| Have you ever thought about what your perfect | | | | start to focus on what you want and what you do |
| work would be? How about the pattern of a typical | | | | not want. Unless you place your focus on what you |
| work day for the rest of your life? What daily | | | | want, you'll start to focus too much on what you |
| routine would get you excited and bring joy and | | | | don't want in your work life, and then this is exactly |
| happiness to your work? | | | | what you'll end up with. |
| This didn't come with the job description | | | | Now at work |
| The problem with job descriptions is that they are | | | | Once at work, what exactly will you do? What |
| defined by someone else. They rarely take into | | | | activities will align your abilities and your interests and |
| consideration what brings you fulfillment. | | | | bring you the most joy? |
| How do I get started? | | | | Joy? |
| Whether you work for yourself or someone else, it | | | | Yes joy! Now that's a question no one in the HR |
| is critical to start with the idea of what would be just | | | | department will ever ask you about! This is where |
| perfect for you. For example, when would you get | | | | you must be specific. Your mind can't tell the |
| up in the morning? Once up, what would your | | | | difference between what is real and what is imagined |
| morning routine be? Would you start your day | | | | when envisioning a work day that will bring you joy. |
| exercising, with a little run, or perhaps some yoga or | | | | You must create the reality you seek. |
| meditation? Or would you make breakfast first | | | | What are you working on? |
| instead? Would you eat alone or with others? Who | | | | Are you developing software, making sandwiches, |
| would they be? | | | | teaching math, painting, speaking, doing financial |
| What would you wear to your work? | | | | analysis, taking pictures or promoting a new cosmetic |
| Sweats, suit, shorts? | | | | product? |
| What would be just perfect for you? | | | | What would give you the most joy in your work? |
| I'm sure by now you're thinking, "What does all of | | | | What would leave you breathless? What would make |
| this have to do with my job? After all, I go to my | | | | Monday your best day of the week and Friday the |
| job and I'm stuck with the rest of the day based on | | | | worst because you have to wait until Monday to |
| how much time is left." | | | | resume your beloved work? |
| Yes, that is the traditional way of looking at your | | | | What work could you do now and continue to do |
| work. | | | | until you stop breathing? |
| For those over you 40, I'm proposing a radical new | | | | Why retiring will lead you to a quick death |
| way of looking at your work. You get to design your | | | | The other day I received the enrollment package for |
| entire day around the work YOU want to do instead | | | | AARP (American Association for Retired People) in |
| of just the limited time left over after an empty and | | | | the mail. This really scared me. Most Americans after |
| meaningless day at the office. | | | | 40 do not like their work, let alone love their work. |
| Where would you go? | | | | They dream, instead, to one day retire, and then |
| Where would you go for your work? What would be | | | | finally do what they enjoy. The problem with this |
| perfect for you? | | | | strategy is that life tends to get in the way while |
| Would you like to work from home, or would you | | | | making long range plans. After 40, crises will hit - it's |
| prefer to work outdoors? Would you prefer to work | | | | only a matter of when. If you are doing what you |
| alone or with others? Maybe you would rather drive | | | | love, you have the best kind of health insurance. |
| a short distance to a small office and work with a | | | | When your crisis hits, your work will give you the |
| small group of other people. Or perhaps you would | | | | strength to ride out the storm, and then recover |
| enjoy working with hundreds of others around you in | | | | quickly. |
| a large organization. | | | | You need to be specific |
| How about lunch? | | | | What are you working on that will last a lifetime? |
| When will you eat lunch? Where will you eat lunch? | | | | Whether you are working for yourself or someone |
| Who will you eat lunch with on a typical day? | | | | else, the questions are the same. What specific |
| Back in my corporate days, I remember sneaking out | | | | products or services are you offering in your perfect |
| at lunch (I was in management) to go for a run. I | | | | day of work? What are the features of each of |
| also remember too many lunch hours spent in drab | | | | these services? What are the benefits to others of |
| conference rooms, working with others while eating | | | | what you are offering? Who are the ideal customers |
| unhealthy food. I can remember thinking how terrible | | | | for your services? Day in and day out for the rest of |
| this was for my system. | | | | your life, what type of person do you want to work |
| How long will your work day be? | | | | with? Are they engineers, students, disabled children, |
| How long will you work each day? What will you do | | | | artists or advertising reps? |
