Creating a life you want, and finding a job that fits well into that, is a process that takes, well, it takes a long as it takes. As long as you’re going in the right direction, you’ll get there, though there are some things that will give you a boost.

Over the years, as I’ve worked with different people in their job searches, I’ve seen that having a picture of the life you want to create is a critical step in the process, but once you get that picture, it can sometimes seem sort of intimidating when you realize that where you are right now is not even close to what you dream about.

But don’t despair. The important thing is to have a direction in mind, and to take some steps — any steps — that put you on that path. Really, as long as you’re moving in the right direction, even if it’s just a baby step, then you are making progress and gaining momentum. Sure, sometimes we can have a giant step, a big windfall, that tumbles right into our laps. But usually, we have to take it one step at a time.

So if you have discovered that you really want to be working doing counseling, for instance, but are feeling frustrated because you’re in a job that is the total opposite of that, think of how you can move one step closer, how you can get into action and change directions.

Maybe it’s enrolling in school (that’s a giant step), maybe it’s taking on some volunteer work doing counseling outside your work hours (a medium-sized step), or maybe it’s just making a list of all the kinds of jobs that you can imagine that would use counseling skills (a baby step).

And whichever actions you choose, talk about them. Saying what you’re up to, out loud to the people around you, catapults your thoughts into becoming real. Did you know that Muhammad Ali used to run through the streets of his home town, saying “I am the greatest!”? Reaffirming his desire to be the greatest out loud was as big a part of his success as the time he spent at the gym with sparring partners, because it shifted how he thought of himself, and how other people perceived him. And it sure declared his intentions, didn’t it?

Words make a huge difference in creating the life we want. You may know that I love Thailand. I was lucky enough to have a chance to live there for 18 months several years ago, and when I returned home, I announced to people that I would go to Thailand once a year, and so, having to put my money where my mouth is, I did.

Then I started saying that I go to Thailand for a month every year, even though I hadn’t really done that yet. Guess what? My next visits were for a month.

So then I started to say I go twice a year, and voila! Two trips, because it became a priority for me. And several months ago, I did one of my own exercises to update my vision of how I want my life to unfold, and I realized that I want to live in Thailand part-time. So, as of this blog, I am now saying the words “I live in Thailand part-time.”

I have been leveraging the power of my words to create the reality of the life I choose.

All of these things are creating a new reality of what you do and where you’re going, because they put you on the path. They are all actions that will begin to change your life.

So if you’re in a job search that’s starting to feel hopeless, or just wishing that something would change in your life in general, give yourself the assigment to come up with some actions that will start to change the tides… choose a baby step to do today, and one to do tomorrow, and one for the day after that, and soon it will snowball.

And remember to talk about it, and to live up to what you say. Before you know it, that dream will start to come into sharper focus, and the momentum you have begun will carry you right into the future you thought you had only imagined. For real.