If you are just discovering what you really want to do for work, you are not alone. According to this article on hreonline.com, most people learn what they want they want to do “when they grow up” when they are grown up.
In a survey conducted by British independent education foundation Edge, less than one-third (31 percent) of respondents said they found what they are good at in the classroom. Instead, they discovered their career talent through their first job (26 percent), later in their careers (25 percent), through work experience (18 percent) or through a hobby (15 percent).
That is great news for all the people I know who wonder why they are unhappy in their current work or why they want to change careers or fields. It’s normal! That is what happens for we human beings. We do something, gain experience and gather information. Then we process that information in light of our feelings:
- Am I happy doing this?
- Does this work make me smile?
- Is this work fun? Do I like it?
- Am I engaged in and challenged by my work?
- Do I enjoy doing this day after day?
- Is it satisfying my need to feel productive, useful, effective and creative?
- When I do this work, do I feel like myself?
- Is it easy to jump out of bed? Do I look forward to going to work?
- Do I feel good about myself in this work?
- Am I growing in and through this job or career?
If the answer to some or all of these questions is “no,” this is good news! It means you are ready to identify what you DO want to do for work. And there IS something you love to do. Just as there are clothes that fit us better, so too are there jobs that fit us better.
Freud said that love and work are the two main tasks of a human being. Others say “love and service” – service being how we help others. And most often that can be done via a job.
There are many tools available for you to uncover what you love to do and can do for work, including my e-book guide to finding your “right fit work.”
