Creating a Career that Works for You
This is really the point I am trying to share here. The end goal of all this shapeshifting and career change exploration. We change, our lives change, our skills change, our self awareness changes and therefore our careers may also be asking to change. Sometimes the change is clear in our face. Sometimes the change needing to be made is not so clear but you may be sensing that something isn’t working for you anymore.
In my experience, each career change I made came from a deep knowing that I just wasn’t where I was meant to be. Sometimes the knowing was as clear as “I needed a better income to support myself” or “I need a job that allows me to work remotely” or even “I need a profession that is more physical and less at a desk”. I have changed careers for all these questions when I was confronted with them. But sometimes, it’s not always so clear about what needs to change.
If you find yourself in this situation, here is what I suggest. Sit quietly with yourself and a journal and take inventory of your life as it is currently. Assess it all- expenses, lifestyle, health, community, etc. And just ask yourself for a moment, “What would I rather be doing?” and “When was the last time I felt really lit up, really stoked?” Write down your answers. What you may find is that some things just don’t work for you anymore or- that you don’t have a clear vision of what you’re working towards in a way that fills you with joy and meaning. If you realize that some things don’t work for you anymore (ex: working 100% from home, or working 40 hours per week vs 30) you must take action and start thinking of a strategy that has you in the driver’s seat so that work can work for you, not the other way around.
It does not need to be a full life and career overhaul. You can start small with one simple action at a time. For example, last year I found working 100% from home too isolating and uninspiring. I knew a regular coworking space would be annoying for me. So I found a hip artist studio that let me rent a small corner to put my desk and work from. Working around artists is enlivening and uplifiting. It may not seem like massive change but over time, really evaluating what I need and then taking action is what has made my career meaningful and fullfilling.
So if you have that quiet calling that something is not right and needs to change, I hope you can tap into your brave self and I hope you will follow that deep sense of knowing what you need work to be for you.
