So, it's time to get very, very descriptive about it. It's time to 'live the dream', literally in your mind and in writing.
What does matter when you try this little exercise, is to make sure that you are very open and honest with yourself. That you 'let go' and run rampant in your imagination. Forget about guilt and shouldn't and that you are being all selfish and ungrateful.
It's OK!
Remember, you only get one go on this planet and you really do want to make the the most of it. And for most of us, we spend that at work. So getting your job right is a big leverage on the rest of your life too.
So, this is your space to dream and thoughtfully consider what your life will be like, when you really are living your dream job.
Using the couple of sheets of paper, write on them what the perfect work day in your dream job would be like, in an ideal world. Do it quickly, use a real pen and write!
Be descriptive - using as many of your senses as you can. For example, what you hear, what you see, what your feelings are. Be as descriptive as you like from your waking up, to the very end of your day, step-by-step, hour-by-hour.
What work is like; what happens in your mind's eye; what you have for lunch; who you meet; who you loved working with. Even the sorts of things that are said too!
And please be honest with yourself - as honest as you've ever been in your life so far. Because if you aren't, then you are fooling no-one else, except yourself.
Using this sort of informal visualization activity, helps you really get into 'living' your dream job. By doing this you will get a sense of whether you are right or wring. It will help you sift out the impostors that may haunt your search.
Outing these dream job gremlins will make you appreciate the things in a job that you really do value - as well as helping you recognize those things that are of less importance to you.
Try the exercise a couple or three times and start to cull out those things that you thought that you wanted, but now start to recognize for interlopers that weren't that valuable at all.
Paring down to the bare bones will really help you get clear what the deepest and most important components of your dream job are. Which will help you in other phases of your decision making.
