarily making some money until he could make it as an actor.

He refused, saying, "If I do that, I will become the most popular caricaturist in Hollywood. But I'll never be an actor."

He and many others listened to their hearts. They knew the meaningful work they wanted and they sought the dream of that work purpose until the dream became one with them.

That's the power of dreams. They are living things. They are seeking us as much as we are seeking them.

Dreams start as ideas in someone's mind. Then, because of the energy, imagination and focused action centered in an individual, the dream becomes reality.

That's how Michelangelo's 'David' came into being. That's how Mozart's Requiem came into being. That's how everything, from cell phones to rockets to indoor plumbing came into being.

What do you want to bring into being? What do you want to birth? Or put another way, what does your heart want to love into the world?

Dreams are born from what we love, from what we are passionate about, from what we care about. And care and love are the manifestation of the heart's intelligence. It's no different when we are birthing meaningful work that provides us with deep career satisfaction.

Recently, I spoke with a computer technician who repaired my computer. He told me he reads books about computers for FUN!

Isn't that true of all of us? If we are intensely interested in something (heart-engaged), we love spending time studying it, reading about it, talking about it, applying it and learning more about it. That's as true for computer technicians who love their work as it is for musicians as it is for gardeners and cooks, as it is for sports fans, who follow their teams avidly.

It is said that if you love what you do, you will never work another day in your life. That's when the line between work and play and fun become blurred. It all feels the same.

I remember when I first had that insight. I was in my first career as a teacher. I walked into my classroom one lovely fall morning and said to myself, "I can't believe I get paid to do this!"

If you are looking for career satisfaction doing meaningful work that helps you bring YOUR career dreams to life, then you must learn to listen to your heart.

I have a client who, until recently, was a respected insurance executive. The company was prepared to transfer her to a prestigious job on the West Coast that would put her on the fast track to even more promotions.

This event precipitated a mini-crisis. Why? Because this offer caused her to realize she didn't like being an insurance executive.

She was good at it, but she didn't like it. In other words, her heart wasn't engaged. She had other career dreams that were demanding to be realized.

Her interests and passion lie in more artistic pursuits and she is now enrolled in a school for fashion design. Moreover, she's NOT scared or worried about the future. She's EXCITED and joyful, involved in the creative process and so happy to - FINALLY - have found work satisfaction in a niche that is right for her.

Notice.

When you find work that is right for you - that helps express who you are - that uses your talents and skills - that challenges you to develop new talents - that's the dream. That's work purpose.

That's a meaningful career. And that is what feeds the heart. So, how about you?

What do you love to do? What gives you joy when you do it? What would you do even if you weren't paid?

What interests you? What do you want to express in the world?

You will remain forever dissatisfied if you don't express something of yourself in your work. The more of yourself you can express in your work, the more you will find joy and fulfillment in your life because that is what the dream is made of: I, expressing myself, through my work.

I hope you find increasing work satisfaction as you express who YOU are in the world.