| after work? Who will you spend your time with after | | | | Unless you are clear about it, you and your work will |
| work? | | | | end up being mismatched. |
| This is all part of the design of your perfect | | | | Now what? |
| vocational day. How will your evenings go? Who will | | | | Ok, now you have the vision of your perfect |
| you spend your evenings with? It's so important to | | | | vocational day. Is this a daily pattern you could follow |
| have support and love and downtime after your | | | | for the rest of your life? Good! Now you can start to |
| work ends each day. Coming home, instead, to | | | | examine how to close the gap between your new |
| someone who does not support the work you love | | | | vision and today. |
| will drain you and you'll have less energy for your | | | | For some of you, this will come easy. For others, |
| quest for vocational happiness and for the | | | | years of external negative influences, and perhaps a |
| experience of life itself. | | | | little fear, might prevent quick action, and your next |
| How will your evenings go? | | | | steps might have to be small. |
| When will you eat dinner? Who will you be with at | | | | The important part is that you start |
| dinner on a typical day? What will you do after | | | | Little steps turn into bigger steps. New possibilities |
| dinner? What does your evening look like? | | | | turn into bigger possibilities. You are unique and |
| Will you spend the evening alone, with others, or a | | | | special, and you have many gifts to offer the world. |
| combination of the two? Your evenings are an | | | | With a new vision of what would be just perfect for |
| important part of your perfect vocational day. This | | | | you, you can begin to create the second half of your |
| again, is something most employers don't care at all | | | | life and work in a way that includes what is most |
| about, unless you are spending your evenings at the | | | | important to you. As you plan your perfect |
| office, of course! This is the difference between | | | | vocational day, you will have begun moving down the |
| creating the perfect work for you, and just dragging | | | | path to an authentic life. |
| yourself home after a long day at the office and | | | | Can't I just separate my life from my work? |
| collapsing on the couch. | | | | This is just an excuse for not moving forward, and |
| When you do just a job, the quality of your | | | | down deep, you know this is not possible. I wish it |
| downtime suffers as you worry about the next day | | | | were, but it's not. Your work and what you do |
| of work. | | | | impacts your health, your sense of self, your |
| What about sleep? | | | | relationships with others and your overall happiness. |
| At the end of your perfect vocational day, when will | | | | Isn't it worth taking just a little extra time to think |
| you go to sleep? How will you go to sleep? What | | | | about your perfect work life? |
| nightly ritual will you follow before bed? A little yoga, | | | | Before turning 40, we needed jobs and careers to |
| a warm bath, light reading, television, or intimacy with | | | | build both our egos and our sense of self. After 40, |
| someone you love? | | | | jobs and careers are both limiting and outdated. |
| What's perfect for me? | | | | A new sense of urgency |
| You must keep asking yourself this question, because | | | | After 40 when your crisis hits - and it will - you will |
| no one else will do it for you. Be careful as you | | | | have a new sense of urgency about your life and |
| design your perfect vocational day, because you will | | | | what to do with it. Your work, and what you do |
| indeed start to move towards it. Make sure you | | | | each and every day, is a great place to start. |
| really know just what you want. | | | | I'll be cheering you on as you go......... |
| Typical job searching is all backwards | | | | Craig Nathanson is the author of P Is For Perfect: |
| Most people look for jobs that are available with little | | | | Your Perfect Vocational Day, and a coaching expert |
| thought to all the other hours of their days. The | | | | who works with people over forty. Craig's new |
| typical job description only covers the requirements | | | | E-book, Discover and live your passion 365 days a |
| of the job. I have never seen one that covers | | | | year is a workshop in a box designed to help busy |
| whether you should exercise or eat a big breakfast. | | | | adults go insane with their work. Craig's systematic |
| The point is: it's critical to design what you want | | | | approach, the trademark "Ten P process,'' helps |
| BEFORE you go looking for it. | | | | people break free and move toward the work they |
| Now you get to play by new rules | | | | love. Visit Craig's online community at http:\\ where |
| After many years of playing the work game the | | | | you can take a class, get more ideas through Craig |
| traditional way, now you get to change the rules. | | | | books and CD's, get some private coaching over the |
| When you design the work day you want, you | | | | phone or read stories of mid-life change and renewal. |
| automatically start to alter your thinking, and you | | | | Craig lives in San Anselmo, California. |