Dreams appear to be a particularly valuable source of information for your career development; in some cases, they may even be the best compass. This is evident from the 35 years that I have been working on this subject matter with thousands of clients. Would you like to know how that works and how you can apply it for yourself? Check out this article and be surprised by the intelligence of your own hidden ‘psyche’, or that of your clients.
Who hasn’t had some of the feelings described below at some point in their career:
You no longer see any challenges and your work is just a routine. You simply don’t know which direction you want your career to take. You have lost your job or are in danger of losing it. You are fed up with your manager and he isn’t going anywhere any time soon. You have come into conflict with your manager or supervisory board. You just want something completely different, something that you can excel at. You are in a toxic work environment.. In short, your compass is (temporarily) off kilter and you’re really just wandering around aimlessly.
How do you find a new direction in your career?
To figure out what a good next step is for you, you want to find something that really suits you. It turns out that you structurally have the most fun and come into your own in your job if, that what you have to do:
To see what you can do, you can take a broad look at three aspects: the current knowledge that is required for your position, and the required task-oriented, and behavioral, competencies. In order to find the most ‘suitable’ job, you need enough chutzpah, courage and self-confidence to take your career step. Or maybe not yet: You may have to develop something ‘extra’ or learn how to deal with your obstacles more effectively.
To get a good idea of what you can do, can do, there are various adequate assessment tools, such as required diplomas, questionnaires (which map out aspects of your personality, for example), selection interviews; assessment exercises, such as role-playing exercises or answering practical cases, etc.
“But does what you are good at and dare to do really suit you?”
This may be one of the biggest pitfalls that is sometimes glossed over in career paths. Suppose you are going to do something new, something that you are good at and have had good experiences with in the past. Your résumé bears witness to this. Before you know it, you are again doing more of the same and something remains unfulfilled in you that will eventually rear its head again. You just ran over another essential voice of yourself: your soul.
In order to see what you are naturally good at and what you are longing for, we have to dig a lot deeper than our ego (and personality) qualities tell you, to look at what really inspires you. One of the ways to gain insight into what inspires you is through your dreams. Why?
In essence, everything is connected to everything (on a spirit level), as you can read in my book ‘Spirited Personal Leadership’. Disembodied souls are connected to embodied souls; humans to animals, plants and earth; ebb to flow; exertion to relaxation; and daytime to nightlife. Our psyche is so intelligent that it provides keys in symbolic language in dreams, that open new doors in your career. They are a gateway to your subconscious which can help you.
“Our psyche is so intelligent that it provides keys in symbolic language in dreams, that open new doors in your career.”
However, you may not always want to take the time to tap into the richness of your dreams if you cannot immediately give them a place.
Carl Gustav Jung did groundbreaking work in the field of dreams and their meaning. You can have all kinds of dreams, some of which have more meaning to you than others. In many ancient cultures, dreams have been viewed as valuable information carriers for centuries, while modern western societies have largely cut themselves off from this. For example, there are ‘daily processing dreams’, in which you see yourself in situations that are related to what you were doing during the day.
You could have anxiety dreams/nightmares, in which you may experience threats, such as being chased or falling into a hole, or the surfacing of old, unresolved issues.
There are also wishful dreams, which give form to what you would like to experience in your life or work.There are ‘predictive dreams’, where you may recognize elements from your dream later on in everyday reality.
Then there are ‘repetitive dreams’, which return periodically, and ‘big dreams’ that mark or announce a turning point, in your life or work, at a fundamental level. Below you can read an example of this type of dream. And some people experience their dream as a gateway to another dimension, or suddenly feel a connection with a ‘deceased’ loved one. Combinations of different types of dreams are also possible.
In short, not all dreams will give you information related to your career. Chances are, however, that when you have been thinking about career development for a while, meaningful dreams will present themselves.
Let's look at three examples of how dreams can help you in concrete ways.
James is a manager at a large company. He does his job well, works hard and has a heart for the business. He just finds it difficult to delegate things to
his employees. In addition, he takes little time for himself and his family and the home front regularly confront him about this. He often sleeps only five hours a night, has been very tired for a long time and suffers from Repetitive Stress Injury. Yet he wants to take another step up in his career, despite all the signals.
