Career Change - Creating Wealth & Happiness

Whether you have a business idea or not, here's what I want you to do?

I want you to take a pen and paper and go and sit somewhere quiet in your home where you will not be distracted. Get comfortable. Take a deep breath and relax for a moment.

Now I want you to write down everything you WANT in life. That's right. Everything that you wish you had in your life. It might be a new car, a house with a walled garden, some new and beautiful clothes, a swim with the dolphins, an arctic cruise, new watch, the latest Laptop, whatever? Just write it down. At least twenty-five things, but it could be twenty pages long.

Spend some time writing down everything that you could want in this life and desire. You can also write down things that you WANT in your relationships with other people. Such as "love". You can think about the kind of relationships you have with people.Do you surround yourself with people who:

Make you feel better about yourself or worse about yourself?Tend to be stronger than you or weaker than you?Are in better or worse financial shape than you?Have more real friends than you, or fewer?Place a higher value than you on honesty, integrity and commitment? So write it all down.

The next thing I want you to do is to write down all the things that you feel you NEED to do. Things that you would need to do or would like to accomplish. This can range from organising the carpet cleaner to writing your will. It could be that you need to visit your Mum or set up a new email account for your business.

Write it all down. Things you need to do for your business and things for your personal life - just write them all down. If you can get a good unconscious 'flow', going, so much the better. Don't worry too much about going into detail, you can do that at a later stage.

Now I want you to take a new pad of paper and write down everything that you are GOOD at, problems you can solve, things you can do. It can be driving a car or organising a meeting. It can be fixing a tap or writing articles. Think of as many things as you can and write them down. (You can put 'reading for ideas', as one of them, you are reading this, after all!) Keep going until you have at least twenty five.

After you have brain dumped everything you are good at, you need to write down things that you LOVE doing or are interested in. So for example you might love horses, travel, parachuting, socialising with friends, persuading people or using a computer. If you find that you enjoy doing just a few things, then list those things in more detail. So, for example, if you love reading, ask yourself 'What books' exactly - categories, titles, authors, genre/ Write all of them down, as many as you can.

The final thing I want you to do is to write down all the business IDEAS that you have - whether it's ideas for creating new products, for your existing business, running some new promotion or new ideas for a business. Write them all down.

You will find that putting together combinations of what you are GOOD at and what you LOVE doing, will inspire business IDEAS for you. This way you can be sure you have explored all your potential job preferences.

After you have written down all those things that you WANT (both material and relationship), everything you feel that you NEED to do and all of the business IDEAS you have then you need to start transferring these to another writing pad. You are going to create a list of the top five WANTS, NEEDS, IDEAS and the ACTIONS you can take to accomplish these.

Once you have identified the TOP FIVE items in each list of WANTS, NEEDS and IDEAS, you can list ACTIONS to take for each of them. This is an easy way of PRIORITISING what you need to do to accomplish first, then second, and so on until your last item is the last thing you should be doing when everything else is accomplished.

You should now have a list of your five top job or business IDEAS. Now a really great way of deciding on which job or business idea you should start with is to take each IDEA on your list and RANK it out of 5 (5 is high) for 1) Your level of interest. 2) Your knowledge of the how to do the job. 3) Level of experience. Create a table like this and you will be able to see at a glance what you need to do in order to bring your skills and experience :

Job Preferences Interest Knowledge Experience1. Corporate Executive Coach 5 4/5 42. Training Consultant 5 3 23. Project Management Expert 5 3 44. Interim Management Agency 4/5 2 25. Online Pet Wholesalers 5 2 1

It's much better to do this exercise in writing and keep the list next to your computer so you can see it ALL the time. Now start with number one on your list of ACTIONS to take and when you have finished it - strike it though with a pen.

Some of your wants are obviously going to have to wait until you have the money for them. You will need to achieve your financial milestones with your business. But you will and then you can buy these WANTS along the way and strike them off your list as you go.

After you have done this whole exercise of getting things down on paper, you'll feel brilliant. Not only will it allow you to free-up your mind, so that you are no longer focusing on a hundred things at once, allow you to think more clearly but it immediately creates an ACTION list that you can immediately start accomplishing. You'll be surprised how fast you can get things done. The faster you get things done, the faster your business will grow and the faster you will be able to strike off those WANTS.

Hi I'm Margaret Stead - a Dream Architect, helping individuals, executives and business owners market themselves online into new jobs, careers - building customer-employer relationships and increasing their job satisfaction.

