Thread: Need help with Self Correcting Scenario exercise, need some movie pitches!

I'm working through Barbara Sher's, "I could do anything I want if I only knew what it was." For this latest exercise I need a buddy to work with me on something called a, "Self Correcting Scenario." Basically pitch me a movie, using the descriptions of My Nightmare Job and My Heavenly Job, based on an actual job.

As I have no idea what every job out there is, and no buddy to work with, what better place than a forum, with hundreds of people in hundreds of different careers, to help me out?

So here is the My Nightmare Job

At my nightmare job I work 6 days a week, am on call for the 7th, 8 hour days that sometimes go into 10 or 12 hour hours, and I am paid only a few dollars more then minimum wage.

I live in a one or two stoplight mill town with nothing of any interest to me in it, with my parents, my grandmother, my brother, and other relatives. I drive to work, it's a long 30-45 minute commute. Into a busy, crowded, polluted, hectic city that also has little of interest to me in it.

It's difficult work, physically exhausting, and I have to be accurate and fast. I have a quota I have to meet or I risk getting terminated. I have to be accurate in everything I do or I risk getting terminated. I am just barely able to keep up the pace, and it is nearly impossible to be accurate due to the actions of others and the system I have to use.

I usually end up cleaning the restrooms and washing dishes because nobody else will do these tasks, and I still have to keep up my quote and accuracy or risk getting fired. My mom does these chores at home but complains about it, making me feel guilty.

I have two bosses, and they give me contradictory instructions. One will yell at me if I am doing something the way the other has told me to do it. They will yell at me very loudly and ensure everyone around us can hear me being chewed out.

I get a 30 minute lunch break that comes too late and goes by too fast. I get two additional 15 minute breaks, one comes too early, when I don't really need it, and the other comes later, when I need a longer break. I can not change the times of the breaks or my lunch.

I am responsible for the equipment I use and anything I interact with. Anything I damage comes out of my paycheck, and will more then likely get me yelled at. The equipment is usually damaged or in need of repair, and I usually end up with the worst pieces to use. Of course the threat of being terminated always looms.

I come home exhausted, just wanting to unwind, but my family needs me for various things. On my days off I maintain the house and grounds and never get any time to do the things I want. Basically I get up, eat a little if I have time, work, come home, sleep a little, rinse and repeat. I get to shower once a week if I'm lucky and nobody is using the single restroom in the tiny house we all live in.

I get vacation time about 3 months after I start, I get benefits 3 months after that. Few people last that long. Many of the people who were employed the same time as me, that I have come to know and befriend, have either been fired or quit. I really don't know many of the people left now.

There are company events I am expected to attend, usually on my day offs, so when I am not tied up with family I am tied up with work. The bosses of my bosses call us on for occasional meetings, I guess to pump us up, telling us about all the wonderful things the company will do for us after our first year. I have been there nearly a year, am on my last warning, and I suspect I will soon be fired.

I have never been thanked or complimented on my work or whenever I do something really well. It is simply and silently expected of me. I feel my dad will be disappointed in me if I quit, so I keep working. I feel my mom will worry about me if I quit so I keep working. All the while I secretly hope they will fire me, because I know my parents will take pity on me, and my dad will not blame me, because I know they love me and see how hard I have been working.

I am also afraid to quit or be fired because my family depends on the money I bring in. I can't save any of it – it all goes to bills. My brother also works but contributes little of his funds. I know I can stop paying for everything, but then my dad, who beat up his body for 30 years working at his job, would have to go back to work.

Here is my Heavenly Job (be warned a wandered a bit and it's actually more of an ideal life that gets a little racy)

At my dream job the work I do is something I don't really classify as work because it is something I love to do. I work a maximum of 3 days a week and a maximum of 6 hours a day each day, unless I am really caught up in the flow of doing what I love to do, then I may work longer or even extra days. The days I work and the hours I work each day are set by me.

