How to find your perfect career
"Be the girl that decided to go for it"
"I want to be a rockstar"..."I want to be a race car driver" "I want to be a veterinarian " No I want to be a race car driving veterinarian rockstar!"
When we're young there are no limitations. The world is a wonderous place full of every possibility, and there is no such thing as dreaming too big.
So what changed? We could say EVERYTHING . Because we all know out of a logical and philosophical stand point that everything is in constant motion and circumstances today are rarely what they were last year or even the day before. But then again there's so much that never changes. Those core wants and needs from when we were kids are still there. The want to be good at something...no scratch that we want to be the kickassest at something super cool. We want recognition for a job well done and we want to feel that what we do matters.
As we grow up the way that those things express themselves might change, but most of us still want that core, although we as adults also realize that a big part of our time is going to go towards sustaining our home,lifestyle and family as well.
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It would make sense that if you want to be happy, you need to do something you like and get paid for it.
Wow that sounds so easy right? But honestly how many of us can say we really do?
I was talking to an older friend of mine the other day that works a graveyard shift at a company and she was lamenting how much she hates her job and I asked her why she stayed. The answer "well I've been there for 30 years so why change it?" just wow. That really had me thinking, I don't know about you but with the percentage of our lives that consists of work I just can't sign that chunk away to something that doesn't come close to those core wants and needs. And yeah that's easy to say, but how the heck do we go about building something that is as unique as each individual person is and actually pays?
So what is your life situation right now?
And I don't have to be psychic to be able to say it's most likely crazy different from what it has been because let's face it, right now the world is more or less upside down.
A while back I had to hit the breaks. It had been a long time coming and I was NOT feeling good whatsoever; I was feeling burnt out, stressed emotionally and healthwise and I could tell that if I didnt do something drastic and kept going the way I was there wouldn't be anything left of me in the not to distant future.
And here was my problem. The quote "you can do anything but you can't do everything" was something I apparently felt a distinct need to challenge. I loved my work doing voiceovers, I also loved working as a music teacher part time. So when I was asked to start working full time at the school I was convinced that I could still do both, as well as make music and take care of my home and family. I've got to wonder at what point my brain checked out and thought that there is more time to go around after the position of "FULL TIME" has been filled by something.
But there I was and all of a sudden the things that had mattered so much to me were draining, exhausting and not working at all. I needed change.
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My first instinct was where is my passport and how much would it cost me to get an airline ticket to nowhere and buy a yurt so I could live off the land and raise chickens?
Realising that that probably wasn't practical for me personaly in the long run I asked to cut my hours at the school. In theory that would have been perfect! problem solved!
But for various reasons I'm not gonna bore you with, the situation was still leaving me feeling burnt out and unhappy as well as adding stress to health issues that were already there.
It baffled me because I loved all the things I was doing but I just couldnt make it come together in a way that was sustainable. Did i mention I also kinda wanted to study? (lmao yes I want to do it ALL!)
So what was my conclusion?
This isn't working I need change. When summer break rolled around and the 9th graders I had been responsible for graduated I knew it was time. Many people might think quitting a steady job in the middle of a pandemic was stupid, but personally I am convinced it was exactly the right thing for me to do.
Does that mean you should up and quit your job? not necessarily but here is a breakdown of what I did.
1. Define what your life situation is: What is the main reason for needing change and what is the honest root of the problem?
2. Define the change that's needed: What is it you DO want? more structure? more or fewer hours? salary,stability,freedom?
3. What kind of person are you?: Does a 9-5 job give you that stability and routine that makes you happy? Or are you more of a freelance, flexi hours, need variety to thrive kind of person? We're all different and that's awesome! Embracing those differences is what in the end is going to make for a sustainable and balanced career and life.
4. What do YOU bring to the table?: What abilities do you have? I'm not talking about your degree here although that absolutely factors in. I'm talking about YOU. Who are you and what can you do? And I mean eeeverything.
5. BELIEVE IN THEM!
The past is something we can't change but we can use it. There are things you have learned just by living, trust in the fact that different aspects of your past can be built on and used in work situations. Don't minimize yourself or your abilities!
I always liked the phrase "don't call it a dream call it a plan" and I honestly think finding your WHY and your How are crucial to actually getting there. So in conclusion guys, Play to your strengths, believe in your abilities and kick some ass with that plan. Catch you soon
xoxo
Jess
Check out the companion podcast episode to this blog on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5U0cDH6Vq31TZcnONAIyvZ?si=yACaCzACS5e5a5Kqh-hDSQ
