How to determine your most aligned career
How did you end up in the industry, business, or career you are in now? Did you just ‘fall into it’? Are you working in a family business where it was just an expectation this be your path? Well, for 18 years I worked in an industry I enjoyed (not loved) and it all came about by talking to my cousin in 2003 about what he did, whilst playing Tony Hawk on PlayStation. I was finishing Uni, had no idea what I really wanted to do, so asking my cousin what he did seemed like the best idea (Why? Because I looked up to him). I knew nothing about the industry other than I was able to meet new people, play with investments and make a lot of money (or so I thought).
If this sounds familiar, then maybe you are now in a position where it’s time to work out what your next move is. What your true calling is. Where you want to take your career. The first thing to note is this process takes time…..don’t be hard on yourself if it does not come to you straight away. Take time to self-reflect, analyse, and ask questions of yourself and those in the ‘new’ industry.
Here is an exercise I was introduced to recently. A unique way of starting the process of self-reflection. You will need 4 pieces of paper or 4 pages in a book. At the top of each page, I want you to write down the following questions (one on each page):
- What do I love (everything you love. From sunsets to economics. Leave nothing out)?
- What am I good at?
- What can I be paid for?
- What does the world need?
On each page, under each question, your write as many things as you can think of. Do not worry if lots come to mind, that is ok. As long as they are true and honest. Do not question your thinking or worry about how you can monetise it…..just write down everything. Once you have done this, we want to go back and look for ‘trends’, or words that overlap. When something comes up across all four, it symbolises strength in purpose and passion. Two examples to help highlight what I mean:
- You may love your kids, you’re a great parent, but cannot get paid to love your kids. However;
- I love woodwork. I am good at woodwork. I can get paid for making furniture. The world needs creative/artistic and custom wooden furniture.
Do you see the difference?
Once you have completed this, the additional reflection questions would be:
- What do I enjoy learning about? Where do I like to invest my spare time (podcasts, videos, reading)? Again, themes will come up.
- With each of my clients, we do a Values and Passions analysis. This would be the final step to compare with responses and trends.
So if you feel a career/business/industry change is needed, but your not sure where to begin. Start with this exercise and some self-reflection.
