QUOTATION 12

HENRY FORD ON PURSUING YOUR HEART’S DESIRE

WHAT TO DO

• Identify what you want to do in life and then do it. Sounds simple. But the problem is that many people are unsure of what they want to do and they end up drifting into a job. Usually, people recognise their mistake and dream about what they should be doing. If this is you, try the following. Take a piece of paper and write on the top line what you want to do. Then draw a line down the centre of the page. In the left-hand column, list all the forces that are pushing you to change careers. On the right, list all the forces that are pulling you back and restraining you from making the change.
• Write down everything that comes to mind, from the apparently insignificant to absolutely vital. Draw up this list over several days, recording new issues as they pop into your head.
• Sit down with your completed list and score each factor. There is no limit to the score that you can give to a factor and it’s OK to have more than one factor with the same score.
• If one or two forces outscore every other by a country mile, concentrate your attention on these. For example, if the pull of retaining and becoming an actor scores 200 and the fear of giving up financial security for you and your family scores 190, it’s probable that all other factors are irrelevant. If that’s the case, you have to decide, along with your partner/family, what to do. In talking about it, you may find that they have ideas about how to ameliorate the drop in income that the change would cause. Or you could find that they are so implacably opposed to the change that the real choice you face is losing your family if you change your career. Either way, you will have identified the crux of your dilemma.
• If there are no major forces operating in either direction, add up the left- and right-hand scores. Let’s assume that the holding (stay) forces add up to 110 and the pull (change) forces 130: it would seem obvious that you should go with the pull side. But if you still feel doubtful? You need to revisit the scores. Have you been entirely honest with yourself? Are you overstating the pull factors or have you understated what is really holding you?
• The final change and stay scores are actually less important than the process you go through. By examining each factor, you will understand much more clearly what is holding and pulling you. This enables you to make a more informed decision than when all the issues were just a jumble in your head.

QUESTIONS TO ASK

• In an ideal world, what would I like to be doing?
• Am I doing what I want to do? If not, what is holding me back?