James' goal in one of my 'Self-management/Personal Leadership' training courses was: to create more balance between work and private life. He tells us about a repetitive dream that he has had for eleven years and that comes back about every three months. And now it has happened again, during the workshop. In the dream he is in an airplane high in the air.
He is behind the controls himself. One of the engines of the airplane is on fire. The fuel is leaking and it is getting hotter and hotter in the plane. He tries with all his might to still fly it properly. He wakes up bathing in a pool of sweat.
He talked about the dream with sweat on his forehead and I asked him what had happened eleven years ago in his life when these dreams started. So what did it turn out to be?
Eleven years ago, he had taken on a demanding job and in fact his workload had always remained (too) high in the years that followed. His ‘pusher’ had been putting in lots of overtime, for years. As a high flyer with only one engine working he could easily crash and he had now entered that danger zone. His fuel (energy) was running out not just in his dream, but also in reality. Especially when he retold the dream from the perspective of the plane, which was actually a part of him. He had been flying too high in his job for years, which caused him a lot of stress.
This realization, which felt like a deeper truth, hit him so hard that he decided that things could no longer go on like this. He then invited his relaxed side to be a part of his work and life. Weeks later I saw him and he told me he had chosen a different position that came with less pressure. He was beaming again, as usual.
Chantal is a young, talented and ambitious woman who is quickly making great strides as a government trainee within a ministry. However, she notices that she is drained by the toxic work environment in which she finds herself: many colleagues are complaining among themselves in the office gardens; her boss, who mainly thinks of her own skin, keeps changing directions; and, projects that she has worked hard on are simply swept off the table for political reasons. Because she felt that she was in danger of having a burn-out at a young age, she came to me for coaching.
Mark, a colleague, had already said goodbye and left earlier. She noticed that she was somewhat jealous of that and that it partly mirrored her own desire. And then she dreamed.
She stood nexttoto her colleague Mark, looking out of the 11th floor window of her office building. All they could see was a very large ocean. When she zoomed in, she saw three whales swimming along, swaying so gracefully in the waves and yet following their own course in the flow. For a moment she thought: ‘I wish I could be like that’.
At the protest site in front of her office building (where protests against policy commonly take place) there appeared to be a production machine of some kind, which captured the three whales and proceeded to grind them up.
When she retold the dream from the perspective of the whales, she became very sad. She realized more strongly now than ever before that her soul just couldn’t flow as long as she was in her current position and work environment. This was an important push and it gave her energy to look for something new where she can ‘swim’ in a focused way.
John has been walking around at loose ends at work for a while now. He has been unhappy for over two years: too much work pressure, too few challenges and too little growth, plus a demotivating manager. He has received a wonderful and unique offer from a friend to come work elsewhere. Except that means thirty minutes more travel, the idea of which he rather dislikes. However, at the very moment when he deciding to choose certainty and travel convenience, he is scolded once again by his manager. He keeps doubting himself, until one day he wants to enter his office but his door is locked, something that has never happened before in all those years. To make matters worse, the notepad he brought with him falls from his hands onto the floor by the door. A page falls out with the word ‘end’ written at the bottom. How much clearer of a wink can you get from the cosmos!
The next day John is busy working as usual. He is actually planning to skip his lunch break to be able to finish all his work for the day. But something inside him tells him that he has to go out for a while. On his lunch break, without even thinking about it, he automatically walks into his favorite bookstore which is located next door to his office. His eyes, also automatically, go to a book that is directly in front of him, entitled ‘Zonder einde’ (Without End), by a gentleman named Hans Korteweg. Now he has an epiphany as the thought immediately flashes through his mind: is my current job without end?
That same evening he muses about everything that has happened and he lets his feelings simmer. Should he really quit his job now? Suddenly he realizes
that he has lost a lot of himself in his current job, but he has been trivializing that fact until now. New, interesting challenges that were promised to him have been taken away in the past two years. He has been increasingly constrained to tasks that his heart really wasn’t into. On top of that, there was the structural snarling of his boss and the increased workload.
The next morning he wakes up in a sweat from a dream in which he was chained inside a prison, with his boss as the guard. In his cell he did the usual every day occupational therapy: sorting screws and craft supplies.
