Exercise 2. By now
you should have a more fleshed-out model of your three job titles. Now it's time
to use your imagination to try to under-stand what these three jobs would be
like. For each of the job titles you're exploring, write what a day would be
like if you were really doing that profession.
On a
piece of notebook paper or your computer, describe it in as much detail as
possible, using all five senses, from the moment you wake up in the morning to
the moment you lay your head down to sleep. Make the day as realistic as
possible.
Realistically, who is there when you wake up? What do your bed sheets feel like?
What do your bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen look like? What sort of clothes do
you put on—sweatpants and a T-shirt, some kind of uniform, jeans and a blazer,
or a designer label three-piece suit or dress? What is your jewelry, if any,
like? Do you need makeup or not? Do you leave the house or stay in your home to
work? Are any children around that you have to get off to school? Do you have a
maid or cook? Is a spouse, significant other, or roommate also getting ready for
work?
How do
you get to work? What kind of car do you drive? Do you have a chauffeur? Is your
vehicle racy or practical, an SUV, an economy, or a luxury car? What color is
it? How far away, ideally, is your workplace from where you live? Do you work at
home? If not, how long is the commute to work? What are you thinking about as
you transport yourself to your job? Are you on a train, bus, or sub-way, or are
you walking or riding a bike? Are you listening to music, news, books on tape,
learning a foreign language while commuting perhaps, or listening to
motivational tapes?
Who is
there when you get to work? How do they treat you? Can you imagine something
they might say? Are you alone? If not, what is the quality of the interaction
between you and others? Do you feel respected, valued, liked, or loved? Imagine
what you might be saying to the others. How does your boss, if you have one,
inter-act with you? Are you the boss?
What is
the mood? Is it serious or light? Exciting or serene? Chaotic or orderly?
Harmonious or tense? Do you feel this company has a sense of integrity? Is is
honest? Does it care about its employees? Does it act in a morally upstanding
way? Would you feel proud to say you work there? How do you feel about yourself
when you are at your place of work doing what you'd ideally like to be doing?
Do you
have an office, a cubicle, a workstation, or are you working outdoors? What,
exactly, are you doing? Are you primarily using your intellect, your body, your
intuition, your emotions, or some combination of all of them?
What do
you love about what you are doing? Are you using your gifts? Are you the head of
the company, or might you be self-employed? If the company has a hierarchy,
where are you on the ladder?
What,
exactly, does your place of work look like? Are you in a small, medium, or large
company? Does your job require travel? If so, where? Are you in an executive
office, at a factory, in a lab-oratory, at a school, on a movie set, at a
hospital, in an airplane, a retail store, or out of doors? Do you work from a
car most of the day?
Testing the Waters - Is your workload heavy, moderate, or light? How many
hours do you work in your day? Do you have routine hours and deadlines or
flexible time to work at your own pace?
Is it a
standard 9-to-5 day, or do you work fewer, different, or more hours? Do you see
yourself working at night and/or on call or on the weekends?
What do
you most enjoy about this scene? What do you think or feel about yourself as you
imagine yourself in this day?
Write a
realistic day in your ideal career in as much detail as possible, noticing the
feelings and thoughts inside you as well as imagining the environment around
you.
Continue
in this manner until your workday is over and you return home. What time do you
get home, or what time do you stop working? Are you working overtime? How is the
commute home? What do you do in the evenings after work and with whom?
How much
money do you make in this career? Do you have a comfor-table or exorbitant
amount of money to spend and invest, or do you have to stay on a more limited
budget?
Do you
have time for leisure activities? Do you have the energy to run errands or spend
some time beautifying your garden? Is there time for a lunch out with a friend,
some golf at the driving range, or a game of tennis or racquetball? How about
time to go to the gym during lunch or after work? Can you get together with
friends at the end of a long day for dinner or drinks? Do you have time to take
care of your body and your social and spiritual life? Do you bring work home
with you?
With
this particular career as part of your day, how do you end your day? Do you
share intimacy with someone you love? Do you need to get your children to bed?
Do you fall to sleep reading, watching TV, or doing a crossword puzzle? Do you
write in a journal or diary?
Maybe
you make a list of your goals for the next day or read a good book and end your
evening with prayer, contemplation, or meditation. At the end of the evening, do
you feel "full" or "empty"?
What
time do you go to bed? What thoughts do you have in your mind about your ideal
workday as a ? What feelings do you have about your life and yourself as
you reflect back on your day?
Now
please write two more realistic days for your other job titles, using the same
attention to detail.
When
you're finished, you'll have a good idea as to how your three career selections
might fit into your everyday life. You'll also have a taste of how your work,
home, social, financial, and recreational lifestyle might unfold with each
career.
Take a
minute and write your notes and observations about each career.
Career 1
Career 2
Career 3
