Hello, my friend. I'm excited to be sharing with you a new series I have created for you all about careers. The first few episodes starting at the beginning. Okay, maybe not that far back for some of us.
However, I wanted to start at the beginning of getting you to think about your future career and ultimately where you see yourself heading. I will be covering a number of episodes getting you to think about mapping out your career. The second part to the career series is where the fun really begins. We will be exploring various topics central to you navigating your career.
There will be times when you may think you have royally screwed up any chance of promotion or advancement. However, don't worry. I will be your guide right there beside you holding your hand along the way. I got your back.
I really do believe true growth and advancement in anyone's life and career comes by embracing the difficulties that crop up by understanding the lesson that has presented itself in front of you. Do you ever feel like you're in a vicious cycle or a virtual loop that you just can't get out of? You think, why am I always attracting this type of person or this type of difficulty? I'll label it that way.
It's more of a difficulty. It's not the people because the people will change over the years. It's the situation that you find yourself in that you just cannot break free from. That is a true signal and sign giving you another opportunity to learn that lesson that you need to learn or improve or develop.
Ultimately, we are then going to wrap up the series by looking at your next steps to get you closer to that vision you have for your life and career. And that's it. Easy? Well, I'll let you be the judge over the next several weeks.
So if you are ready, let's begin the journey to your career success. Hello and welcome to your new career. In today's episode, we are going to talk about who are you? Who are you?
Okay, who are you? And yeah, it was a little bit inspired by the who. I must admit, I do like the song, but I'm not going to sing it for you at this time anyway. And so today's episode is whether you are regenerating your career or just at the early stages.
Finding or changing careers begins with finding out who you are and what is important to you. Now, you might already say, but I know who I am and good. Excellent. That's a great place to start from.
In last week's episode, I covered the importance of putting your vision board together. Did you enjoy the exercise? Did you find anything interesting or inspiring or something new or something that completely came to you in a vision? All in all, together we put a stake in the ground of where you want to go.
So you've got that vision. Now the fun begins. And ultimately the consistent daily actions working towards achieving, becoming and living that vision. In today's episode, we explore what is important to you by asking a series of questions in order to work towards designing your new career, vision and life.
Who are you? What is important to you? There are no right or wrong answers. The only thing that matters is that you feel this is your best and most honest portrayal of who you are.
And don't worry, no one else will see it but you. Take some time to write down who you are as a person. What is important to you and what you value. Answering the question, who are you?
Can be difficult, especially if you've been living your life in the shadows of somebody else. You may have taken for granted that they will take care of everything for you. Defining who you are is important for growth in your career and also your personal life. One of the first things to understand is who you are.
We tend to live in a world of labels and assumptions, but they are often very misleading. If you have worked at a job for many years, you may be accustomed to somebody telling you what to do. Well, today I'm encouraging you to step outside of your comfort zone. Just remember, your life will be the same until you step outside of your comfort zone.
This episode will help you step outside of that comfort zone and get you starting to think about asking questions, which lead your way to a new career path and a more enjoyable life. I came across a Forbes magazine article recently whereby they stated, most people hate their jobs. Well, that probably comes as no surprise, right? The biggest reason for this crisis, we don't have careers that we love.
We have jobs where we grind, slog, and slog some more. And often, all it takes to turn a bad job into a great job is a proper perspective, which also includes knowing the right questions to ask, not only of yourself, but of the colleagues and managers around you as well. Questions to help design your career. So exercise number one, I am going to encourage you to start writing down five things about yourself every morning when you wake up.
Five things, that's it. If you can't manage five things, try three things. Can't manage three things. Try one to begin with.
You definitely can come up with one thing about yourself every single morning. It can be anything, literally just whatever pops into your head. Like, for example, you wake up first thing in the morning and the thing about yourself is maybe you feel tired. So you're right, tired down.
Maybe you feel enthused or energized or looking forward to something for that morning or that day. Write that down too. But just write down five things about yourself, ultimately five things about yourself every morning when you wake up. You will then begin to discover themes that resonate through you.
You know, where is your head at, quite frankly? Just to be very honest with you. Where is your head at? Is it on a positive streak or is it on a negative spiral?
