
Work isn’t the most important thing in life, but still, it is important. A fulfilling career is a part of a meaningful and happy life. Making regular career reviews would help you feel more relaxed and confident about the way you earn a living.
This post is part of the series about making an annual review of the most important areas in your life. Before you read it, have a look at the introductory post I published here.
I’ve already written a few posts about career planning and creating a side hustle, so you probably already know my approach to this topic. If you don’t, then, in short:
- I believe that it’s essential to have a few streams of income;
- There’s more to life than working your socks off just to have two weeks of summer vacations every year (or not even that).
I’ve always wanted to travel much and to be as independent as I can be. At the same time, I’ve had this goal to have a comfortable amount of money, so freelancing or becoming a digital nomad without steady income wasn’t for me, either.
This constant search for the perfect balance might look like indecisiveness, but in fact, it brought a lot of new possibilities to my life. And, most of all, it helped me to discover my own perfect career mix: earning money thanks to my writing skills (yes! … and some would say they’re unmarketable), combined with knowledge about capital markets (which, of course, helped).
I’m not a career coach, and I don’t think my way of life would be perfect for everybody. Nevertheless, I have a relatively comfortable life thanks to the career I’ve established so far—and this isn’t my final word.
What I want to emphasize is one basic rule: find your own thing. Find a career that suits you, and it’s not based on other people’s dreams and opinions.
How to make that happen?
The points below should help!
Let go of all the stereotypes.
First of all, let go of all the stereotypes about the “perfect” career. Let go of other people’s opinions, ideas, advice, all the should-dos, must-dos, and cannot-dos.
People give career advice all the time, even if you don’t ask for it. And their tips are often based on one socially accepted scenario. You would hear things like: “you can afford risky career moves only when you’re young,” “you should change jobs every 3 years”, “you should have a gap year before 30”, “remote work is less productive than working from the office,” etc.
As life showed us—especially this year—everything is possible. The world is changing fast, there aren’t stable jobs anymore, and you can work from anywhere in the world if you have enough motivation to pursue your dream.
So, ask yourself: if it weren’t for other people and their experiences, advice and opinions, what would your perfect job be?
My blog is about combining career and traveling, so I’m sure that many of you want to find a job that enables you to travel often. But there are many ways to do that! I described some of the possibilities in this article about combining a fulfilling career with frequent traveling.
Stay true to your values and needs, even if you don’t feel fully understood by others. This way, you’ll gain not only happiness but also respect.
Assess if you’re ready for a change.
Now that you know that an open mind is critical, and you have an idea (even a vague idea) about your career goals, go back to the place you’re at right now.
Take a closer look at your current job. List its pros and cons. Which list is longer? If this job has drawbacks, can they be fixed? Maybe you like your job, but you’d love to do it remotely? Or, there’s a colleague that irritates you, and you’d like to switch to another team?
Whatever you don’t like in your current job, try to fix it before you think of a drastic change. I know what I’m saying—I transformed my office job into a remote job, and all I needed to do is ask. What’s my point here? If you don’t ask, you’ll never know how far you could go in your current workplace.
I’m not telling you to play it safe, but to be brutally honest with yourself. Maybe it’s not your job that makes you unhappy. Perhaps you want a change in your life, and finding a new job just seems to be the easiest way to make it happen.
But still, if you come across flaws that cannot be repaired, then move on. Life’s too short. But before you quit your job, make sure you know what your next step is. Have a plan B.
Review your skills.
Whether you plan to change your job or not, reviewing your skills is another important step toward finding a career that truly suits you and lets you shine.
Here’s my example.
I love writing, and I can write well (although I’m much better in my native language, Polish—you can read about my experiences in this post). That’s why I chose a career that involves a lot of writing. I also have good analytical skills, so I became an investment analyst, and I’ve been writing reports and comments for over a decade. Moreover, I wrote a book on investing that hasn’t fallen from a bestseller list in my country for 5 years.