He realizes that this image reflected exactly how he has felt at work for the past year: as a slave to his boss. He shares all his findings
and feelings with his partner, who asks him what he really wants, right now, ‘deep down’, which suddenly makes him burst with sadness. He decides now he’s really going to quit his job and take the new one. A yoke of burden falls from his shoulders. After six months in his new job, he goes to work whistling again like In the old days.
All three dreams were turning points for my clients to take a new career step that basically gave them more pleasure, energy, balance and effectiveness.
If you want to see for yourself what a dream is trying to tell you, do your best to remember it and investigate it further. Here are some practical tips:
(This exercise is from the book 'Spirited Personal Leadership - M. Thoolen).
Go tohttps://martinthoolen.com/en/service/loopbaancoaching/
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Whether you are a government leader or a spiritual leader, a political or organizational leader, a CEO or CFO of a company, a manager in a company or government agency, or a parent, your actions have a direct impact on the people you lead. And the greater the ‘span of control’, the greater your impact and responsibility.
But how do you make a better world? What hidden forces are at play in the background in you and in other leaders, who do or do not contribute to this? Below you will find a number of answers.
One way of looking at improving the world is to only make it better for ‘my children’, ‘my club’, ‘my organization’, ‘my party members’, ‘my people’. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, except when it’s at the expense of others, because then you yourself are contributing to exclusion. The danger lies in favoring one group at the expense of others. In actuality, ‘better’ is a very simple concept, namely: better for everyone!
But what then is keeping us from making it better for everyone? Too much ego, along with unprocessed soul pain, make it so our history of wars repeats itself, both on an individual and collective level.
“ Too much ego along with unprocessed soul pain make it so our history of wars repeats itself, both on an individual and collective level.”
How does too much ego manifest itself in leadership, for example? Like a client of mine who recently told me that she was literally thrown out on the street by her mother when she was younger, simply because she had not put a vase with flowers back in the right place. Whereas, when her ‘better’ sister did the same, she got forgiveness and went scot free. As a leader, the mother placed one child above the other.
Another example is from a bank manager who said during an intake interview: ‘During a workshop with colleagues in Spain I was the only one in the group that the Eagle flew to under supervision. To no one else, only to me. Apparently I had something special that the others did not have’. A perfect example of a masked spiritual ego. He used his spiritual experience to elevate himself above others. Just like some leaders who openly or secretly call themselves God’s chosen one.
Too much individual ego manifests itself directly when you simply want more for yourself or your ‘own’ people at the expense of others. And some ego systems feed this behavior.
And what about strengthening your own ego status and creating false prestige by, for example, wanting to be the greatest in the world. Although history has shown that this position is only temporary, many sitting government and religious leaders are seduced by their ego to want to be and remain the richest or most powerful. Or, to build the tallest building, as if they want to show who has the longest you-know-what.
That which plays out individually with you and all others as leaders, also plays out on a collective level. Because what is the most individual, is at the same time the most universal, and vice versa.
“The most individual, is the most universal, and vice versa”
Below you see a few examples of secret beliefs that can also manifest collectively as too much ego.
Individually too much ego & Collectively too much ego
Just think for example of putting ‘my own football team’ above all others. If you attach a lot of importance to that, it can lead to war in and outside the stadium.
And how wonderful would it be if leaders of countries would step out of their collective ego-identification and go from: ‘Make America Great Again’, to: ‘Make the World Great Again’.
But what else do some leaders encourage to increase inequality? How about making the rich richer, and making the poor, who suffer from famines and the likes, poorer, for example. “I’m providing my people with vaccination against Covid first.” “My own people at the expense of others.” Even if that appears to necessitate expansion of your own power through constitutional amendments, or illegally expanding your territory and engaging in ‘land grabs’. Just look at what is currently happening with Russia and Ukraine, the USA and Greenland, China and Taiwan, or Israel and Palestine. Leaders who completely ignore other peoples’ right to exist and their sovereignty. An over-the-top ego.
It turned out that my client's mother had suffered rejection in the past from her own mother, who frequently called her names while sparing her brother. This exclusion cut through her soul and for her it was normal that distinctions had to be made. So she unconsciously passed this on to her own daughters like a relay baton. If this mother had really done her inner work to effectively process this soul pain, then that would starve the emotional need to pass this on, as a leader, to her own daughters. Many leaders with runaway egos have often suffered soul wounds in their lives that have remained unprocessed. And, unfortunately, quite a few current government leaders are allowing themselves to be influenced too strongly by painful wounds from nations’ history shared with other peoples.