I live in a small, college or tourist supported town, no mills, no huge cities, nothing like that for at least 50 miles in any direction. I can clearly see the stars at night. The town has all sorts of things that interest me in it, all sorts of groups, a yogic temple, a Buddhist monastery, dozens of groups meeting about everything from dreams to astral projection. There's an awesome library tied in with all the other libraries in all the other towns surrounding this one, so I have access to a large number of books on various subjects. The town is located on, near, or not far from the coast, or is in the mountains with the coast a leisurely drive, or bike ride, away. Few cars, little traffic, few people expect perhaps during the summer. Very bicycle friendly town. It's also a very forward thinking town, very earth friendly, living fairly harmoniously with the earth, little or no pollution, bonuses for using electric cars, set up for the future.

I either work from home, or I have a small office, a small business, doing whatever it is I do. I'm the boss. I can come in to work or stay at home. I treat my employees well and pay them fairly. Nobody works more than 4 days a week, 8 hours a day. Everyone gets an hour for lunch and two 15 minute breaks they can take whenever they want.

I love my work and when it is physically exhausting, which is rarely, it is also very rewarding. I never have to clean restrooms or do dishes. I can do these things if I choose to, but I have a janitorial/cleaning staff for that, and they are treated and paid just as well as everyone else if not better considering the kind of work they are doing.

I never have to worry about getting fired. My business is very successful and the money just flows in. I am very careful with my finances, and have set up good, safe investments for my employees and I to use should we wish to. I have a very good, highly reputable accountant on hand, and an entire legal department on call to handle any maters of legal concerns. They ensure that not on do we abide by the law, we abide by a strict code of ethics in all our dealings. It is very important to me that our products or services are made in an environmentally friendly and healthy way, can be used in the same way, that they are of the highest possible quality, and that they are always being improved based on customer feedback. All the while we keep our prices lower than our competitors so our products and services are always affordable to anyone who needs them or wants them.

The work environment is friendly, open, loving. Everyone who works for is is only expect to do their best, keeping up with our high standards, and to stay with us only as long as they are happy working for us. If they are not happy in their job I do whatever I can to help them find the work they want to do, and if they decide to leave they get a large and fair end of employment package, as well as a good recommendation and all the support they need to get the new job or position they are seeking. If an employee has not done their best, lived up to our standards, and is not happy I try to work with them, and only fire them, once again with a large but fair end of employment package, as a last resort. If I can not give them a good recommendation I do not provide them with one at all, but I do try to work with them to find a job that they would like more and I help them get that job. They are allowed to continue working in some capacity or other until they start at their new place of employment. In rare cases when their work is so bad that I do not want them around, I send them on a paid vacation until the start of their new job.

All the equipment, computers, machines and so forth are kept in good repair by a maintenance service or our own maintenance department, who, like the janitors and cleaners, and treated and paid very well for their work. If something breaks as an employee is using it my company foots the bill for its repair or replacement. If the employee is found to gave mistreated the equipment, or to have simply blown up and broken something, then they are required to come to some sort of reasonable agreement to replace the damaged equipment. I will also try to talk to them, help them work out whatever is bothering them, provide for therapy, should they want that.

Before or after work everyone can join in for a complimentary Tai Chi, Qi Gong, Yoga, or Dance fitness class. I have top instructors who are paid to come and teach these classes. Attendance is recommended but optional. In addition we have close of day meditations everyone can join, truly fun family and adult oriented company trips and cruises, and all sorts of recreational opportunities. If we need a company meeting my employees and I all get together, decide on the best day to close up ship for a few days to meet, and decide where, when and how we want to do it. We blend fun and activity, relaxation and downtime, with our meetings. Sometimes we bring in renowned spiritual teachers and instructors and have an employee outing day to learn something interesting that will contribute to spiritual growth and health.

At the end of the day, if I am not already home, I come home, slip into the hot tub, swimming hole (we live near a clean, unpolluted mountain creek, river, spring or lake with a good spot for swimming not far from the house) or shower and just relax. I have a beautiful, supportive, loyal, happy and extremely sexually active wife who respects my time, lets me unwind form any tensions of the day, and who simply just wants to come to me and be held, maybe talk, maybe not, maybe make passionate love with me, we are very in tune to each others feelings, desires, wants. We compliment each other, are truly and deeply in love. We're planning on having children, and looking forward to teaching them all the valuable lessons we have learned.