I offer personal career coaching, workshops, tutorials and classes reports on the telephone and in one to one meetings that help people just like you do job hunting that gets results. You can learn more about my terrific online resources at http://www.careersnet.com or read my popular newsletter. (http://www.careersnet.com/default.asp?page=news0205)


More Resources

How to Receive Multiple Job Offers After You're Fired
Ask survivors of the most popular reality television shows and they'll tell you "If you have to eat a cockroach, don't spend too much time thinking about it." Keep focused on the end-game and move on.
Self Describing Skills - Key Strengths
You need to be the best you can at describing your best qualities; particularly your key strengths. In my coaching practice I generally, at some point, ask my client: "What are you good at?" purely as a means to establish if they have already thought through this most important question.
The Interview - A Few Tips for Making a Great First Impression
Searching for employment is one of the most nerve-racking activities to engage in. As if the direct need for income is not stressful enough, the process of writing a résumé, networking in your industry, and applying for jobs can leave anyone shaking in their tracks.
Those Little Things
Moving to another state meant finding a new dentist. I tried one a neighbor recommended who seemed friendly, competent and eager to please.
Searching for an IT Job
Looking for an IT job is one of the easiest to perform due to the incredibly high demand in the IT field. As the Internet grows, corporations network through Intranets - even the advancement of science has the demand for anyone with IT skills at an all time high.
How to Become a Successful Freelance Translator
After completing their translation training programmes at higher professional education or university level, many students can't wait to set up as a freelance translator. However, gaining a foothold as a freelancer in a very competitive translation market may turn out to be a pretty complicated business.
3 Reasons To Hire From Outside Your Industry
While at times it may prove comfortable and convenient to hire from within your current industry, often the best candidate for the job comes from outside your "comfort zone". How can that be? As a recruiter focused on a highly regulated and competitive industry experiencing significant growth nationwide, here are 3 reasons to hire from outside your industry:1.
Resume Writing and Preparation is Free Online
Creating a strong resume is a very important part of applying for a job, either online or off line. There are many resume writing services that will help you build an impressive resume for job interviews.
Using Recruiters: How To Get A Step Ahead Of The Crowd
When there is an opening to fill, a company has four basic approaches at their disposal:? Advertise the position on Internet job sites? Network? Probe the Internet for viable candidates? Use recruitersWhen a company advertises an opening on an Internet job site, they receive hundreds of resumes. It simply is too long of a process and financially prohibitive to review every resume and move through each step of the interviewing and selection process to fill the opening.
The Dog Days of Job Hunting
Does a headline like this scare you? it should because the consolidation is not over yet.Don't despair just because we are in the "dog days" of job hunting there are action items you can do now to keep yourself primed for.
Getting Started: 5 Things You Need to Decide When You Get Started with a Job Search
There are few things more frustrating for a headhunter than asking a person basic questions that revolve around what you as a job hunter are looking for in a job and being given uncertain answers. I'm not talking about salary; that's a question where a wise person states a target objective and is flexible enough to let the market decide their value.
The Top 10 Ways to Achieve Balance in Your Life
1. Define Success for YourselfClarify and write down what success means for you.
Job Interviews -- How to Follow Up Effectively
Getting a job is not just about your performance in an interview. The post-interview follow up you do has a critical role in a successful job hunt.
So You Want A Promotion - What Do You Need To Do To Get the Champagne Corks Popping?
The champagne corks have been popping to celebrate your promotion.You have a well paid job you love - its really interesting.
Do Dream Jobs Really Exist?
More than four out of ten thirtysomething professionals want to change careers, but feel trapped and don't believe that they will, a new study shows.More thirtysomethings than ever before are feeling disillusioned with their careers and openly acknowledge that they'd like to move into something more rewarding and fulfilling.
Kick-In-The-Pants Job Search
Believe it: three obstacles will hold you back from your ideal job -- your résumé, you, and your job-search methods. There's no hidden formula; there's no bribery needed; there's no one standing in front of employment - other than YOU!You've probably heard all the excuses, or used them yourself.
Your First Summer Work in the UK - Picking Strawberries The Right Way
Most jobs on farms in the UK involve picking strawberries or berries in general, raspberries and possibly other berries with which I have not have the lucky chance to pick.Picking strawberries is very demanding and hard work and if this being your first summer job, then it will take lots of patience and clear mind.
Employment Law: Attendance Rewards - Legal Ramifications
If you were thinking of offering your employees special rewards as incentives for having good attendance records, then you must read on. In fact, employers that offer attendance bonuses may find themselves falling foul of the law.
Successful Job Seeking - The Importance of Your Cover Letter
As an employer I receive many job applications each week. Some cover letters are so well written that I am compelled to review the attached resume even if our company is not currently hiring.
I Just Lost My Job: How Am I Going To Tell My Kids?
One of the responsibilities of a human resources professional is to let employees know that their job has been eliminated. It is seldom easy to do and often painful for the person who is hearing the news.