We can also speak of collective soul pain, such as the soul pain of an organization, or the soul pain of a people that has suffered wounds over time. Because in every soul there is
historical baggage that is deeply anchored in the heart. Both joyful and traumatic events. And before you know it new soul pain merges with old soul pain and brings back unforgivable memories in milliseconds. This also happens in nations and peoples.
Like the Hamas attack on Israel. The right to exist as an Israeli people was deeply stirred. And before you know it, as the leader of their people, they take revenge on what is happening to them. This happens with an emotional charge and ferocity with which they also become guilty themselves of perpetrating war crimes, causing countless Palestinian victims. In essence, They are then doing the same thing to others that has happened to them when they were the victims in the past. Unprocessed collective soul pain then leads to destructive behavior that they decide on as the leader of their people. And so, as a leader, they maintain the ego-perpetrator-victim cycle. In doing so, they do not solve the collective trauma of the people, but rather strengthen it. In essence, they then build up a collective karma as a people or nation. In addition to revenge, they then go a step further and claim even more land at the expense of another people
This is quite different from the significant Bible story about the Good Samaritan, in which the 'enemy' helps their 'enemy'. What is happening now is a perfect example of heartless leadership. And not
And that does not require heartless leadership, but connecting leadership that can bring people together again. But how do we get there and what can you do as a leader in this?
both in small and large circles.
That requires us to go back to the source of our existence and shape new leadership from there. Because, how are we essentially connected to each other? And where did we all actually come from?
In essence we are all equal, we are all people who want to live in peace. With respect and tolerance for each other’s unique differences, in peaceful coexistence with everyone. With enough food, drink, shelter and equal rights for everyone.
But history has seen growing populations on earth over the centuries and millennia, with increasing diversification. The (too strong) ego identifications and focus on differences with others has led to greater polarization between people and nations. And that requires looking at it from a higher perspective. Just like when you zoom out and look at the earth, what do you see? Many astronauts see a beautiful blue ball without borders and often return to earth with a new consciousness that has touched them to their very soul. With more care for a sustainable earth where we are temporary guests, as well as care for limitless connection with each other in peace.
“If you zoom out, you see more of the whole”
This is not an exhaustive list, but I am convinced that if you engage in a few of these aspects of ‘spirited’ leadership, as a leader you will actually contribute more to a better world. On a small or large scale. In your family, organization or country.
Leaders who lead from "spirit" contribute to a better world. This includes:
No. If you take these steps as a leader, that is no guarantee for success. Because some people cannot (yet) provide harmony even if you invite them as a leader. Why? Because the people you lead may themselves be struggling with too big of an ego and/or unresolved soul pain. For example, they do not want to sacrifice their privileges (economically), or they do not want to bring the whole truth to light, they may be full of negative judgments about others in their heads and engage in opponent stigmatization. Or, they do not want to give up their built-up prestige, or yearn for more fame, power, material and territorial expansion.
Or, they have not gathered enough courage to heal their own unprocessed soul pain.
They choose to live from (apparent) strength and comfort and sweep their vulnerability under the rug. They then continue to live in their own pain that they justify and allow to exist, and repeat their own history of discontent, polarization or separation.
As a leader, do not be discouraged. You are not obliged to sacrifice your peace or peaceful intentions for people who are at war with themselves. And be aware that you do touch people with your connecting leadership.
Leaders have the potential to create a better world, but this requires self-reflection, humility and the willingness to transcend ego identifications. By leading from "spirit", you can contribute as a leader to a world in which peace, equality and sustainability are central. Both in small and large circles. And that is more than worth it.
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Health is a privilege. Good luck and bad luck come our way in life. But I sincerely hope that you can make peace with both of them and 2025 will be a year in which you are satisfied. Kind regards, Martin
Maybe this is something for you, your friend or co-worker. Check out the latest reviews here:
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Made for me! This is what reading the book 'Spirited Personal Leadership' by Martin Thoolen felt like. A book full of recognizable situations, inspiring examples and, above all, a book that has opened my eyes. About my own behavior, choices and motivations and that of others. I felt strengthened, partly because of the confidence that emerges from this book. The confidence that everything will work out as it should, as long as you consciously follow your heart and soul.” - International Award-winning Sales Professional - –
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Find a good and experienced team coach.These are recent experiences with me as a team coach:
PROFESSIONALS UNIVERSITY OF AMSTERDAM, HOUSING & DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT:
· The atmosphere in the department has improved. In my opinion, the sentiments that exist have been carefully listened to.