My wife and I designed our house. It is big, but not pretentious. It is part of the land and made in an environmentally friendly way with environmentally and healthy materials. It has beautiful graceful curves, arches, architectural details. It is unique, light, area, and comfortable. There is plenty of room for my wife and I and 4 children or more. Every time I look at it I am inspired. My wife loves it too, even helped me design it. We have a huge library, a nice office for me, another workspace for her, a couple of places we can work out, exercise, meditate, or just lay naked under the stars looking up, holding each other on warm nights. We have our own private theater and we enjoy the occasional movie, but we watch little TV. Both of us prefer to read, listen to music, dance, usually with each other, or sing. We have a successful side project of our music, dance instructions, and our art. She is an artist just like me, and enjoys many of the same expressions I do, but she also has her own unique explorations as I do mine. We are both interested in spiritual things and share new experiences, new knowledge, whatever, with each other. We also have a huge, roomy kitchen and a big table. We can easily sit two, nice and cozy, or with a few adjustments sit 20 or more, comfortable with plenty of room. Christmas is a big occasion at our house and we have a living Christmas tree we bring in, then a planting ceremony when we are done. One of the other things I do on the side is invent things, and I have several patents bringing in money. We have 4 restrooms inside, and two half bath showers outside. My wife and I often shower together outside in the larger one. It looks like a waterfall carved out of stone. She designed it and I helped her build it. We built the whole house with our bare hands, and some outside labor where needed. We built it overly safe, strong, and enduring, well above code, with a mind to any future expansion or needs our future children may have.

I know everyone at work, so far I have had to fire nobody. While I do require company attendance for meetings, I make the meetings as fun and truly informative as possible. My employees and I are rightfully proud of our work so there is no false pumping up. There are no incentives, the day you start work you are eligible for the investment plan, vacation time, and everything else everyone else is. Good raises are provided each year, along with a healthy bonus. I am constantly thanking, congratulating, complimenting everyone at work, and this environment is encouraged. We have an “I Forgot” jar everyone has to put whatever change they have in the pocket into every time they forget to thank someone, give an appropriate completed, say hi to or congratulate. If they don't have any money everyone has to go into a meeting room to hear them sing one Karaoke song of their choice. Any time I have to speak to someone about heir behavior the meetings are private, professional and gentle. The goal is not to hurt, but to encourage towards better action and improvement. Punishments are meant to be fun, to cause thought and affect positive changes. So far the jar is empty, has been since we started, and I have only had to give 1 or 2 gentle rebukes.

I never have to work. I can leave my business at any time. The house and property are paid for. The wife and I have plenty of money in the bank for ourselves, our children, and their children's children. We have additional monies invested safely. We never borrow or take out a loan. We don't own a car, have no need for one, I bike or walk to work and she bikes or walks into town. I send my parents small amounts of money, to help out, but on my leaving home they learned to stand on their own, pursue their dreams, and they are doing very well. My brother has taken control of his life and is also doing well. We have big get-togethers every Christmas. I fly my parents, and my brother if he wants to come, out to our house every year. First class. But the last few years they have been paying their own way and covering my brother. My dad, my mom, and even my brother are healthy and happy. Well in the case of my brother it's hard to tell. He's not complaining at least. My mom and dad have become lovers again, and they almost put my wife and I to shame. It has made for a few embarrassing moments for all of us. My wife and I built a private little guest wing off the house just for them, completely separate from the main house. They get the upstairs and my brother gets the downstairs.

OK, so based on these scenarios, what actual, real life job do you think will fit me? Pitch it, like a movie script. I'll read your pitch, make corrections, tell you what I like about it and don't like, and you can pitch again. You can pitch any real life job or career you can imagine, and you can pitch as many times as you like. At some point we should hone in on a real job that I could pursue. Then I get to commit to pursuing it for an hour, researching it as if I was going to go do it.

I guess the whole point here is to bring up whatever internal conflict I have that is not letting me see my dream. This is a conflict-finding dream-discovering exercise!

Your help, as always, is appreciated!
- DreamBliss