THE DREAM ZONE |
with Lauri Quinn Loewenberg Almost every night I dream I'm back in high school and can't find where I'm going. I'm with friends I went to school with but haven't thought about for a long time. I feel they don't like me. They leave me behind and I feel bad. This dream has recurred for seven years!
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My career has seen considerable ups and downs within the last five years. Three months ago I began a new job after six months of searching, and I'm beginning to feel insecure about my prospects at this company. Will I be successful at this new company or I hit a brick wall again? At 49 years of age and only myself to depend on, I'm more than a little concerned. Thank you for your insight and reply.
Dear SS in GA,
Prepare to change jobs again. Your current job is extremely stressful and because you're operating from the perspective of fear (a.k.a., "must keep security"), you're not so willing to challenge authority. It's even to the point where you can't turn off the day when you get home.
You'll release this job within eight months after starting it. If my timing is correct, you'll change jobs by the end of April. The good news is: The next job will be the best job you ever have—each position from your past will look like the stepping-stone that gave you the foundation for this opportunity. Please take some time this weekend and write about how past jobs were only stepping-stones to this one. Write a career biography with all the skills and education that went with each job. Gather those talents up and describe your dream job, based on all your skills. You aren't supposed to have "just a job," you're about to step into the destiny you weren't ready for until now.
If there is any way you can use your current position to attend network groups in your area, please do it. If not, sign up for professional development organization like Toastmasters, where people seek to improve their confidence and presentation.
Through a coincidental meeting, you'll meet a man with dark hair. He'll be so successful that he's not concerned about his "public" image. He's a little overweight (think beer-belly) but has achieved in his lifetime success by his own vision and effort. This is the man you'll work with next. Not only will he act as the mentor you've been seeking, but he will, within a year and a half, give you a division to lead. This is your dream job you'll choose to hold until you retire.
I like my job, but there's been some question as to the company's ethics and our stock has suffered because of it. Now we're in damage-control mode and things are on the upswing, but we've lost a lot of employees to other companies in the same field. I'm on the fence about whether I should start looking for another job. I'm paid pretty well (my wife thinks I can do a lot better) and my new boss is awesome.
I don't really want to leave, but the prospect of an easier commute with better pay and a change of pace is attractive. I think deep down I know if I commit to looking for a new job, it'll happen—hence the tough decision of whether or not I should start. What do the cards say? What do you think?
Dear CM,
Your wife is right. (I love it when I get to say that!) Not only are you not being paid enough for what you contribute to the job, but the company is going to go under. You have a choice: You can either wait until the big disruption happens and scramble for the next job, or put out a few feelers now and choose a much better career step.
The Universe does one of two things when it's time for change: We're either offered such an amazing opportunity that we can't turn away, or things get so bad at our current situation that the only choice is change. You have both happening at the same time.
My vote is for you to change jobs. Think about it this way: When the %&$# hits the fan, are you willing to have any of it land on you?
Mona Van Joseph is a licensed professional in the psychic arts through the city of Las Vegas. Her live, local radio show, "Psychic View," airs 10 a.m. Saturdays on Hot Talk 1140-AM. You may e-mail questions to [email protected].