The Guided Fantasy when used in career exploration involves the following:
- Relaxation.
Think of an idyllic scene (e.g. sunset on a beach, park like surroundings, etc).
Tighten your fist and facial muscles, and then relax them.
Breath from your diaphragm - it's like a balloon - so gently let your stomach move out as you inhale. - Read from a script:
- "Now you feel relaxed, I would like you to picture yourself in five years' time. You feel very content with your life and confident. What work are you doing?"
- "I'd like you to imagine a typical day. You get up, really looking forward to your day. You get dressed, what do you put on?" (is it a suit, casual clothes, what sort of image – corporate, casual, etc)
- "You have breakfast and go to work – how do you get there?"
- "Are you alone or is there someone with you?"
- "You arrive at work – take a look around you before you start work. What does it look like? Are there any other people present? What are you particularly looking forward to about your day?"
- "You start your work – how do you spend your morning? Your morning tea? Who are you with? (e.g. clients? and what sort of clients; customers; colleagues)"
- After morning tea what do you find yourself doing?
- "What do you do for lunch? With who? For how long?"
- What happens after lunch?
- "The afternoon is here, what is happening?"
- "You have reached the end of your day, what have you accomplished or achieved? Do you feel satisfied? What has been satisfying? What praises have come your way? Or feedback?
- After work what do you do? Where do you go?
- How do you spend your evening?
- Then think back to your idyllic setting and open your eyes.
- Write down your fantasy.
This exercise will give you some self-awareness of what your desire is, however, self-awareness for its own sake brings little satisfaction. Pathways needs to be sought. You can make a visual mind map of those pathways you seek to journey on.
By reviewing your fantasy you may start by looking at what clothes you were wearing, and do you currently have those in your wardrobe? What about perfume or after shave lotion? Jewellery, accessories? Your pathway would involve you buying some clothes to fit that look. This is about image making.
Your colleagues, what sort of people are they? Where are they most likely to mix? Where are they most likely to work? Your pathway would start by networking with these people, joining clubs or organisations they belong to.
Ask yourself various questions like these to stimulate ideas for completing your visual mind map: pathways.
