Today we break down the 3 keys to finding work you love: Know who you are, what you want and start taking action to get it!
Download our SUCCESS CRITERIA CHART mentioned in this conversation
Transcript
Hey, everyone. Welcome to work your best life. An unfiltered conversation about when work isn’t working. We’re back today. And today we are going to talk about the three keys to finding work you love, which is an exciting topic for us.
I know we could talk about it for hours, but we’re going to try to keep it succinct. Right? Hollis We’ll do our best.
All right. So, I think we should probably start by talking through what we think are the first three keys to finding work you love.
Yes. The three keys: know who you are, what you want and start taking action to get it. Yeah, it sounds so easy, Right?
If it was easy, we’d all be doing it. So, easy formula, really hard to do, especially on your own. Yeah.
And I also think that each one of those steps is more difficult for some than the others. Like some might find the first one easier than the second or vice versa.
So, everyone has their own individualistic challenges, I think, through this process. So maybe we can give a couple tips in each area for those that struggle. Sounds great.
So, I know in our program, these are the same steps we take clients through as well. The first step is digging into who you are and the value that you bring.
So, when you’re doing with this with clients, what are the key areas you find are most important to dig into?
I really think, I mean, we call it getting clear in our program and there’s so many things to get clear on, but I think the first thing is just really understanding and accepting who you are at the core instead of maybe what you thought you were or what other people wanted you to be.
So almost rediscovering, oftentimes not even just discovering the first time, but you know at one time you had a different way.
So, I think really getting back to what’s important to you and realizing what’s important to you and who you are.
It’s what I think is the key. Hmm. I found too that so many people don’t even know that the things that they’re great at, their talents/those strengths are unique to them.
So, we downplay because it comes so easy to us. We think that it’s easy for other people. And so starting to share those things that you think you’re good at is a way to start finding out, oh, that’s unique.
That’s not something that comes easy to everyone else. And those are clues to kind of that who we are and the value we bring and the unique way we’re made.
Yeah. I think to that point, even if they do know, they need someone else to tell them a lot of times, I’ll have to say out loud, you know, everyone’s not good at that.
That’s really unique. Those two things combined together are things that employers out there, are not going to be able to find that from just anybody.
So yeah, saying it out loud to people, I think really helps because you, when you are good at it, you don’t necessarily always recognize it- because it comes so easy.
I agree. And it’s counterintuitive to the way that we have been taught for most of our lives. We’ve been taught.
Um, here’s a test to take, make sure you measure up. Here’s what’s successful in the workplace, make sure you measure up.
And this is kind of a backwards view– ofwhat other needs other people need me to be, but what am I naturally and starting to accept and appreciate those things about ourselves.
Yeah. I know I am guilty of that in parenting. You know, they bring home the report card and we immediately focused on the stuff where they need improvement instead of focusing on the stuff they’re naturally good at.
I know when my kids come home, I’m like, oh my gosh, we have to study math more when they probably won’t ever do anything with math.
Because it doesn’t come naturally to them and they don’t love it. You know? So, I Think our society, starting with school kind of tries to teach us that or force us to teach it that way.
And I know even with my kids, it’s really difficult, even knowing everything I know to focus on the strengths. Yes. So, in our program, we slow down and do a lot of work in this area.
But for those who are doing this independently, what is one tip you would give on how they can start to dig in to who they are?
You know, my favorite tip is to ask other people and actually Simon Sinek has a great video about this, that I’ll put in the show notes.
Because really just asking others, the gifts that you have or the value that you bring or their favorite thing about you.
And they will all say the same exact thing, but I promise it’ll get in the same ballpark and there’ll be a pattern somewhere in there. I love that method when you’re doing it on your own, to ask others. I know a lot of people don’t feel comfortable doing that though.
Do you have another way? That is really the best way because starting to also express that, you are trying to figure this out in an open space is important.
That vulnerability and fear– that others know that you’re trying to discover yourself can be really scary. So starting to sample that- that’s important, but also there are some really great assessments that can give you some language, The Stand out assessment, Strengthsfinder assessment, are two. They’re not the end all be all, but they can start giving you language and a context bout your strengths that you could then start seeing how it’s showing up in the workplace and with other people.
Yeah. You know, I love the standout, it’s my favorite. Yeah. All right. Such a key to knowing what you want. Oh my gosh.
Yeah. Why is this important? Well, I always like to go back to the whole marketing thing. You can’t sell something if you don’t know.
I mean, you can’t go towards something. If you don’t know what you’re going towards, it’s like you go look for a job and endless possibilities, where do you even begin?
So, I think for me, it’s like, how do you get through that overwhelm? You have to know and filter it– these days we call it filtering, right?
Put that filter on the internet search and get a little bit closer so that you can hone in. Yes.
Tell me if this is the same for you, but I would say about 90% of clients that I work with when they first start telling me what it is that they want, create a list of all the things they don’t want.
Yeah. Those are big clues. Yeah. They really are big clues. And it’s an important first part to know what it is you’re trying to run from, but it’s equally as important to start understanding what does bring you joy, where you do thrive since you cannot just run from something, but also run towards the really great opportunity.
