The words you see above are only examples. Don’t copy them verbatim or use them as a checklist. Search your soul and invent your own phrases. You might even add some new categories down the left side of your chart. Remember, you are writing about your future life, not just your career. So include items to protect your family and personal interests. “Five hours per week for leisure reading” is a valid entry. “Limit work week to 50 hours” is also valid.

As you see, this list is fanciful, not 100% realistic. To say “I want to invent the rules as I go” is a stretch. No job gives 100% freedom to invent one’s own path, not even self-employment. But it’s the concept that’s important. What the author is saying is that she wants more freedom rather than less. And corporations vary widely in their ability to tolerate mavericks. This person may belong in a small, entrepreneurial, free-wheeling company.

Must-haves are very important. They are absolute requirements. While you may give up some of your “wants,” must-haves are essential and cannot be compromised.

Think about column five: “Things that would be FUN, but possibly frivolous.” This is where your creativity should kick in. Don’t let this “Career Decision Matrix” become boring, or one-dimensional. Pick some fun stuff. Go ahead, give yourself a raise, or high-speed Internet access, a screamer-of-a-laptop, a health club membership, a window view of the ocean, or frequent international travel.

It’s important to make every entry specific, not vague. “WANT more time with my children” is not as useful as “WANT 2 hours per week to play softball with teenage son.” “$185,000 per year” is better than “a high salary.” Avoid phrases like, “I DON’T WANT a long commute.” Instead, say “DON’T WANT to drive more than 30 minutes each way.” Think of the Architect and the Custom Home analogy: “Lots of windows,” is much less useful than “four 3×4′ arched windows in the den.”

You’ll notice that some entries are one word, others are lengthy phrases. Be spontaneous. Write whatever comes to mind without judging or second-guessing yourself, even if some entries seem stupid, odd, or inconsistent. Attempt to turn off your self-critic.

This is not a 15-minute project. It’s a refrigerator exercise, one you tape onto the refrigerator and revisit from time to time, over the course of several days or weeks. This process is important because it helps you focus. It gives you direction and clarity. This chart answers the common question, “What do you want to do?”

You can summarize this chart in one or two sentences to get your so-called elevator speech: “I plan to be an executive coach to senior leaders in a doing-good Fortune 150 entertainment company based on the west coast.”

Your blueprint is also important while interviewing, because job opportunities tend to look very different, like apples, oranges, and bananas. That’s what sometimes makes choosing the best of several offers so hard. Accepting one offer and rejecting the rest can be one of the most painful experiences of a career. Because what if you choose wrong?

Use this chart to compare and contrast every potential opportunity and job offer, both inside and outside your present employer. You’ll be surprised how helpful it is. If you use this grid carefully, difficult choices will be easier, and your next job offer could easily be a 95%-98% good fit. After you compete and analyze this grid, and talk it over with your family, friends, and business advisers, go to last exercise in this three-part series.

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