Career: making your life work

First, Rate yourself (1-10) in the area of CAREER

1 you feel stuck in a rut at work or Craig’s List is your go to when it’s time to pay rent,

10 is you feel in that constantly challenged and always killin’ it at work, you are a sought after keynote speaker in your industry, and work/life integration is a no-brainer

Consider: (journal questions or talk over with a trusted friend)

What was your favorite responsibility (full-time, part-time, internship, seasonal, paid or unpaid)? This is something your felt ownership about, something people relied on you to complete or show up, something you enjoyed doing whether or not you were paid.
How did you envision your work or career when you were 5-6 years old? In other words, what did you think you wanted to be when you grew up?
Who are your idols, mentors, & other people who you think “have it all and do it so well”?
What kind(s) of contributions do you want to see in the world?
What does “success” mean to you?
What would you identify as your area of expertise? Do you want teach this? Curate content? Innovate/Invent? Lead? Manage and organize?
Which is more important to you: WHAT you do, the CONTENT or products that your work on/with, or WITH WHOM you do this?
Where is your ideal workplace?
How do you want to feel when you walk away from your workplace?
How do you want to be known and regarded by your colleagues?
Do you want to be in your current job or career in 6 months?
Do you want to be in your current company or field in 12 month?
What changes would you like to experience in your work/career life in the next 3 years?
What skills do you have that you would like to be paid for?
What skills do you envy?

Create some possibilities:

Join a professional group and attend the local and national meetings. Be actively involved and look for people you like and possible collaborations and/or teams/companies you would want to join forces with.
Learn more in your field. Read books, articles, journals/magazines. Attend conferences, retreats, and symposiums. Get a mentor.
Enter contests and competitions to see how you like achieving, competing and being recognized in your field.
If you know you want to quit your current job, set a date for that. And tell your close friends to keep you accountable. It will have your mind set yourself up the transition and have you move towards your next chapter faster and with some momentum
Volunteer for things you love, for people and organizations you whole-heartedly support.

Capture these thoughts:

Choose one photo that captures the feeling and/or your 15-10 year ideal career moment.
Choose one quote that captures who you want to be known for in your career

For reflection on ADVENTURE, please see this article