And if so, that might be something that you really want to pay attention to and take a look at. It may sound simple, this exercise, but many people forget to ask themselves this question on a regular basis, which can lead to feeling lost in their careers. The better you know yourself, the easier it will be for you to find a job that fits your personality and lifestyle. And also, it is a really big bonus if you know yourself and what you're about, that when you are at interview, you can answer that with grace and ease without struggling or fumbling over your words of how to describe you to your potential new employer.
So it is a really worthwhile exercise that I would encourage you to start doing as of first thing tomorrow morning. Many of us spend years in school and at work to get a career. But then we wake up years later or a few years later, whatever that length of time is, you do wake up and realize that your job is not what it expected. What you expected it would be.
We have no idea how to get the type of job we want or what to do with our current job. Knowing yourself is the most important step in designing a career you love. If you don't know who you are, how can you expect others to know? Especially like I had mentioned earlier about being at an interview panel and sharing who you are with your potential new employer, they are not mind readers.
They need your help to inform them of who you are as a person. It's important to understand your strengths and weaknesses as well as your interests and passions. Now, I've got eight questions that will help you discover who you really are. First off, how many people do I enjoy being around each day at work?
What do I like to do? Routine daily tasks or something different each day? What am I good at? What kinds of things do I like learning about?
Do you like coming up with the answers or to have someone tell you what to do? What kinds of things are you passionate about? What is your dream job? How much money do you need to make to live comfortably?
When deciding what you want to do for a living, it's a good idea to figure out what you're good at. Your passion will naturally be tied to your skill set. Who wants to spend their life doing something they're not any good at, right? To get a clearer picture of your strengths.
Here's a few more questions to answer. What have I always been curious about? What am I best at in my personal life? What quality am I most proud of in myself?
If I had a magic wand and could make one thing happen, what would that be? How do I want to make an impact on the world? More specifically, what kind of work would bring you satisfaction and fulfillment, not just monetary rewards? With so many avenues open to us, it can be hard to decide which path we should take.
But don't worry, I've created a list of questions for you to answer that will help you find your ideal career and change the way you approach your search. How can you use your skills and passion positively in the world? We spend a large majority of our time at work. Does it not make sense to enjoy what you are doing every day in that process?
Most people I've worked with who enjoy their jobs have ended up very successful at them. If you want to be successful, it's important to figure out what you're good at, and then use that to your advantage. Imagine how much more successful you'd be if you were doing work that aligned with your strengths. When we ignore our strengths and focus on fixing our weaknesses, we become less effective and less satisfied.
According to a 2017 Gallup poll, only 13% of workers in the United States are engaged at their jobs. 13% of workers. That's astounding. However, not everyone has the luxury of picking a career out of thin air that they actually enjoy.
Some people are thrust into careers because of family tradition or an unexpected need for income. Others have been following the same career path for years, and they feel stuck in a rut and don't even know how to get out. Here's a few more questions that can help make good decisions in your career. Where do you want to work?
What is your ideal workspace environment? How do I want to spend my working hours? What kinds of people do I want to associate with every day? What kinds of problems will I be solving?
What am I truly passionate about? You can probably attest to the fact that most of us will spend a large chunk of our time working for somebody else. If you're lucky, you'll work with people you like. If not, try to focus on the skills they can impart and make the best of it.
Either way, no one wants to spend 40 hours plus a week doing something they don't enjoy. I'm sure most of us would agree that we want to end up somewhere we are happy. No one ever said this was going to be easy or quick, but for many, the search for a fulfilling career can be just as difficult to navigate as a career that offers only financial reward. Most people want both, but without the right strategies and the right help, it's hard to find something that fits your interests, your passions, and your strengths.
There's no one-size-fits-all answer to fitting your passions with your job, but having a plan and being willing to experiment can help you achieve your career vision. You can only live the life of your dreams by taking charge of your destiny. So get out of pen and paper or whatever you use to capture your thoughts and ideas and make it happen. If your career isn't where you want it to be or if you feel as though you've plateaued, go back to these questions and see what kind of answers you come up with.
Remember, you need to create change. No one else is going to do that for you. The sooner you start, the easier it is to change course. All right, my friend.
Until next week, bye for now.