I was talking with one of my friends the other day and she was bemoaning the state of her career. She felt like she was at a cross roads and she did not know what to do.
Naturally, I asked her what she really wanted to do with her life.
“Well”, she said, “I want to move to Palm Springs and be a Disney Princess but that’s never going to happen.”
That was a bit of a shocker for me. I never really pictured her as the “princess” type. But then, I have also had people tell me that they would like to be the Tooth Fairy or take up residence at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Sure, when you get to a certain age, you feel like writing off those seemingly far-fetched dreams, but you don’t have to.
There are, for example, quite a few wish-granting charities. They hire people in all kinds of professions. That would be kind of princess-like wouldn’t it?
J.K.Rowling did not start out as a writer. She came to it after doing other things (like having a child). Maybe there is a novel in you. How do you know if you don’t try?
Enriching your life outside work often has unexpected and positive benefits for your day job. I took a course in stand-up comedy because some day I want to be a comedian (a real one that gets paid). That really was the only goal – to get a better understanding of how the business works to prepare for later.
Here’s the funny thing: after I took the course, I started doing my job in a more effective way. The things I had learned had an immediate and positive effect on how I presented material and suddenly, my work was more exciting, and I felt more successful.
I had no idea that was going to happen, but it did.
So, keep the dreams coming and take some time to figure out how to move towards them.
If it helps, I will send a sparkly wand to anyone who comments on this post.
Recruiter's Couch 
You can leave my wand on my desk anytime – Matt