When you consider your life right now and your employment what do you feel? Are you satisfied with the type of job you are doing and the amount of time you spend doing that job? Do you enjoy your work? Do you ever wonder if there is something that would better suit you and add to a happier life?
There are many reasons as to why we are where we are today in our lives. Previous choices and life circumstances are major contributors to how we got here. The question is, are we destined to live working a job to survive or is it possible to have employment where we thrive?
A job pays the bills. When you don’t enjoy the job you have, you are ‘just surviving’. The clock seems to tick slower during the hours you are working. Your stress levels often reflects your lack of enjoyment in how you are spending the bulk of your day. You expend lots of energy just trying to do a ‘good job’ so you won’t get fired. You live for the days off, and you dread ‘Monday morning’.
Employment in which you thrive pays the bills and you actually enjoy what you do. When you are thriving in your job you are satisfied after a full days work. You feel what you did matters and that you accomplished something meaningful. As a general rule, enjoying what you do leads to greater success and monetary gain without higher levels of unwanted stress. You even look forward to working! While you still enjoy your days off and vacation, your first thought about work is not “I can’t until I don’t have to work”.
So how do you go from a job where you are ‘just surviving’ to having employment where you are thriving?
First envision your perfect workday from waking up right through to going to bed. Describe that in as much detail as you can.
Next, you have to understand yourself in a few key areas including these:
- What do you enjoy doing?
- What don’t you enjoy doing?
- How much routine do you prefer? Do you enjoy repeating tasks with excellence or tasks that change regularly and are often accomplished through trial and error?
- Do you prefer to work alone on a task or work shoulder-to-shoulder with a teammate, or lead a large group?
- How much people interaction do you want in your workday?
- What do you want, besides money, from your time working?
Do your answers to those questions line up with what your vision of a perfect workday would be? If it does, are you are currently thriving? If not, what is the next step you need to take? If it doesn’t line up, you need to gain a clearer understanding of yourself and the employment where you will thrive. In either case a career coach can help you get into the type of employment where you will thrive.
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