Have You Forgotten Your Happy Place?

“So come with me, where dreams are born, and time is never planned. Just think of happy things, and your heart will fly on wings, forever, in Never Never Land!” Peter Pan

Cast your mind back to the delightful story of Peter Pan, the boy who never grew up…….

In the 1991 movie ‘Hook’, an adult Peter Pan has to return to Neverland to win back his children, who were stolen by Captain Hook. Peter’s task is to reengage with his child side, his ‘happy place’, in order to challenge his old enemy.

Take a look at Peter Pan in this adult character role. Peter is no longer in touch with his inner child, the place where he was happiest. In this ‘happy place’, Peter was able to let go of the stresses and strains of being an adult, and he gave himself an opportunity to free his thinking. Letting go gave Peter the belief and skill to defeat his enemy and take his children home.

How does visiting your ‘happy place’ relate to career transition?

There is a defined process to successful career transition. Often when people attempt to skip a stage in the process, success is not achieved. Each stage of the process is designed to help a client progress toward achieving their career or working lifestyle goals and dreams.

To help my clients begin working through the process, one of the first stages is all about letting go. Many clients find themselves in unfamiliar territory, having been employed for a long period of time. For these individuals letting go and visiting their ‘happy place’ is almost like discovering a new planet.

Before you can take a positive step, you must let go of what you thought you knew.

Think about why you have made a decision to walk away from your career, maybe to realise your passions or to change what you do? What you have done is to set sail on a new journey of self discovery. You’ve raised the anchor, hoisted the sails and your view is focused on the horizon. It’s a new and exciting voyage of opportunity.

Rather than sailing headlong into stormy weather, you must go through the step of letting go. It’s at this stage that you can go to your ‘happy place’. It’s your chance to ‘unthink’, to unwind and to release your conditioned past. Like Peter Pan you can go ‘where dreams are born’.

Free your thoughts and your mind will open itself to greater opportunity.

In this vital stage of career transition, this is a time to ‘be’ not ‘do’. Imagine what would have happened if Peter Pan had not allowed himself to ‘be’ in his ‘happy place’? His children would have remained forever more with Captain Hook. Allow yourself to reengage with your inner child. Open your mind like a sponge and soak up the opportunity of ‘being’.

Let go, be not do, and inspire your own self belief so ‘your heart will fly on wings, forever, in Never Never Land’.