If your motivated and you know it clap your hands

You have all seen motivational pictures. Those pieces of office artwork with images of a man climbing a mountain or an eagle soaring. These pictures have a word at the top like Teamwork, Success, or Perseverance. The intention of the pictures are to motivate and make employees think about their work and strive to excel. Great idea. However, what I find interesting is that you tend to see these pictures in offices that are in desperate need of motivation. It is rare to see these pictures in an office where motivation is high. So, once motivation improved did management take the pictures down?" No, these pictures were most likely never there.

I challenge everyone today to think back to when you graduated. What was your dream job? Money aside, this was the job that you would have done for free if you did not need the money. Now, evaluate where you are now. Are you on the path to get to that dream job? Are you in your dream job? Or, Did you get off track somewhere down the line? I think that we all learn to settle. After all, life is all about compromises. I think that the key is to never misplace your passion. If you are looking at a mortgage, childcare, etc, it is not realistic to drop everything and become a professional Bag Piper. But, that is not to say you should not pursue your dreams. Maybe find a part time job or volunteer in this area to try it out. If you get excited just being there, guess what? You did not need one of those motivational pictures!

Making a career move can be an emotional and financially challenging proposition. My uncle once said while standing on a figurative and actual soapbox; "If you don't like your job, just quit!" Great passion, but thin on a game plan. In 30 years when you are looking back, it would be satisfying to be able to say, I lived my dream. In the words to the great Frank Sinatra, "I did it my way".