Have you heard of the Solar Impulse Plane? Two men with a dream created a solar powered airplane. Together they planned, designed, implemented, tested, and finally the plane was ready to soar.
What are your career dreams? You, too, could soar like the Solar Impulse Plane. Maybe you won’t make international news, but if you want a better career, you must first have a dream.
The Dream
Martin Luther King had a dream. Our forefathers (and mothers) had a dream. What is your dream? Do you want to help others, repair engines, co-ordinate events? Your dream begins with drilling down to determine feasibility. Think creatively with both the right and left sides of your brain. Don’t make excuses!
A Plan
If you are the analytical, spend time with careful planning. If you are more on the creative side, you may need to find someone to be your “grounding wire” to assure your idea takes flight.
Regardless whether your dream is a service or a product, you need to know ALL about it. If you start a retail ice cream business, you need to know about freezers and sticky kids. You need to know that it takes some muscle power and patience to serve ice cream for hours.
If you love jewelry and think it would be cool to manufacture jewelry, a degree in fashion merchandising and experience in sales, along with great business connections, will help you achieve a longer range plan. Some of your plans may fall from the sky or, you may have to struggle every inch of the way. But you soar with confidence, your abilities and willingness to learn on the way. Hard work is part of the formula!
A Team
Bertrand Piccard was the dreamer for the Solar Impulse Plane. His background was that of a psychiatrist and aeronautical engineer. He started his team by adding Andre Borschberg, an experienced airplane and helicopter pilot with a graduate degree in management. What a combination! Bertrand was the sales person, finding funding, while Andre added brilliant people with a passion for their dream.
You may choose no partners or join a team with an amazing mission. Whether you work alone or engage with a huge team, you need to agree on the mission. If you are a company of one, you need “flight attendants” or “cheer leaders” to support your efforts with thoughtful feedback.
The Surprises
In any career surprises occur along the way. On July 6, Bertrand and Andre successfully completed their trip across the United States but there was still one last hitch on the last leg of their flight into New York. A rip in the wing could have stopped them, but they decided it was not serious enough to end the flight. They reacted quickly.
When a surprise stops you in your tracks, take the time you need to re-group and forge ahead. Whether it’s a few minutes for putting a band-aid on your wound or chemo treatments for an extended period, find value and determine ways to cope.
The Present
I visited the Solar Impulse Plane when it was in Dallas. I talked with some on the team, including a young American student (I didn’t get his name, unfortunately), who talked his way onto the team. His resume will forever attract attention because he was confident enough to be a little brazen to achieve this accomplishment.
You need to dream a little and demonstrate confidence to achieve your goal. Take action now. We never know what new opportunities will evolve. Today is the day for your dream career to begin to soar!
Ruth Glover wrote MORE than a Paycheck: Inspiration and Tools for Career Change, which gives you 20 examples of people who have moved their careers in various ways. She is offering a special of $10 for the book to encourage you to act on your dreams.