I have heard this many times and lived through it myself. When what you have done no longer energizes you or even sucks the life out of you, it is time to contemplate a change. However, you might not want to quit your “day job” just yet. Things to think about:
- What are three peak experiences in your life? What do they have in common? What do they tell you about yourself? How can they be recreated in your work life?
- What are your strengths/values? What sorts of jobs honors those values?
- What is your life purpose? Do you believe you have a life purpose? Is your job related to that life purpose? What job would be related to it?
- What have you done that has left you feeling deeply satisfied or proud? How can you get more of it through work?
- What fascinated you as a child? And can it be a metaphor to guide you now at this point in your life?
- If you knew you could not make a mistake, what career or job would you choose?
- When do you feel the most alive?
Books suggestions to help you discover the path to the next stage of your life
My favorites are the 3rd and 4th listed below.
- Do you know your MBTI type and does it lead you to any conclusions? See Do What You Are by Paul Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger, Little Brown and Company, 2001. Read about your type and then look at the list of jobs to see what excites you.
- In Transition (From the Harvard Business School Club of New York’s Career Management Seminar) by Mary Lindley Burton & Richard A. Wedemeyer, Harper Collins, 1992.
- Now What? (90 Days to a New Life Direction) by Laura Berman Fortgang, Penguin Books, 2005. This book is rich with helpful tools, but for this part of your journey, see page 59 for an exercise that helps you outline your life in bullet points. What themes will you see when you do this concrete exercise? What have you put on hold? What drove your actions?
- What Should I do with My Life by Po Bronson, Ballantine Books, 2005. Po writes of real people of different ages and stages of life who have who have found the answer to the question of what to do with their life.
- Working Identity (Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing Your Career) by Herminia Ibarra, Harvard Business School Press, 2004.
PLEASE COMMENT
Once again, I would appreciate any experiences, comments or questions that will help other readers. I would particularly enjoy some humorous experiences and success stories. Once a month, I will choose one commenter to contact for a free coaching session.
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QUOTE FOR THE WEEK
“You got to be careful if you don’t know where you’re going, because you might not get there. ” Yogi Berra
