Long hours, physical labor, emotion-filled clients—when you were planning your events career, were these some of the benefits you were looking forward to? If the answer is no, you’re not alone. It’s time to reflect on what you really want out of your professional life, and create the job of your dreams!
Photo courtesy Mike Lirette Photography
What’s your dream?
Part of the reason that you can’t check a box on an application in the events industry and magically choose the perfect job is that every one of us has different priorities and a different idea of perfection. If you’re going to create a satisfying career, you inevitably need to determine what satisfies you right now. You also have to acknowledge that over time the idea of perfection changes, and sometimes we have to reboot even the best of careers.
What kind of environment do you want at work? Do you crave socialization and daily recognition of your talents or leadership? Or, do you have a crazy busy personal life and want your professional time to be quiet and focused with some regular time for solitude?
How do you want your professional life to fit in to you personal life? I want to work in a business where I have time for my kids, for example, so I can be a present, loving parent and still offer an exclusive, quality product and service for my clientele. I also value the opportunity to leverage my experience to serve as a mentor to other wedding creatives. These are things I have intentionally built into my business to address my basic needs.
“Have an honest conversation with yourself about the things you don’t love about your job right now so you can address them and move forward.”
What is your measure of success?
What motivates you? It could be financial security or maybe it’s notariety. Some people know they’ve “made it” when their business travel calendar or speaking calendar is full. Others want to regularly work with an upper echelon of professionals and be considered part of that crowd. If these are things that will make you deliriously happy, they have to be among your goals when you sit down to create your dream job.
What isn’t working?
Assuming that you wouldn’t be this far into an article about changing your career unless there was something missing from your current job, take a moment to think of what your business looks like today. What frustrates you? What leaves you exhausted or demoralized? Are you bringing in the revenue you need to sustain you personally and professionally? Is your clientele suited to your interests and abilities? Do you have time to do whatever it is that makes you happy when you go home? Have an honest conversation with yourself about the things you don’t love about your job right now so you can address them and move forward.
What are the strengths?
Similarly, what is going right? What do you love to do that you wish you could do all day? In order to attract more of it, you have to know what it is. Your strengths give you something on which to build as you redesign your professional life to better represent your perfect job.
Photo courtesy Josh Williams / JBW Photography
The fix
At this point in the process, you’ve done some serious reflection. You have goals and an inventory of your strengths and opportunities for growth. Start leveraging these opportunities by using your tools: productivity apps, efficiency software, business consultant and financial guidance. Mold your business so it starts working for you the way you envision it should one step at a time.
Soon you will see that any job can become a dream job if you actively work at it. Perhaps it sounds like a lot of work right now, but your happiness is worth it, isn’t it?
