Clients who are motivated to work with a Career Coach most often have a desire to enhance and accelerate their career or business success. And for many of these folks, “success” conjures up the vision of a higher salary, big house, nice car and private school for the kids. There is also a “I’ll be happy when…” sort of mentality.
However, in order to be truly happy and fulfilled in your career over the long term, you
have to carefully examine your core values and then use that analysis to clarify what success really means to you. Maybe success means the flexibility to attend your kid’s soccer game a couple of afternoons a week while still making a decent living. Or maybe it means a part-time schedule so you can help care for a loved one. Or maybe you have a passion for a particular charitable effort and would like nothing better than to be part of their organization. Work travel? Maybe that excites you or maybe you hate it.
The first and most important step in a happy and fulfilling career is clarity about what it is that you really want, not only in your career, but in your life, and then aligning with that. Don’t get me wrong, there isn’t anything wrong with pursuing financial success. As a matter of fact, I highly encourage it. Financial success gives you more flexibility in all areas of your life, enhancing your enjoyment and satisfaction. But if that financial success comes at the expense of family and other relationships, it won’t make you happy, no matter how much money is in your bank account. And ironically, when you align with your values and find joy in your work the money often follows if more money is among your goals.
Most of us spend a very large percentage of our lives working. What is the point of spending so much of our lives in an unhappy, unfulfilling or unhealthy environment? We all know that long hours and high stress can lead to mental health issues. I’ll talk about balance and personal boundaries in another post, but for now I’ll emphasize careful evaluation of your values and what that means for your career. Hours and effort take on a whole different meaning when you are doing what you love, with people you like and respect.
You might find it helpful to spend a few minutes this evening thinking about your current work situation. What do you truly like about it? And what do you wish you could change? Do this exercise without analyzing what you think, or the practicality of making a change. This is just a first step in developing clarity about your career goals.
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