This blog is based on my experiences, as well. I’ve made multiple travels each year for some 15 years. I believe that many people can follow my path and happily combine career and traveling.
I’m also aware of my flaws and shortcomings (for example, I’m not good at social media, and I struggle with a lack of patience or persistence). I’ve learned how to fight or accept my weaknesses, but there’s been a time when it was tough for me to admit to them. After a few poor career decisions, I realized that I need to start being honest about what I’m good and bad at.
Letting go of some beliefs about myself was painful at first, but it was liberating in the end.
It’s simple, just think of this example: if you can’t sing, you just won’t be an excellent professional singer. It would be hard for you to earn money this way, you’ll start doubting yourself, you’ll get frustrated—end of the story.
More than anything else about your career, you need to know what your strengths and weaknesses are. You need this knowledge not only to answer those boring, repetitive questions on job interviews but mostly to understand how to make conscious career choices.
When you let go of unrealistic dreams, you make room for other goals that will emphasize what’s best in you.
BTW, if you have trouble with pointing out your strengths and weaknesses, then do one more thing:
Talk to your family and friends.
Yes, reviewing your career can be pleasant!
Talking to your family and friends may be one of the best ways to find a new career path or improve your current job/business. People who are close to you are often great at assessing your strengths and weaknesses.
Why is that? Because we tend to have skewed perceptions about ourselves. Sometimes we’re overly confident or reckless in our decision-making. Sometimes we have self-limiting beliefs that hold us back.
Our family and friends are free from our beliefs about ourselves; they see us from an ousider’s perspective. They also care about us, so they will probably be happy to help this way.
Ask them about your strengths and weaknesses. Or even ask them to name a job they think you would be perfect at. Don’t suggest anything; just let them speak. Stay open to outside-the-box ideas.
Of course, you don’t need to take their advice literally and do precisely what they suggest. But the answers can give you some ideas about what you’re good at.
If your friends tell you that you often motivate them and give them a confidence boost every time you meet, then maybe try your luck as a coach. When they tell you they admire your organizing skills, then consider a career as a VA, wedding planner, or whatever job that will make you shine at organizing.
When your job is in line with your skills, you get a chance to work not harder but smarter.
Focus.
And this brings us to the next thing—the necessity to focus.
It’s common knowledge that multitasking doesn’t work, and the same goes for goal setting. Too many priorities mean no priorities.
It’s understandable that you can have many career goals—but if you work on them simultaneously, you may get overwhelmed by the organizational chaos and the amount of work. As a result, you may get discouraged and stop trying altogether. Then, much time will probably have to pass before you make an effort to try again.
If you make this mistake once or twice, there won’t be much harm. But if you continue to make it again and again, your career may become a constant struggle.
Think about it: if you prioritize one specific goal, you’ll be more likely to stay on the right track. You’ll create a precise list of tasks to do, you’ll reach the destination faster than you thought, you’ll see the results, and you’ll be ready to take the next step.
If you focus, you actually do more by doing … less.
For multi-passionate people (like me), this is a hard pill to swallow. Lack of focus has been my nemesis for a long time, and I admit: the battle isn’t won yet 😉
So, remember: you can do anything, but not everything.
What’s the next thing you’d like to focus on?
If you don’t know it yet, the process described in this article will surely help!
Take action.
I don’t have many regrets, but if they happen, then they’re about not starting some projects earlier or making important decisions sooner. Sometimes, it took me an awfully long time to make my ideas a reality.
Procrastination seems harmless, but it’s a dream killer. It makes us postpone action, usually until it’s too late.
I’ve already written a detailed post about the causes of procrastination and ways of fighting with it, so if you tend to put things off all the time, you may want to check it out!
That’s it for today! I hope these points will help you review your career and prepare for your next steps.
In the next post, I’ll show you how to make a review of your personal finances.
After that, we’ll review other life areas: Physical and Mental Health, Relationships, Productivity, and Self-Improvement. Stay tuned!
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