Labor Day became an official national holiday in 1894 and was created to pay tribute to the American workforce. Such a gallant sentiment, and yet, the Gallup State of the American Workplace study taken in 2013 revealed 70% of American workers were less than thrilled with their jobs, many complaining that they feel overworked, underpaid, and/or underappreciated.
This sad Gallop Poll statistic got me thinking about the way many of us make resolutions every New Year, hoping that these changes will help us live a better life in the upcoming year; so why not look at every Labor Day, not just as a tradition that marks the unofficial end of summer, but as an opportunity to pause, reflect, and take our own work temperature to find out the state of health of our careers? For instance: is your work situation totally lukewarm? I mean does it make you feel like you could take it or leave it, preferably leave it, but you’re just not sure how to go about doing that, so you just do nothing. Perhaps your job leaves you feeling frozen, paralyzed and unable to move, as if you’re treading on a slippery slope, going nowhere fast. Wouldn’t you love to be one of those rare blessed beings on this planet who follow their passion, and so their careers are hot, hot, hot – truly labors of love, and not just some lame attempt to scratch a living out of this earth?
If you’re not loving your job, then make a vow on this Labor Day Monday, that somehow, some way, you will find a way out of your current work situation, so that by this time, next year, you’ll find yourself making great money in a way that makes you feel good about yourself, while making a positive difference in this world.
Listed Below are 5 Strategies to Help You Discover Your Dream Job
1). Tweak your resume or entirely revamp it. Get a book on resume writing or Google the topic and check out ways that your resume can look and sound better, then have someone you know, who is good at grammar, edit it. If you’re not good at writing, recruit someone else to help you or invest in a professional resume service. Be sure to work on your interview skills by going to the library or buying a book on the topic and then — read it. You could also Google: Learning Interviewing Skills and read several of those articles. Take some time to come up with dynamite sound bites and positive responses to the typical interview questions, so you won’t get nervous and blab your head off; therefore, revealing some things that would have been better off left unsaid.
2). Follow Your Bliss. What is it that you’re passionate about? When we follow our passion, that’s when we begin to create a service or product that practically sells itself. Figure out ways to turn that hobby of yours into a money making venture and watch work feel like play.
3). Reinvent Yourself. If you’re sick and tired of your current position, think about the skills you have mastered in this job and figure out how you can translate them to fit a different kind of position. Don’t go back to school unless the new job choice you desire needs a license to operate it or a degree to do it.
4). If necessary, go back to school. If the job you really dream of demands that you do have to go back to school, then do it. Stop making excuses – “I’m not smart enough to do this.” “I’m too old.” “I don’t have the resources to do this.” Do your homework and see if there are grants available that you can take advantage of. Please remember that just because you weren’t good at school when you were younger, doesn’t mean you won’t be good now.
5) Think outside the box and start a business. In this day and age of computers and web sites, it doesn’t take a lot of money to start a small business: what it really takes is your skills. Look around at every job and every business to see if you can do something like that. Don’t quit your day job just yet. Start your new venture part time and when it builds, take the leap of faith to full time. Stop living in the world of the illusion of a paycheck and start creating real job security by building a solid business of your own.
There is no shortage of money or work on this planet.
Happy Labor Day, America!