Using the Power of Intention in Your Job Search
By — — Posted in Job Search Tips
“At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.” -Lao Tzu
from “The Invitation” by Oriah Mountain Dreamer
“It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living. I
want to know what you ache for and if you dare to
dream of meeting your heart’s longing.”
I’ve been listening to Dr. Wayne Dyer speak about “The Power of Intention” on a PBS program while I’ve been preparing for this week’s installment. He is expounding upon how we can create the things we want and desire in our lives. Fitting for a group of jobseekers, I think. We all want to find, or rather I would say create a job, our work, our right livelihood – right now.
One of the 12 tenants he is illuminating during his presentation is “Think from the end”, which means to be able to see oneself as you will look, seem, feel and be once you have the object of your desire.
He uses the example of his sixteen-year-old son wanting a little yellow sports car of some kind, and the way in which the son was “thinking from the end”. He constantly envisioned himself driving around in that hot car. He researched different dealerships and ways to obtain the car, he literally put himself in it—he took test drives. He not only imagined it, but he actually felt the way he would feel once that car was his—how happy he was, how cool it felt to be cruising through town in this little yellow girl-magnet. He got a picture of the car he longed for, and put it on his computer screen saver, a constant reminder of his goal, his dream. (I am embellishing the story a bit based on other reading I’ve done on visualizing what you want to create it in your life). It is important to act AS IF what you want is already in existence. I bet you know where this story ends . . .yep, with the son smiling ear to ear, driving his little yellow car at last.
What is your intention in your job search? Do you have a clear vision of your dream job, or whatever type of job you are seeking? I say this because not everyone wants a ‘dream job’. They may just like something that pays the bills that they can tolerate for about 40 hours a week without major depression. That’s fine too. So, as the quote says, it may or may not interest me, or you, what you do for a living. Either way, though, you have to be clear on what you want, what your intentions are in your job search. How will you know the right offer when it comes if you aren’t sure of what you want? How can your support network help you if they also don’t know how to describe your ideal job?
I want you to literally write your own job description and job opening advertisement. What would it say? What specific skills and responsibilities are included? What details are important to YOU?
Getting crystal clear about what you want, in as much detail as possible, will not only help you clarify your job search, but will also help that very type of opportunity come to you. Two important things to remember are to act as if what you want is already true in the present, and, to focus on what you want (vs. what you don’t want.)
I recommend several books to help with this, and, next week, I will post some additional ideas and examples for you if you get stuck, however, try this on your own first & see what comes to your mind on your own first, without any external promptings. Later ideas will also be important, but most of the time I follow the “first thought/best thought” rule.
Have fun with this! Let us know how it goes in the comments below!
