Finding A Career You Love

5 tips to follow

In a world of rapidly changing technologies, job markets, and economic unpredictability, finding a career you love over the long term may seem a progressively challenging endeavor. According to one report published by Dell Technologies, 85% of jobs that will exist in 2030 has not been invented yet, while other research from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates there are common jobs now that may be virtually non-existent in 20 years’ time.

 

Generating a working life that continually engages and inspires you doesn’t have to be difficult and, when approached from an open and innovative perspective, can be an ongoing catalyst for growth, accomplishment, and personal creativity.
 
Whether you are looking for a change in trajectory or starting your journey in the world of business, here are 5 tips to ensure that you find, and keep choosing, a career that truly works for you:

Don’t follow or replicate another person’s model for success. Many who have done well in business will try to create a structure or formula for others to follow to gain a similar outcome, but it rarely works for another person to the same degree. Every person is unique, and your career will thrive not by fitting in, but by following your own points of difference. This doesn’t mean you should exclude anyone or anything: educate yourself, learn and gain inspiration from others.  Ask lots of questions and be open to receiving information, advice, and knowledge—many things and people will contribute to you if you are willing to ask and seek them out. But when it comes to the choices you make in regard to your career, don’t look to external people or sources to make decisions for you. Trust you first and foremost and choose for you—even if it’s not the most common or popular choice according to others.

We are taught to believe that whatever is most difficult for us to accomplish or attain in life usually has the greatest value. However, when it comes to identifying your own skills and talents, the opposite tends to be true: when it is easy for you, it is most likely where your greatest (and most valuable) capacities lie.
 
Take a closer look at your current interests and abilities: what comes so easily to you that you believe it isn’t valuable or you assume anyone can do it? Are you good with numbers or coordinating social events and parties? Do you excel at helping friends re-organize their cupboards and shelves? Do you have an affinity with plants or animals, or easily establish rapport with others in social situations? Don’t make the mistake of undervaluing any aspect of you. Instead, look to your interests and natural capacities as a guide for where you could go in your career.

If you desire your career to have longevity, you have to ultimately be doing it for the joy. While money (or lack of it) can create short-term motivation, it is not sustainable or fulfilling in the long term.
 
What is really fun for you, that brings you joy? Try to think in wider terms with this question. For example, you may love playing baseball, but what is it about the sport that you like? Is it being outdoors and taking on physical challenges? Is it playing with a team? Is it game-strategy or competitive events? Do the same when considering your career: rather than trying to create a picture in your mind of the perfect job, think about the broader elements: what kind of environment would you like to work in—an office, from home, a mixture of both? What kind of work culture? Would travel be included and if so, how much? What kind of people do you want to work with? How much money would be fun for you to make per year?

As you consider these questions in the pursuit of a satisfying career, make sure that you are not unconsciously limiting yourself from any options based on assumptions or beliefs about your current education or experience. There are many highly successful people who did not complete a college education or necessarily even know much about their chosen field before they began. Ask yourself, “If I truly had no limits on what I could create as a career, what would I choose?” and “What one step could I take today towards making that a reality in the future?” Then, take action.

When you worry about making the “right” career choices, wait for the perfect opportunities, or try to have it all figured out before getting started, you slow yourself down. Finding a career you love will happen faster if you just get out into the world, now. Meet people and make connections. Ask lots of questions. Go beyond your comfort zone. Don’t give up. With any setback, rather than getting discouraged, ask, “What else is possible?”
 
Failure, rejection, and deviations along your path are not wrong. In fact, if you get into the habit of asking yourself, “What’s right about this?” in the face of any seemingly negative outcome, you will begin to see how it could actually benefit you—failures are often catalysts for the greatest insights, innovations and growth.
 
The most important thing to remember as you embark on your own path in the business world is that you always have another choice. If something isn’t working for you, you can choose again. Be proactive, curious and endlessly open-minded in your perspective. Trust yourself. Put your attention on what is easy and fun for you and you will be well on your way to generating a career path that you not only love, but will lead you in surprising, and rewarding directions.