Yeah. I think that’s one of the biggest frustrations that I, and people have when they start doing this program too, is they are constantly, so miserable.
They’ve gotten to the point where they just can’t handle what they’re doing anymore. And can’t open up their mind to other possibilities other than just– not this.
And sometimes that feeling just gets you into an equally miserable job. Next too. It won’t seem that way at first. Cause it will be a change, but then it quickly can turn into that.
If you don’t know what the heck you’re after. Oh, that’s so, so well said, I wrote down over here too, to make sure to share, there’s so many different examples in life where we do this, where slowing down and making sure you’re clear on where you want to head towards can be really valuable.
You know, I think of it sometimes like a bow and arrow and we go and we, you know, we’re going slow as we pull back and start to get clear on what we’re aiming towards.
And we make sure that we’re really spot on before we release the arrow. And it’s the same here where taking time to make sure you’re pointed in the right direction so that when you do take a chance that you are aimed towards your target.
And I think most of us, as you said, want to get there so fast that we want to skip that part where like, yeah, yeah.
Or sometimes we don’t know what it looks like either. We just know a few pieces of what it looks like and that’s okay too, just to get a little bit closer.
Yeah. We might not get a bulls-eye right away, but we’ll get at least on the board after, you know what you’re after.
I think that, and that’s a huge step. It’s a huge step forward from being miserable. So yeah. I love that analogy.
It’s perfect. And I also think right now we don’t people in general don’t slow down enough. The pandemic has helped a little bit in that aspect, but I think for the most part, people just want to go, go, go.
And that pause it really, it saves, if you have to look at it this way, instead of just being emotionally solid, saves time and money investment, if you take a beat, Wonderfully said, so if someone’s DIY ing this at home, what’s your advice and how do you know what it is you want?
You know, I love to start writing down success criteria, things that you think are success in your mind. So write down the things that, those tasks, what energizes you, there’s a whole broad range of things that you can start making a list of.
But really just understanding your version of success, again, we’ve been told or sometimes some people have been told it’s money, or it’s status it’s whatever, whatever it is to you– understanding that part, it’s really important.
So, I think starting there, Yes, that is so great. We’ll put a link to our success criteria in the show notes too.
If building that– your success criteria is tricky, One place to start is by writing down everything you don’t like about your job and flipping it.
So if you don’t like that the hours are so rigid than a great element for your success criteria would be that you want flexible hours.
So that’s a really good place to start. Yeah. Because usually a lot of people are in that negative mind space.
So it’s easier to think of the things we don’t like or that we hate. And if you hate something you’re clearly passionate about that thing and you almost always want the opposite of that thing that you hate.
Yes, that’s so true. All right. So third, but definitely not the least of the three keys is starting to take action.
Yeah. So hard for so many people. And a lot of people get stuck in that stage when they’re going through our program.
And I really have just noticed lately that reminding people that taking the tiniest of steps, including myself, reminding myself that this, the tiniest of steps, leads to trust and confidence in yourself.
So if we just take a little bit of action, rather than none, it will eventually turn into bigger steps. So, you’re, you’re an action expert.
What’s your favorite way to take action? My favorite way to take action is to pick something immediately in your control that you can change.
When you look at your success criteria, there is almost always at least one thing that you could have immediately if you just change the habit.
Yeah. Even in your current position. Yes, exactly. Exactly. So for instance, you know, I’ve had people write down on their lists that they really enjoy writing, and they think I’ve got to wait until I’m in the perfect job to have more of that.
Yeah. But if you stop and say, I want more of that in my life, you can volunteer for a project.
Ask if you can write an article for your company, you can start your own blog. Yeah. There’s lots of different ways that you could bring it to life immediately.
So, starting to understand what is within your control and what doesn’t require massive change to start getting it can be extremely rewarding.
And also fast-forward because when you get that feeling of like, yes, this is what I wanted, then you’re building your resume so that you can get it.
And you’re going to be on the fast track to go forward because, you know, Yeah. You’re validating yourself, , you know, confirming what you really want.
And along the lines of that writing exercise, since you were on it, I think that with writing you can be an author and publish your own stuff, right on LinkedIn.
Yes. I mean, it can be work-related or not. It can be just something that you want to share, something you want to get out there.
So, I know everyone’s thing isn’t writing, but if it is, that’s such a great way, killing so many birds with one stone right there.
What’s amazing about having a partner to go through this journey with whether it’s coach like us or a friend, a spouse– just having an accountability partner is that oftentimes it’s not looking at your criteria and taking action.
That’s the hard part. It’s looking at the criteria and getting scared, having fear, what will other people think those are the pieces that we ended up getting stuck on. And brainstorming on how you can take action, right?
You might look at that thing on the success criteria and think I can’t practice that until I get a job doing that.
And it’s 99% of the time, not true. 99% of the time, we can find an exercise that will really help you take action to test and try the things. To see if it is validated and something that is really important to you.
Yes. Love that. So to recap, the three keys are: know who you are, know what you want and start taking action to get it.
Yeah, we will have in the show notes, the links that we mentioned during this show and excited to start digging into each of these areas in the future.
So check out videos that we’ll dig further into this career change process. Yeah. I love it was fun.