This post was originally published on nickhatter.com
I hesitated writing this post, but then I remembered a phrase I read: “give away your best material for free”.
Not just from a marketing and SEO point of view, but from an altruistic point of view. I will not be alive forever; my coaching skills I cannot take with me to the afterlife (as far as I know), so I may as well divulge some of my secrets!
So here are 7 steps to finding your dream career:
1. WRITE DOWN YOUR MISSION
Ask yourself:
- What’s one thing you really want to change in the world?
- What does the world really need more or less of?
- What’s something you care so much that you would even volunteer to do for free?
- What philanthropic work would you do if you had all the money in the world?
When man has a “why” he can bear almost any “how”
– Friedrich Nietzsche
2. WRITE DOWN WHAT YOU LOVE
Think about:
- Do you love helping others? Solving problems? Being creative? Etc.
- What makes you lose track of time because you love it so much?
- What do you love doing so much that you would do for free?
- What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?
3. WRITE DOWN WHAT YOU’RE GOOD AT
Consider:
- Technical as well as ‘soft’ skills (such as communication, writing, etc.)
- What comes to you easily and naturally?
- What you could do half asleep or blindfolded?
- What abilities or qualities have others have complimented you on?
4. WRITE DOWN WHAT SKILLS YOU COULD BE PAID FOR
This step I find can be diffuclt for some of my clients. Think about:
- Which skills would people pay you for?
- If you’re not sure if people would pay you for such a skill – how do you know for sure they won’t?
5. FIND THE COMMON THEMES
Reflect on:
- What is the common theme of the three previous lists?
- Does something keep coming up?
Write down the common themes.
6. WRITE DOWN YOUR CORE PRIORITIES IN ORDER
This may include things such as:
- Freedom
- Work-life balance
- Joy
- Authenticity
- Meaning
- Connection
7. TRANSLATE THE PREVIOUS LISTS INTO POSSIBLE CAREER CHOICES
For example, perhaps the common theme is compassion, helping others, problem-solving, listening – great! Perhaps you should be a psychotherapist or doctor.
However, if your highest core value is freedom, you may find that being in a regulated profession such as psychotherapy or medicine might be too restrictive for you, in which case, becoming a life coach yourself might be a better option for you.
Use your core priorities to filter out certain career choices. Of course, this stage can be tricky as you may fall victim to negative beliefs and this exercise is easier done with a second set of eyes. This is where a life coach can help.
MEMENTO MORI
Remember that you too will die someday. So don’t waste your precious time. Find your higher purpose or your mission, and be of service.
Often I have found that chasing money alone eventually leads my clients to a feeling of emptiness and disillusionment.
There is no time like the present to start finding your dream career. You don’t want to be one of those people who wakes up at an older age and realises that they have wasted their life.
One exercise I use to spur my clients into action is I ask them how old they are, and then I divide their age by the life expectancy for their gender and multiply by 100 to determine how far they are already through their life expectancy. This is often a wake up call for most!