LET’S GET VISUAL WITH YOUR CAREER GOALS

Self-Assessment Quiz ─ True or False:

1. I can imagine which outfit I’ll wear to my next interview.
2. I can see my new workspace in my mind.
3. I can envision my bank balance being positive, all the time!
4. I can just picture the perfect boss.

Let’s face it, job hunting is brutal. In fact, it pretty much sucks. No matter if it’s your first time out, you’ve been downsized, have chosen to re-enter the job force, or have been fired, finding a new job is NOT fun.

But don’t worry, I got you! So far, you’ve learned about eating Pink Elephants and setting SMART goals. You overachievers probably made yours extra SMART. I hope you’ve placed your Pink Elephants somewhere you can see them. Every. Single. Day.

I’m using my Verizon commercial voice when I ask, “Can you see them now?”

Great! Let’s go a step further today, BEYOND seeing the mere written words. I want you to physically see images of your Pink Elephants, too.

You’re going to need some visuals to help you. So grab some magazines, newspapers, junk mail, or anything with pics. For you techies, print out any images you find from a Google search. You’ll need scissors and something sticky to put it all together: tape, glue, etc. And something to paste it onto: your annual planner, a poster board, regular sheet of paper, your forehead. I don’t care. I just need you to cut and paste onto one surface anything and everything that represents YOUR Pink Elephant.

Look at your written SMART goals. What do they look like visually? Maybe you want to work in New York City. Paste down a pic of a red apple. Manhattan skyline. Headed specifically for SoHo? Cut out the letters “S-o-H-o” and paste them down. Add a cool photo of the neighborhood. A picture of an enlarged paycheck. Or green $ signs. You get the picture. (Ha! Pun intended.)

Really take your time creating this. It’s called a vision board. Your “board” can be any size you want. They even have vision board apps now. I used to carry in my wallet a picture of a navy blue Mercedes I coveted. Until I was actually driving a navy blue Mercedes. I’ve been hooked on visualization as a way to bring my pink elephants to life ever since.

WARNING: This stuff really works! So be careful what you ask for because you just might get it.

You’re now ready to take baby bites toward eating your Pink Elephant. In other words, action steps. Meet me here same time, same place, next week. We’ll get you another step closer to your dream job!