· Concrete points emerged that I can immediately apply in my projects.
· Well prepared and good balance between practice and theory.
· Mutual communication has improved after the process.
· Colleagues talked about it.
PROFESSIONALS MUNICIPALITY/WORK ORGANIZATION DE BUCH, YOUTH TEAM:
· Connection within the entire team was strong and reflection on yourself and the team
· Clear theoretical explanation. I found it a very enlightening process.
BEHAVIORAL EXPERTS MUNICIPALITY/WORKING ORGANIZATION DE BUCH, YOUTH TEAM:
· Customized program. Sufficient depth, room for everyone's questions and respectful. Thank you very much! It was very helpful. Nice and clear guidance. Space to discuss tough things with each other.
· The connection with my direct colleagues has been strengthened and feels good, gives energy and provides more job satisfaction
With over 30 years of experience in guiding teams/departments, I may also be of Is this something for you? https://martinthoolen.com/en/service/teamcoaching/
Then you can always call, app or email me for a no-obligation introduction: 06 -1562 0111; [email protected].
JOB MARKET SA. OCTOBER 12, 2024. Organized by the entrepreneurs' association of the Municipality of Nieuwkoop in collaboration with the municipality and Rijnvicus. What a lot of activity in my own hometown. Glad to have been able to contribute to the job market of the municipality of Nieuwkoop. What a lot of potential from employers and employees who can find each other even better. Thanks for all the nice contacts. Want to know how to increase the match between employers and employees? Feel free to ask for a no-obligation consultation: [email protected] or call/app: 06 – 1562 0111.
What if you are highly sensitive? That is what the brand new edition of PSYCHOLOGY MAGAZINE is about. Here you can find an article about my coaching of HSP's (Highly Sensitive Person).
Hier zie je een artikel van mij over coaching van mijn hooggevoelige klanten.
Ben jij professional, manager, CEO/CFO of bestuurder met veel werkervaring? En wil je je persoonlijk leiderschap fundamenteel versterken? En de wereld in je team/organisatie en om je heen ook een beetje beter maken?
In short, do you wish yourself and your team/organization the best that you have and have to offer?
Then the NEW MASTER COURSE Spirited Personal Leadership Spirited Personal Leadership might be something for you, your colleague or friend. Starts October 10th, 2024.
Neem eens een kijkje in de bijgaande weblink en de bijbehorende brochure en je bent van harte welkom voor een vrijblijvende en kosteloos intakegesprek om te kijken of het je past. Je kunt me altijd bellen, appen of e-mailen naar: 06 – 1562 0111 of [email protected].. Meer info op: https://martinthoolen.com/en/service/master-module-persoonlijk-inspirerend-leiderschap/
I am looking forward to this unique Mastercourse together with Jhr. Bert-Jan van der Mieden, which guarantees top quality (see also: I am looking forward to this unique Mastercourse together with Jhr. Bert-Jan van der Mieden, which guarantees top quality (see also: https://www.pyramide.nl/#over-pyramide).).
Kind regards and maybe see you soon! Martin Thoolen
Response to an interactive workshop on Spirited Personal Leadership:
“Martin Thoolens Spirited Personal Leadership Masterclass was a valuable experience for us at GetForward. His ability to make beliefs concrete made the content immediately applicable, and the focus on team reflection promoted deeper understanding and collaboration. In short, highly recommended for those looking for tangible improvements in leadership.”
Do you and your team or organization want an inspiring introduction to the latest ideas about Personal Leadership? See: https://martinthoolen.com/en/service/masterclasses-persoonlijk-inspirerend-leiderschap/
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Interview from Squire Bert-Jan van der Mieden with Martin Thoolen MSc. about Spirited Leadership (in Dutch).
About Patriarchal and Spirited Leadership, control and autonomy, Life and Death and more.
Take a look. I hope it inspires you. I am curious what you come to think of it and what your ideas are about Leadership of the Future.
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