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How am I supposed to find my dream job if I don’t even know what it is? How do I discover what it is?
The backwards career technique.
Look at the last five days of your life. Look at your journal, your e-mail, and ask your family and friends to trigger your memory. Answer this question while doing so: What did I spend the majority of my time doing that I enjoyed? The activity you do frequently, and that you enjoy, is actually the answer to opening your dream-job vault. Remember however, you may do something frequently that you are good at but that you do not like … like your current job as a lawyer for example.
Remember, you must do the activity frequently and enjoy it.
The beauty of the backwards career technique is that it grants you access to all aspects of your life. Think about evenings, weekends, the middle of the night when you wake up. What do you spend your time doing? Then you go backwards from that activity to identify the job you would love to do.
Love playing video games? Then become a programmer or enter gaming contests for prizes.
Love reading articles on health? Then work for a health-food store or sell supplements.
Love watching your favourite sports team? Then work for that team.
The next step
Take a different piece of paper for each day of the week. Only write down the activities you enjoyed doing for that day. Then circle the activities that you have done two times or more. Then book two information meetings with people in that industry to learn more about it.