A few years ago I was working with a client who was super smart. I admired how much she was able to accomplish during her 20 year career in design. As we worked together, I got to know her quite well. I felt like she was dreaming too small. I asked her what she really wanted from her career. I expected some grand answer. You know what I got?
“I don’t know.”
This stumped me. I thought she was going to say something grand like write a book and travel the world speaking to groups of people. As I looked at my phone I realized how we all struggle. We all need support to help us see positive sides of ourselves that others want us to see.
How can you enjoy your career if you don’t know what you want out of it?
It takes deep work to make time to calibrate your career. The hard part is making time to slow down and check in to see if we are on the right track. We should be doing this on a regular basis. It’s easier to make small adjustments than big ones. That’s why I love routines. I think everyone who wants to enjoy their work must make time to process their thoughts and emotions, so they can make the connections that help them make better choices for their health, wealth and happiness.
Not just in your career, but in your life too.
I suggest you start with an end of day routine. You can check out the Rate Your Day Routine that I teach my clients. It walks you step by step through the process.
I’m sharing this because we need to be the captain of our careers. If we aren’t the captain then someone else will take control of our plane and decide where we should go.
You have too much to offer the world to let other people dictate who you help and how you help them.
I want you to do a little experiment right now. I want you to ask yourself three questions.
- What do I really want out of my career?
- Who do I want to help?
- Why do I want to help them?
Write them down on a piece of paper or say them outloud, it helps you process these ideas.
Then I want you to look at your answers. Do they excite you?
How much do they excite you on a scale of 1-10? (1 - Not excited to 10 - Super excited)
If you aren’t at least at a 10 then you are dreaming too small. I would love to hear you say, “It’s an 11.”
When you are excited about your work you are more creative and willing to find solutions when you get stuck on a problem. Passion matters. It’s this resilience that will help you succeed and be more likely to reach your goals. We just have to make time to help us do the deep work to help us align our actions with our big dreams. The type of dreams that boost our energy.
I’m curious about how excited you are by your career. You can message me here or you can DM me on Twitter. I would love to see your number.
Photo by Greg Rakozy on Unsplash