What everyday experiences inspire you and make your day? Beyond the peak experiences of winning a contract, scoring a touchdown or meeting a deadline – what thrills you so much you want it a part of every normal workday?
Surprisingly, very few people ever think about choosing the events and situations that will shape their day to day working experience. Listing tangibles such as the things, activities, places and people you want as part of your dream job is easier than defining the experiences you want to have. We are much more familiar and comfortable with talking about our work experience and histories after the fact than describing in advance what we deeply value and want to experience.
But this sixth ingredient category is an essential part of defining your dream job or business. It gives you a chance to think about and identify the situations and events you want to live through -- the ones that create meaning, inspire you and make your day. For some people, that means having heart warming experiences, while others seek a workday filled with mental challenges, high drama or creatively demanding work.
So what types of experiences would you fill your dream job or business with? Would it be ...
watching a baby fall asleep
helping an endangered species thrive
unearthing artifacts from ancient civilizations
getting a bad guy off the streets
seeing people fall in love
flying through clouds
making an audience laugh
perfecting the resonance of a concert hall
organizing a filing system
reading old love letters and correspondence from the Civil War
If you fill your workday with the life experiences you love, your work will be transformed. Work becomes more than a way to earn a paycheck and benefits -- it becomes a provider of the life experiences which delight you and shape who you are.
