It’s common for people to spend at least 1/3 of their time working. If you don’t love your work… That’s a lot of time doing something you don’t enjoy.

In 2018, Forbes referenced a statistic from The Conference Board siting 53% of Americans are unhappy in their career. That’s over half of the people in our country spending 1/3 of their time feeling unhappy!

With all the responsibilities we have in our lives, it can be confusing and exhausting to even consider making a job change.  Often, people simply get stuck and don’t know where to begin. And it seems to be more daunting the longer we’re in the same job.

Listen, it is absolutely possible to create a career you love.

Here are 4 steps you can take today to move towards a more fulfilling career:

1. take the time to Know Yourself

   
   As inscribed at the Temple of Delphi in ancient Greece, one should first “know thyself.” 
   
   On the surface, this seems like an easy task. After all, you spend 100% of your time with yourself!  But, often, we find ourselves going through the motions of life without pausing long enough to evaluate the alignment of what we do every day with who we are. It’s not uncommon for people to struggle to identify their own strengths, weaknesses and passions.  And often, when we identify a weakness, we become paralyzed by it.

   
   Spend the time required to dig deep and identify the things that make you, you. When you find a weakness, do your best to acknowledge it, then move on. You’ll find much greater success by building on your strengths than by trying to improve a weakness.
   

   Once you know yourself, start the practice of believing in yourself. Self-confidence one of the most important ingredients to your success.  Don’t confuse confidence with arrogance, simply believe in the positive things you know to be true and move forward with your chin up!

“Today you are you, it’s truer than true. There’s no one alive that’s Youer than You.”
- Dr. Seuss

2. Nurture Your Network

If you’re looking to change jobs or careers or even if you want to change something about your current job, it’s important to utilize your network. This means, identify the people you need to know to achieve your goal and begin to develop genuine relationships with them. Most people find great delight in helping others or making connections with like-minded people. 

It’s often those serendipitous moments of talking to someone about what you’re trying to accomplish that things begin to fall into place. As you open your mind to new possibilities, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to meet new people, so don’t let those moments pass. Be brave and strike up a conversation or make the phone call to the person who has the information or connection you need to take your next step.

3. Get Curious

Opening your mind to new possibilities in the world around you is key to finding a career you love.  If you spend 1/3 of your life working and 1/3 sleeping, you have 1/3 remaining to manage your life, family and friends.  Without being intentional, it’s easy to continue in the rhythm of every-day life without pausing to learn other interesting things.  If you live by your calendar, you may want to schedule time to explore.  Or, if you like to write down ideas as they come to you, consider carrying a small moleskin or using your device to take notes of new ideas. 

As you open your mind and eyes, new possibilities will come into view.

4. Dream Big 

Dreaming is free and doesn’t lock you in to anything.

It’s simply the process of asking yourself, “What if?” Spend time with your ideas and try to envision yourself taking the steps required to reach your dreams. Picture yourself after you’ve accomplished the goal and take note of how you feel every step along the way. 

If you feel your heart rate increase, or you find yourself energized in some way, explore further. 

Some get caught up feeling like big dreams are impossible to achieve. Remember, everything was impossible before somebody did it for the first time. There will probably be at least one person who’s doing the very thing you’re exploring. 

Empower yourself to keep moving without listening to the negative voices saying, “you can’t do it because they already did it.”  There’s plenty of room in this world for everyone to do what they love!

Want Additional Direction or Feedback?

It’s our passion to awake women to their potential and coach them to create careers they love. If you feel stuck, consider joining a Chapter You Coaching Small Group to delve much deeper into all of the suggestions above. 

Our CY Network is designed for women in all stages of their career who believe they aren’t quite living in their best chapter. The energy is often electric and the ideas start flowing when people discuss ideas and support each other.

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