As you search for your next career, it's tempting to try to "figure out" your next move using logic to make sense of your most obvious options. There's a certain comfort in knowing your next step makes good sense.

That's the up side.

On the flip side, your efforts to find a logical solution may actually limit your options. In your search for a feasible solution, you turn away from possibilities because your mind doesn't believe it's possible.

The activity I describe below allows you to bypass your logical mind to discover the essence of your ideal green career. Although you won't be able to wrap your mind around how it works, I encourage you to give it a chance.

When I've invited clients to use this activity they've always gained new insights, clarity, and perspective about their future direction. From there they begin to see opportunities they couldn't have seen before. It's always fascinating to see how doors begin to open when people tap into the essence of what they want.

I always enjoy doing this activity around the New Year. It's fun, inspiring, and sets the stage for the year.

Activity - Discover the Essence of Your Ideal Green Career

Your Goal: Create a beautiful collage to represent the essence of your ideal green career.

Step 1: Gather a variety of magazines, catalogs, and other printed material.

Step 2: Flip through the magazines and pull out words and images that illustrate the qualities you want in your ideal green career. Don't hold back. Be idealistic, expansive, and out of the box. Don't worry about whether something is possible or not. Focus instead on what draws you in and attracts you. You might think of the tasks you want to do, the environment you want to work in, and the way you want to feel in your work. Be inclusive in this stage of the process.

Step 3: Place the images and words you've collected in a file folder. You can add to the folder for a couple of sessions if you'd like. When you don't seem to be finding any new material, you can move onto Step 4.

Step 4: Find a large poster board or piece of cardboard. Or, alternatively, a series of smaller pieces of cardboard/paper that you might place in a binder or folder.

Step 5: Begin to place your words and images in a way that appeals to you. Let your creativity guide you. Let the form evolve as you place more and more of your favorite words and images. Keep a couple of things in mind:

You are now the editor. You decide what to cut and what to include. It is in this process that you begin to understand and refine your vision for your future.

Pay attention to the insights you gain during this process. You might want to jot down your conclusions so that you can review them later.

If you notice a gap in your words or images, mount a search to find what you want. If you can't find the piece of the puzzle you are searching for, create the word by combining letters from various places.

Step 6: If you can, walk away from your collage for a day or two. When you return take another look at what you've created. What do you want to change? Anything you want to improve?

As you do your final review, make sure that everything on your collage is stated in present tense. It is happening now! Not in the past...not in the future. By being in the present, your subconscious is triggered in a very specific way, which gives you the sense you already have what you've envisioned. This is a critical piece to this process.

Step 7: Use a glue stick to attach all of the pieces to your board. Make any changes that evolve as you work with your collage.

Step 8: Place your collage in a place where you will be able to see it on a frequent basis. You might place it near your computer, in your bedroom, where you exercise, where you talk on the phone. When you look at it you don't need to do so consciously. At one point I had my collage near where I'd brush my teeth each day. As I brushed I'd gaze at my collage, noticing new details or new connections throughout the year.

Step 9: Allow your life and career to unfold. Every now and then take a look at your collage. Has anything happened that relates to your collage? Do the images in your collage take on new meaning as you make new discoveries?

Enjoy your journey of discovery with this activity. Invite your friends and family members to join you if you'd like or make it a retreat activity just for yourself. Either way, I'm sure you'll enjoy the process and the results!