Do you feel challenged, satisfied, and proud enough about your job? What can you do to better your career path? What do you enjoy most about your career? Is having a career important to you? Are you yet to choose a career path? What career options do you have?
A career should give you a sense of purpose and direction. You want to wake up each morning excited that you are going to work. But that is not always the case. Many people are trapped in jobs they hate. Some individuals get a high pay, but would rather do a different job they love with lower returns. They lack career freedom that provides a sense of fulfillment.
What Does the Career Fulfillment Numbers Look Like?
Career freedom and fulfillment are at their record lowest rates since the first records. As it stands, two-thirds of the working class would choose another career if given the chance.
A recent Cross-European study revealed that 60% of professionals would not hesitate to switch careers if they were to start things afresh. This a clear negative deviation in the rates since record-keeping began over two decades ago.
It would be great to have people around you ask “What do you do?” and then you reply with a smile on your face because you feel good about your career, right?
Now, feeling unhappy at work is the top-most factor that makes people find it difficult to find fulfillment in their career lives. Remember that most people spend half of their waking time at their respective places of work. Relate the two now. This coupled with the inability of most individuals to create careers that bring them happiness only works to make matters worse.
Most people find it difficult figuring out ways to help them achieve fulfillment and happiness in their careers. Fortunately, there are ways you can get your career freedom and fulfillment. These include:
1. Write Down Your Traits and Interests
Career paths are written plans of what is most important to your fulfillment and career freedom. What we mean by this is that you should write down who you truly are. You might surprise yourself with the new interests and personality traits you discover in yourself. Whether it’s a single step or a huge leap, you should challenge yourself every day, to embark on things that play to your interests and passions.
You never know when you might find the ultimate career path that aligns with your passions.
Recall the adage, “You should dress for the gig you want, not for one that you already have” This also rings true for how you conduct yourself every other day. Meaning, for you to get the career you have been craving for, it is important to dress and look the part. This shouldn’t happen just in the physical, also have your mind transformed to meet the career standards. Write all these down.
Without writing down a plan of who you are and want to be, you will feel rudderless since you’ll lack a benchmark against which you can measure your progress towards career freedom and fulfillment.
2. Figure Out How to Leave Your Comfort Zone
Sometimes it’s not that you hate your career path but because you have been doing one thing over and over. Eventually, you get bored and lose interest in it. That’s an example of the effects of staying in a comfort zone for so long.
Now, if you are feeling this way right now, it is time you let go of behaviors that leave you with this weird feeling. Explore new challenges, no matter how intimidating (or different) they might seem.
Take risks that no one else is willing to take. Try attending new classes, conferences or any other events that can equip you with new constructive thoughts. This way, you are going to learn something new about yourself, either personally or professionally. Taking action is the surest way to say goodbye to your comfort zone.
3. Never Underestimate the Importance of Your Time
If you are unhappy and unsatisfied with what you do currently, then this tip is yet another great booster to help you achieve career freedom and fulfillment without much hassle. Here, we explore how and why time is of essence to career fulfillment.
When figuring out how to allot time to your career schedule, consider to answer questions like, “What do you value most about your career?”
If you recently joined the career world, find out what you’ll need to do to enjoy the new environment.
Getting solutions to these concerns will teach you how to handle your most valuable resource – time. If you are to achieve great happiness from what you do, you must allocate more time to what you enjoy most about your career. That is the only way you can generate great value from investing time. Whether you’re a new entrant or a veteran in your career path, enough time for everything you do is the only tool you need to attain fulfillment.
What happens when you like several things yet little time? Try to be selective as possible with whatever activity you decide to pursue, and ensure what you choose are worth the investment and brings in more returns.
Allotting time for every activity on your schedule is healthy and should be a practice you do often. While you do this, remember to put aside time for self-reflection because it is even healthier.
4. Utilize the Power of Social Media and Networking
Did you know that you can use social media and networking to your benefit as a career person?
Social media can be the place you meet with your career peers from different companies and share ideas on how to better things in the industry. Through the interactions you get to learn new things. You can as well use social platforms to market your skills and work with different people on a freelance basis.
Are you interested in finding a mentor? Networking will also help with that.
On social networking platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, make sure to connect with professionals, companies, and brands that interest you. After doing this, be sure to follow industry influencers that inspire you personally and professionally. LinkedIn is particularly useful for professionals like yourself.
But note that creating these relationships is not an event but a process that requires much of your effort, time, and care. Eventually, your commitments will pay.
5. Become a Gardener of Your Interests
At the end of the day, you should figure out better ways to invest in yourself. Whether this means that you are quitting your current career, or going back to school at age 60, you need to invest in your interests – the same way a gardener does to the farm.
It is never too early or too late to learn, so give yourself time and be sure to create new opportunities on your own.
You need to grow with what you find most fulfilling while completely leaving behind what you should. How do you achieve this? Navigate all of your passions and interests. Pick one-or two-that you want to take a notch higher. All this time, you should equate those interests to a plant that requires care to flourish.
This does not imply that you should shift focus from other things you do but focus more on what pleases you the most to bring your passions to fruition.
When it comes to finding real career freedom and fulfillment, most people are not lost entirely – they just need to focus on their interests and passions. And as a gardener of your of your interests, it’s easier to channel your they require to be guided in the right direction.
It’s Time to Enjoy Your Career to the Fullest
To achieve career freedom and fulfillment, you must focus your positive energy on your passion and interests. The job you are currently doing is not the problem. You might have the wrong attitude towards it or you are too used to doing the same thing over and over. That shouldn’t be the case. You can transform your current career into something you love by applying the tips we’ve provided above.
Apart from finding who you are, distribute your time wisely to cover more what you enjoy doing, always develop your skills to move from doing the obvious and introduce yourself to huge opportunities out there.
Crafty employees are those that seek mentorship from experienced colleagues who work in departments they would like to explore. Find and lean on a mentor’s experience to find out what you want to do and the best way to do it. Apart from the knowledge you gain from relying on a mentor and peers, introduce be vulnerable and expose yourself to other industry players. Start your journey of a fulfilling career right now. It’s going to take time and effort but the results are worth it.
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