These days it is so tough to attract a new job or a new client that the only way out seems to be to give up and cry. Well I am all for a good cry now and then – in fact I fully endorse 24-72 hours of abject wallowing in self pity (with brownies and/or ice cream) after any of life’s larger disappointments. But after that it is time to let the hankie dry.

So to paraphrase Richard Bolles, what color is your handkerchief? What would you do if you had no choice but to change direction in your professional life? June is a great month to ponder this and reassess your skills and passions. Why June? I don’t know, I just made that up, but it seems to be an optimistic sort of month – what with all the graduations and weddings.

We didn’t all grow up to be the fireman or princess that we imagined as a child (I wanted to be Penny from Sky King). That said, often our true selves can be gleaned from what our childhood joys and dreams were before they were thwarted by practicality and doubt. See if you can recover some of it by asking yourself these questions. The answers may hold the key to the next door to open in your life.

• What did you love as a child? (My son is actually making a living out of all the things that fascinated him as a child – electricity, lights, buttons and switches.)
• Who were your heros? (real or fictional)
• What did you dream of doing when you grew up?
• How did you occupy yourself when there weren’t others to play with?
• What was your favorite subject in school?
• Who was your favorite grownup and why?
• What filled you with dread?