Has this ever happened to you?

You got so, so close in a job interview process — and when I say close, I mean you learned that you were the frontrunner, but then something happened. You didn’t get the job because [fill in the blank].

You’re dejected beyond words, and find yourself in the pit of despair. Why didn’t they pick you? 

Do you actually know what you want? Do you know what you need? The kind of people you want to be around, the impact that you want to have?

Why are you one in a string of applicants in the first place?

Did you know that there are two job markets — the one that is visible with jobs posted, and the one that is hidden? 

According to Forbes, up to 70 to 80 percent of available jobs are not listed. They’re filled through referrals or internal candidates. 

I have news for you (and let’s be honest, I’m also reminding myself because I’ve been there). It’s time to shift your perspective from focusing on what the interviewers wanted to focusing on what YOU want. 

How do I know? It’s happened for me — jobs have been created for me and I’ve seen jobs created for other people that I know. 

And you have to be willing to not just settle for what you can get. Now I know that we need money to feed our children and stay in our homes. So I’m suggesting that we have to be able to navigate today’s daily life while designing our tomorrow.

So how do you get to be one of the lucky ones, positioned for success? You have to co-design the opportunity. You have to talk with people — anyone and everyone! You have to be willing to own your vision and brag about your accomplishments. You have to be excited to shine and to share.

I’ve come to see that we don’t spend enough time in the inspirational imaginal realm – not someone else’s, but our own. We’re not taking the time to ask ourselves: What do I want to achieve? What do I want to see? What happens if I achieve that? What don’t I want? What happens if I can reduce the things I don’t want? And then, what am I going to do NEXT? What small step will I take, right now? 

I recommend you write your ideas down. BIG. Then turn your ideas into an image or a symbol that reminds you of what’s important. Take 10 minutes to grab a couple pictures from a magazine, make a couple doodles, or slap down some color so that your vision is VIVID. 

And then think about WHO YOU NEED to help you make this a reality. 

None of us is going to achieve our big job or big dream alone. We must have a team — people who listen to us, who believe in us, who can show us how it’s been done or not done, who can brainstorm with us, sponsor us, advocate for us and challenge us. Yes, that’s a long list, but don’t perceive the work as a drag. View it as an opportunity for calling upon SPIRIT in the form of oh so many humans, synchronicities and flashes of insight. Tap into what Deepak Chopra terms non-local consciousness in his book The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire: Harnessing the Infinite Power of Coincidence. Because if you intentionally tap into spirit as your ally and partner in making real your next job, any no’s you receive will lose their power to stop you.