As I’ve had discussions with others and even seen in my own journey, there are those who feel called to an exact career or job, and those who approach it in more of a broad way. Some say, “I know I am to be a teacher,” or “I know I am to be a therapist.” For people who have it narrowed and honed-in, I say congratulations! That’s awesome. And I’m not at all being sarcastic! While that works for some, the secret I found is that finding your life work is more about finding out who you are, what you’re about, and bringing that to whatever job it is before you.
Here’s what I mean…unless you know who you are, value yourself, and honor the voice inside that is your guiding light (see last week's post), you will feel lost in any job or career path. You can’t dishonor yourself and be ok. You just can’t. Whether it’s in your career, in a relationship, or whatever it might be. Your insides will start screaming. But if you make the commitment to showing up as you are, valuing who you are, you can really step into many different roles.
Now, that’s not to say every role is right for you. If you’re not way gifted in any way with numbers, by all means please steer clear of accounting…for your sake and for ours! But if you’re able to name what you’re about and commit to being in a place that honors you and your work…you’re golden. Someone might say “I’m about living a healthy, balanced lifestyle and helping others do the same.” With that, you could step into many different roles. You could be a college sports coach, start your own wellness business, become a therapist, work at a fitness gym. There really isn’t one answer, but you can find a place that helps you live aligned to what you’re about.
No matter what you step into, there might come a time to re-analyze the “rightness” of your choice. This is not saying that what you chose before was wrong, just recognizing that life evolves, you evolve, and the people you work with evolve. You might even notice that it’s hard to live with integrity about who you are in the place you work. You may have gone into a job with full intention of being “you” in that workplace, but it just started to wear on you. If you start to feel pulled down and exhausted, it could be teaching you a shift is needed.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself:
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1) What am I about?
2) What gets me most excited?
3) Do I want my job and work to better match? (see my previous blog post about the difference between job and work) You don’t have to answer “yes” to this question. Your job doesn’t have to be your biggest passion.
4) Are there three words that define me as a person? Three words that define the type of work I want to do?
5) How can I show myself I am valued by the type of work I step into? How can I show myself I am valued by what I allow and don’t allow in a workplace?
I hope these questions give you something to ponder! I hope you can honor who you are and what you need in your life at this time with the work you choose.
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