Living the Dream?
What did you want to be when you were a child? What profession was it that kept you day-dreaming out of the window in class instead of focussing on what the teacher was saying?
Are you now Living the Dream?
2,000 employees have been surveyed by Creative & Cultural Skills in the UK on just this issue (see article online here). Only 11% of employees have achieved the career ambitions they had as children. 25% never pursued their dreams because they thought it was unrealistic…
…and that’s a bit sad, really, because it seems to me that at least 5 of the top 10 jobs that kids aspire to are not that unrealistic at all:
1. Doctor or Nurse
2. Vet
3. Footballer
4. Teacher
5. Actor
6. Writer
7. Dancer
8. Pilot
9. Pop Star
10. Astronaut
Interestingly, the ‘caring professions’ and creativity remain high as motivational dreams into adulthood, as the adult Top Ten goes to show:
1. Writer
2. Teacher
3. Landscape Gardener
4. Paramedic
5. Photographer
6. Police Officer
7. Physiotherapist
8. Movie Director
9. Restaurant Owner
10. Musician
Those conducting the survey reckon that the key word in adult aspirations is “creativity�. 51% described their childhood dream as “creative� but only 41% consider their own jobs to be “creative�.
And here comes the crunch statistic: 65% want to be more creative in their work but 61% think their bosses are unaware of their creative talents! That is a damning indictment of employers in the emerging Connection Economy. There is a pool of talent in every workplace itching to be used creatively and innovatively. Make Way for TomorrowToday…!
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
I wonder if it can be as simple as sitting back, looking at your chosen career/job/occupation, and asking yourself; What drives me? I believe the vast majority would, after some introspection, admit that they are driven by fear:
Fear of insecurity, instability or change
Fear of not having enough money, or “stuff”
Fear of what everyone else thinks
Fear of failure
Wouldn’t it be nice if we were able to channel our dreams, passions and ambitions to be our driving forces? Is this too idealistic? Obviously there needs to be a balance, but I shudder at the thought of what we could achieve if we really believed we couldn’t fail. Ask the Springboks how they beat the Wobblies on Saturday, after such a dismal performance the week before: it was self belief. After all, with a packed Ellis park, Madiba in the stands, who could possibly lose??
Steve, one of the questions I’ve begun to ask people I come across is: is there anything in what you do to earn money that you hate, that is total drudgery? I’m no quantatative genius, but the stats from the answers suggest there is a serious negative correlation between most peoples job and their passion.
I’ve discovered a framework that is fast becoming a guiding principle in choosing the work I do: The Hedgehog Concept (kinds regards of Jim Collins in Good to Great). The deal is to get these 3 principles to intersect as much as possible:
1) do what you can be the best at (not try to be the best!),
2) do what you are deeply passionate about, and
3) do what drives your economic engine.
Common sense? Of course. But how many people put itno action?