I’ve got a question for you: what got you to where you are today?

Not just sitting at home (or a coffee shop) reading this newsletter. But to the company you’re working at, the role you’re in, or even the city where you live.

For many, these things are more accidental than intentional. But, it doesn’t have to be this way — the future is yours to create (trust me, I’ve done it).

This was the focus of my talk last week at the Product Marketing Summit. I heard from many of you who missed the event that you wanted to get your hands on my session.

In today’s edition, I’m going to break down the first concept of my talk: how to design your perfect career path.

And to do that, we’re going to need to dream big.

Dream a Little BIG Dream

Too often, when we think about the future, we jump into checklist mode — things like “I want to be VP of Product Marketing” or “I want to manage a team”.

And, while there’s nothing wrong with having goals, I don’t think we pause often enough to consider why we want those things (or, even the impact of having them).

That’s where your dream work day comes in. When you think about the future, picture a perfect day:

• Who are you working with? Are you working with a large team, or alone? Do you want to be collaborating with more technical product teams or more creative marketing teams?

• What are you working on? Messaging and positioning? Pricing strategy? Something else entirely?

• When are you working? Is it early in the morning? A regular 9-5 workday? In chunks throughout the day?

• Where are you working? Remotely from your home? At the company office? On a beach in Mexico?

• Why are you working? Is there a purpose or mission you believe in? Is there a larger goal you’re focused on achieving?

As you progress through these questions, I think you’ll find that a much clearer — and more detailed — picture emerges.

The Life Wheel

Now, it’s important to note that work is not the entire focus of your life. If you’re an A-type overachiever like me, you probably need this reminder more than most.

In reality, your career is just a small slice of the whole. Your family, community, health and hobbies are equally important and each require optimization of their own.

I want you to take a step back and ask yourself if the dream work day you pictured above fits into your wheel of life. Are you over- or under-investing in any of these areas?

What needs to change to make room for what you really want?

A few years ago, I found myself in a tricky spot. I had given all of myself to my career, and I was completely burnt out. Which meant I didn’t have time for anything else. My health, relationships and personal goals all suffered.

Then one day I said enough was enough.

I spent the next few months in deep reflection, working with an executive coach to re-define my values and re-calibrate my life. This was the push I needed to take the first (very scary step) to build my own business, PMM Camp.

Today, my career doesn’t take up the majority of my life wheel — it seamlessly fits into it.

I’ve designed a life that allows me to travel (for conferences, for PMM dinners, and for fun). I schedule my day so I can go to spin class weekdays at 4:20pm. And, I have the flexibility to take Greek lessons twice a week (my partner Kosta is Greek and also writes a newsletter on healthy living, so he supports both of these activities 😂).

All this to say, if you can’t clearly communicate what you want for your career AND the other components of your life, you’ll never be able to live in true alignment.

The Next Best Step

Here’s the final task: once you’ve identified what that ideal future state is, you need to determine your next best step.

What do you need to do to get one step closer to your dream life?

In March, I wrote about a framework to help you work through this process. It’s called the Future Backwards model, and it’s a framework designed to help you understand your past, present, and future in order to make informed decisions and shape desired outcomes.

I hope you’ll find some comfort in this final thought — you don’t need to have your entire career planned out. Even the best-laid plans often go awry (I once thought I wanted to be a CEO). But, there is power in taking ownership over your actions.

Start by intentionally taking that next best step, and I think you’ll find the rest will fall into place.

CAMPER ESSENTIALS

📺 Playlist: We binged the newest season of Emily in Paris this weekend, and I’m not even a little embarrassed. Turns out, there’s lots of marketing lessons we can learn (IYKYK).

🗓️ Events: I’m headed to Boston this week to speak at Inbound with my gal pal Rebecca Shaddix — we’re speaking about Good, Better, Best GTM Strategy. Come say hi 👋🏻

Any recommendations for my time in Boston? What do I need to eat, drink and see?