Guest Author - Susan Hanshaw

As the author of two books about following your heart in your career, I have frequent conversations with women about their career journeys. What strikes me is how many women believe that doing work that you love is a fantasy reserved for only the lucky few. Having broken away from a 20-year corporate career to pursue my dream, I beg to differ. I’m not suggesting that creating your dream job to financially sustain you is easy. I’m just inviting you to consider why it couldn’t be possible.

One of the most important gifts you can give yourself, especially in a period of unemployment, is a belief that anything is possible. Consider this:

1) The more you can open your mind to accept beliefs of all possibilities, the more expansive the terrain you give yourself in which to experience life.

2) Don’t be afraid to let yourself be guided by the dreams and visions you have in your heart. These dreams represent your potential, who you truly are at your core.

3) Remember that you did not consciously choose what you are passionate about and what you would love to do with your life. These ideas have been uniquely inbred within you. Consider them as gifts you are meant to share with the world.

4) The fact that you have these dreams is evidence that they are attainable, even if they seem too good to be true. Whenever you find yourself in the neighborhood of “too good to be true”, ask yourself one question. Ask yourself if the idea is too good to be true for anybody, or just too good to be true for you?

When you think about pursuing your wildest dreams, do you let an open mind view your choices from the clarity of your own bright eyes? Or, does your vision get blurred by what you believe are the expectations of your partner, your mother, father, or other influential person in your life? I know how easy it is to think about our choices in terms of seeking approval from those we love. I also know that sometimes we set expectations for our life based upon the mold of what came before us in our family. Clearly there are some decisions which require us to consider how it will impact the lives of others, yet we can learn to ask ourselves where the external approval points are necessary and healthy.

Once you are able to open your mind to the belief that the world is yours for the taking, you give yourself the freedom to drive your destiny to the highest levels. Through your open mind, you are choosing a belief in which there are no limits. That doesn’t mean it is going to be easy. It means that there are no barriers except those you make yourself. It then becomes up to you to free your mind of the obstacles you’ve created that stand in your way, and then go for it.