If you’re finding yourself questioning if you are in the right job or career, or perhaps you might just be starting out, then isn’t it time you figured it out? What is holding you back from making a decision – is it fear of disappointing someone (i.e. a parent or other family member, or yourself), fear of failing or not ‘making it,’ or an inability to fail? These are the three main reasons people don’t make a choice, although recognizing there are other circumstances.
Being afraid won’t get you anywhere but where you are now, and the would, coulda, shoulda’s will eat you alive. Disappointing someone may not ever happen – you’re not a mind-reader; usually, the person won’t be as disappointed as if you never taking a stand. Failing is not the first choice we’d have but it happens; learning and living through is what gets us the end. I always am reminded of J. K Rowlings, of Harry Potter fame, who was rejected 12 times, while grieving the death of her mother, a failed marriage, and having to raise her daughter on her own.
She’s says of failure: “Failure meant a stripping way of the inessential….and I began to direct all my energies into finishing the only work that mattered to me.” Just like Ms. Rowlings, you can also push through and find the ‘sweet spot’ of your career and do the work that matters to you; this is the place that is an intersection between:
- What I like to do
- What I am good at
- Who will pay me (Wall, 2016)
It is when interests and abilities combine with job opportunities that are a match. Answering the three questions in depth, meaning you don’t leave any interest, skills, or abilities out as you never know themes that may emerge that you may ignore or attribute to ‘just coming naturally.’ The answers are the key to job satisfaction which then leads to higher involvement and performance. If you are unsure of your career direction, the answers to the three questions above can be the way to find out; if you are in a job or career you enjoy, they will lend validation to your current choice. Taken control of your career now before it controls you by finding your career success.
If you’d like help with managing your career, contact us today to get started: http://www.cyscoaching.com
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