One of the most common bits of advice I’m asked these days are on people finding the right career. The way the present economic climate has gone, most of us can expect to be in at least 5 different careers in our life time. People sometimes tell me that I’m ‘so lucky’ to have found my dream job. Well although I do love my job, there are times when I am unsure if it is exactly what I want to do.
Sometimes I would love a completely different job with more or less excitement, more or less pressure, more or less money. We all go into that state sometimes simply because nowadays we have so many choices. In the past there was no problem in people picking dinner because of limited choice. Now some Thai Restaurants can give people headaches with their menus.
So with the introduction of so much choice, comes the problem of making the ‘right decision’. What people don’t realise however is that there is not just ‘one choice’, there are a number of ‘right choices’. If you think there is ‘one job, one house, one partner, one car’ for you then you are drastically limiting yourself. The most effective thing to do is to look for a job that you will really enjoy and do it. Your mission and dream job will soon reveal itself to you then. So, in this special Christmas bumper edition of the NLP Newsletter, here are some tips to finding a career direction in your life.
If you have done any of these before then DO THEM AGAIN NOW. These tips must be done IN FULL and take no more than 60 minutes to do all of them. Remember what you don’t do won’t help you. PLEASE DON’T JUST READ THEM… DO THEM. Stop now and DO THEM or stop reading and come back later and DO THEM. If you aren’t sure, it does not matter. Just take a stab at them NOW.
1) Write down all the jobs you have had, what skills you’ve gained from them and what part of them you most enjoyed.
What were your best ever experiences in life? Pick six.
What is the common theme behind everything you’ve enjoyed and your best experiences in life?
2) Write down what your ideal salary would be… one that you could expect to earn at your best and that would make you live financially secure and happy.
3) Imagine you had six months to live and you had to do everything you wanted to do before you died.
4) Make a note of what your best area of working is: eg. People skills, Skills with Things (eg. Computers), Manual labour, Numbers etc… In this category, make a list of what your best skills in this area are. For example, if you wrote down people skills, what is it that you are best at: listening, persuading, explaining, making people feel good, problem solving, organising people effectively, making friends, understanding other peoples point of views etc…
5) Think of someone you are similar to in your way of thinking/ communicating. What are they doing? Could you see yourself doing it?
6) If you became a millionaire tomorrow and became completely financially independent, what kind of things would you do? What would your ideal life be like if you had all the money you ever desired? This is one of the MOST IMPORTANT TIPS.
7) What would you work at if you KNEW you couldn’t fail? If even the impossible was possible?
8) Check out the examples below. Pick the jobs you like most and would enjoy most from it. What do you need in order to work in this area? How can you get it? When you go through this list it’ll help you to be more aware of what you DON’T want to do.
- Health: Doctor, Nurse, Occupational Therapist
- Education: Teaching, Lecturing, Tutoring, Career Advise
- Travel / Tourism: Airlines, Train, Bus, Hotels, Rental Cars, Information Services etc
- Computers: Programmer, IT specialist, Web design, Computer Company
- Research: University, Research and Development Company.
- Retail: Shopping Assistant/Manager, Sales Executive / Manager,
- Finance: Financial Institution, Accounting, Insurance
- Therapy: Therapist, Psychologist, Life Coaching
- Manufacturing: Factory work, Engineering
- Alternative Health: Homeopath, Acupuncturist, Hypnotherapist
- Government: Civil Service, public sector job, council jobs
- Media: Journalism, Radio, Tv
- Training/Consulting: IT, HR, Soft Skills
- Art/Music: Artists, Graphic Designers, Architecture
- Politics
- PR/Marketing
- Law: Lawyer, Solicitor, Barrister
- Human Resources: Managing people, job satisfaction,
- Self Employement: Own Business
- Sports/Leisure: Fitness Instructor, Nightclub Manager, Restaurant Manager, Bar Manager , Hotel Manager, Professional Sports person
9) Write down a quick list of your three main goals in life. In ten seconds list the three most important goals you have… quickly DO IT NOW.
10) List out your top ten goals and make sure that they are specific, measurable, good for you, your relationships, health and life and achievable. Once you have done this consider what jobs that you have considered would help you achieve this.
Remember there is no one right job or career. There are only jobs, which you ENJOY or don’t enjoy. All these 10 tips give you some information that will be useful to understanding what kind of direction to move in. Be patient, if you focus on enjoying what you are doing, then the enjoyment will attract more enjoyable things. MANIFESTATION… it’s about letting go and letting it come to you!!!
The trick is to answer these questions and begin to isolate certain career paths, which would be something you would like. Then have seven in your final list and evaluate what needs to happen for you to do them. The key is to start with these ten tips first to brainstorm. It’s the same as in writing: the first draft with your heart, the second with your head. Good luck.
