"The best way to predict your future is to invent it." – Alan Kay

The first step to successfully identifying your ideal career is to Dream BIG! When I work with career clients, I ask them to dream first and worry about the specific logistics of how they're going to make the change later on.

If you focus too much on the practical side (or put on your practical hat) and think "how will I make this work?", then you will squash any creative idea or thought that you might have had.

While practicality is important, it can also be limiting so notice when you're getting too caught up in the practical side and not doing enough brainstorming or dreaming. Ideas are expansive and can be "trimmed and shaped" later to fit into your personal scheme as needed.

So...before you set a new career plan in motion, you've got to start with the dream and then brainstorm ways to make it a reality. So what is your dream?

Brainstorm some ideas and think outside of the box. What is something you'd love to do? If you allow yourself to dream first and dream big, you may come across a career idea you never considered or even knew about. Tap into your childhood dreams; tap into your passions and your heart.

The process of “Dreaming First” will help you stay outside the box and think creatively about your career transition.

Tap into those secret fantasies about the ideal career for you and then use those insights into yourself to create a workable plan for the future.

You’ve got nothing to lose, other than a missed opportunity because you waited too long. So take off your practical hat, put on your dreaming glasses and dream BIG.