Early in the planning process, you need to find out everything you think you want to go into. What exactly do you do day-to-day in this career?  How did others get their start? How do you get ahead? What are the negatives, the benefits?

• Talk to people who are doing what you think you want to do. Meet them! Interview them for the Heroine’s Journey.
• Read biographies of people you admire to see what it took.
• Make interviews with people you are interested in
• Research gives you more confidence. The more you know, the less you stress. Absorb all the information you can, and then go with your gut. Let your instincts be your guide. Make informed decisions about how much you want to earn, whom you will work with, what tools and talents you need to master, the hours, the environment, the stress level. Then you can move forward with a sound decision about what you want to do.

What are the most successful people in your field? It is possible to write, call, mail them or meet them and ask for their advice. Learn more about their path by reading articles about them. How do they get where they are? Any patterns you could follow? What are they doing that you are not?

The best thing I ever did for my career was writing books about people who make their money doing what they love. Asking them questions about how they made it. I learned more from talking to them than I ever did from any college, seminar or workshop. I picked up on their passion for what they did, their enthusiasm and their energy. Success is contagious, and the advice you can glean is great. Brainstorm with your rolemodels for ideas on how to get where you want to go.

Are you worried that the path others have taken no longer exists, or that they somehow had it easier? I bet there is someone who made it to where you want to go with fewer resources than you have, and greater obstacles. Read their stories. Interview them for the Heroine’s Journey guide and get ideas. More than that, get fired up!