I was 8-years old, just moved in to a new neighborhood and had to learn where I fit in with the new kids. Until then, I really only had my brother, Todd, to play with. Todd was 16 months younger so I was able to boss him around a bit (sorry Todd). I was the leader of our little two person pack. Now, I was part of a new pack and had to find my place in the social hierarchy.
That year was a memorable one. I got in to my first fight, had my first bloody nose, saw my first Playboy magazine (thanks to little Denny), lit my first firecracker and learned what it felt like to just go outside and play without any plans (we didn’t have “play dates” back then, thank God). I learned the games of basketball, baseball and football. When we got home from school, our newly formed pack threw our backpacks in the house, went back outside and created stuff to do. That year contains my earliest memories of dreaming about what I would do when I grew up.
Of course, all I could think about was being a professional football player. I was the second best player in our pack, second only to Scott, who went on to play 9 years in NFL (8 with the New England Patriots and 1 with the Miami Dolphins). Back then my dream job was to be an NFL running back.
That was 40 years ago, and for 35 of those 40 years, I had it all wrong. My dream job was associated with a prestigious position or social status and improper motive. My dream job entailed people worshiping me, rather than me serving other people. As an 8-year old, it’s called being a kid. As a 48-year old, it’s called being lost (among other things).
Today, I notice people searching far and wide for their dream job, but it’s right under their nose. They just don’t see it. They can’t find it because they’re not properly equipped to find it. Many of these people appear to be successful by society’s standards, however they feel empty inside. They are drifting through life without much meaningful impact. They crave a job that really matters and want to make some sort of a difference. They crave mission and connection.
If you’re one of those people, then would you mind doing one thing? Subscribe by e-mail to the MindWovles blog, The Pack. You’ll receive an e-mail when a new story is published every Sunday morning.
Set a goal of reading that new story every Sunday. It will change your life and help you find your true dream job.
MindWolves 