Looking for a career change? What’s your vision?

Are you searching high and low for that perfect job, but unsure how to get out of your not-so-perfect job? I might just have an answer.

Let me share a secret with you. For years I had a punchbag with the face of Confucius and his gloating lines pinned below: ‘Find a job you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life again.’

Well good for you, Confucius, that you found your ideal job, but your clichés won’t help the many people who are stuck in the wrong job.

But Confucius did have a point. I personally believe that God has placed us on earth for many reasons, one of which includes finding a career that fits our personalities, our skill-sets and our desires. Finding it probably won’t happen overnight, but here are three important steps to help you:

Create your personal career vision
Someone once said that if you aim for nothing, you’ll end up hitting it. And if you think about this, it’s true. When we live life with a vision or a purpose it helps us stay motivated and positive, and the opposite is also true. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 29:18 that without vision people die and fade away, so make sure that you start to develop yours so that you know what sort of career is right for you.
 
When you’re creating your vision, make sure you consider what you’re good at doing, what you enjoy and what really interests you. Here are some questions you will need to consider:

• What does your ideal career look like?
• Do you want to want to work in the same, similar or different industry?
• Where do you want your work to be located?
• What remuneration and benefits do you expect?
• What type of organisation do you want to work for and what sort of work culture would you like to experience?

Live and breathe your vision
This is the most powerful action you can take to move towards your ideal career. The key is to visualise what you actually want. An article published by huffingtonpost.com describes how top athletes use the technique of mental imagery or visualisation to up their game and perform at their peak. This enables athletes to see and feel themselves achieving goals, and helps build confidence that these goals can be achieved. Seeing is believing!

In describing how he imagines his performance, golfer Jack Nicklaus wrote: "I never hit a shot even in practice without having a sharp in-focus picture of it in my head. It's like a colour movie.”

Whether you’re a professional golfer or someone developing a career direction, the same rules apply: visualising what you want to achieve on a regular basis develops focus and a positive mindset.

Close your eyes and take time to see, feel and hear yourself in a role in which you are satisfied and fulfilled. Once you’ve done this, make sure you hold on to this vision with all your strength!

Prayerful vision
It’s not just a mental thing; it’s also a spiritual thing. Present your vision to God and then take a big step of faith and thank him even before it’s arrived. Then watch your vision grow!