More Careers & Employment Information:

Related Articles

Writing A Resume That Gets You Noticed
As the old saying goes, "you never get a second chance to make a first impression." In today's business world, of course, that first impression usually does not come from a face-to-face conversation, but from whatever you can tell your future boss about yourself on paper: your resume.
Retirement: Is It A Career Change Option?
Retirement might be the answer when you ask yourself "why do I want to make a career change" and you decide that what you actually want is not so much a career change as to stop what you've been doing altogether.This may be a good choice for some - those who can afford it - but not necessarily the right choice for all.
Stand Out From the Crowd with Simple Marketing Methods
Although today's job market can be very competitive, many job seekers overlook simple techniques that will catch potential employers' attention. Apply these eight ideas to stay ahead of your competitors and get hired now!1.
Why Choose A Professionally Written Resume?
Good question, considering that nowadays you can find manyuseful resources to help you write your own resume(including many located at http://www.impressive-resumes.
A Career With The FBI
Do you have what it takes to become an FBI special agent? Do you have a sincere desire to enforce federal laws and investigate crimes?This job requires hard work and can often times be dangerous and stressful. You'll undoubtedly be in close contact with crimminals and victims of crime.
Telecommuting Resumes
Your resume needs to outline your skills and experience, as most know. What some may not know is that employers want to know what you'll bring to the table.
The Group Interview
Sometimes, when going on job interviews, you might end up in a situation where you are in a group interview. A group interview is where you are being interviewed along with several other candidates for the job.
Retiring in Paradise
I have to admit that I'm starting to slow down a bit. I am definitely in my final career - and quite comfortable working a 40 hour schedule.
Defining Success Your Way!
In my career advising practice, I often find that my clients are not clear about what success means for them. Our society defines success primarily around three elements: power, money and fame.
Free Resume Examples: Untold Wealth In 10 Minutes!
Doesn't every job search start with Google?Way back in another lifetime, I was looking for a job after one of my startups failed. Conveniently, everything went to pot in early 2000.
Dynamic Interviewing Practices
The pre-hiring process can be a challenge. If you're reading this article, you are finished with the pre-hiring process and are looking for tips that will guide you through the interview.
Cracking the Connection Code: Networking for the Introverted
We've all heard it before: "Just get out there and network!" If it was that easy, we would already be doing it. So why is it so hard? Well, you're an introvert, aren't you? Enough said.
How to Track Your Right Career
Are you lost in the wilderness when it comes to choosing a career? Once, we knew the way. As children, we played at different roles, but some became our favorites.
Use Job Search Hacks to Get Hired Faster
Job searching alone is like hitchhiking a scary ride with an unknown stranger on a 180-mile long deserted, no-exit road with hopes you'll make your destination. When you lack time or expertise to plan career moves carefully, sometimes the loss of ground is not apparent until years later.
The Five Most Common - And Most Avoidable - Résumé Errors
Writing an effective résumé can certainly be challenging. There are numerous rules and none of them apply 100% of the time.
The Global Work Marketplace - The Revolution Of How Work Gets Done
Will cubicles be a distant memory for today's workforce? Will the expense of office space and the tremendous burden of employee benefits be a thing of the past for modern day businesses?The reality is, for thousands of people, this change has already occurred. Internet based 'Service Auctions' now abound where businesses can post their ongoing jobs or one-time projects to a global market of freelance professionals, a.
What You Should Know About A Medical Billing Specialist
Whether you are a person who is thinking about becoming a medical billing specialist or a company looking for a medical billing specialist, then this article is for you. There are several things that you should be aware of in the medical billing industry and I will walk you through them so that you will have the background information that you need to help you make a decision that will best suit your needs.
The Recruiting Truth...Time Is Not On Your Side
In today's marketplace things are constantly changing and so are the needs of just about each and every organization. Whether your company is growing organically or inorganically, whether your company is growing domestically or internationally or for one reason or another you just have pain, your organization must be in a position to attract top talent and attract it quickly! But attracting it is only the first part of the equation.
Interview Tips, How to Get the Job You Want
Enter into a state of relaxed concentration. This is the state from which great basketball players or Olympic skaters operate.
Goal Setting - Road Map To Achieving Your Career Goals
Goal Setting & ResearchYou can only set informed career goals if you acquire plenty of information about the career choices open to you. This will require research which can be conducted online or through a local library.