I had a dream which left me both puzzled and unsettled which I felt I had to share with you.
What was that dream? It’s a bit embarassing, but here it is.
I dreamt that I had started work at a new company, one which was admired by many in the Technology Industry.
As it was the first day of work, I was busy unpacking my things at my desk and was chilling out a little – after all, it’s only Day 1, correct?
Suddenly, the PA system came alive and announced an ‘All Hands On Deck’ Town hall meeting in the cafeteria – Everyone dropped what they were doing and ran towards the gathering place. I instinctively followed suit.
At the meeting, the CHRO, using a loud-hailer, barked unhappy orders at everyone, criticising them for work that could have gone better in the previous year, despite the company having made super-normal profits the year before.
Suddenly, she turned to me and questioned me, “ADRIAN! When did you start work here? Why haven’t you reported to me yet? Do you still think you’re the boss of your own company?! It’s already 10am and you haven’t submitted your plans to me! I want it now!”
I was surprised at the vitriol, as she was known in the industry as a very nice person and I tried to respond but my mouth was suddenly gummed up by thick honey – I felt helpless … then I woke up.
Now, I’m no ‘Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat’ kind of guy and can’t really interpret dreams, but this one left me very unnerved because:
- It’s been a VERY long time since I was chewed out by an unreasonable boss (that’s why I started #CareerAğilityInternational and the feeling, though distant, was a bit of a PTSD for me).
- I don’t quite know where the source of this insecurity came from, but surely, there must be some latent, hidden emotion that triggered this fear – maybe it’s my innate fear of failure (yes, as an entrepreneur, that’s always hanging at the back of my mind)
However, I brushed everything off when I got out of bed.
Over a cup of hot coffee later, I shared this bad dream with my wife and she laughed it off.
She said, “Just be thankful that those stressful days of having to report to Nasty Bosses is over for you. Maybe it’s just your inner psyche reminding you to be #grateful for the wonderful situation you are in now and not take things for granted.”
I think there are some lessons which we can glean from my funny incident (yes, please laugh at my expense!):
- Know what you want (and don’t want) in your life/career. Make active decisions to gain (or shed) it. In my case, it was the freedom to do what I loved that drove me to an entrepreneurial life, free from nefarious characters higher in the foodchain.
- Be Grateful for the good things you have (and also, the bad things you don’t have) – no job is perfect, but with a Career Strategy, you can definitely craft a better one.
- Don’t go to bed on too full a stomach – I think the 15th oyster did me in…
What are you grateful for in 2024? And if you are able to interpret my dream, do drop me a DM! Would love to hear what you think my dream meant!