The scenario
I feel stuck. I know that the work I am doing is not what I'm supposed to be doing with my life, but I have no idea what it is I'm "supposed" to be doing. Where do I start to figure this out?
The advice
We are all so quick to say that we really don't have any idea what we are supposed to do with our lives.
But the truth is, we can all learn the answer if we just take a moment to listen - to the things that spark our energy, engage our attention and come naturally.
Notice what books you love to read, topics you love to discuss, and areas that interest you more than others. This is where you will find the answer to that elusive question.
Take me, for instance. I used to work in advertising prior to becoming a coach. Do you know how many books on advertising I read during those 11 years? None.
Why? Because I was too busy reading every book I could get my hands on in the areas of leadership and personal growth and development.
I felt lost trying to figure out what I was "supposed" to be doing while the answer was sitting on my bookshelf.
Start with your passions. Write a list of everything - everything - that you are passionate about, from leadership to dogs, sales to skiing, cooking to art, design to technology. Anything that holds your passion is a place to look.
If you are quick to say "but I'm not a very passionate person," then consider what holds your interest. Stop and think about what you are doing when you are completely engaged in the moment, totally present, unaware of anything else that is going on.
It's not enough to be passionate about something. You also have to be good at it. So generate a list of all your strengths, your natural abilities, those things you are simply good at.
Once you look at what you're passionate about, and what you're good at, you can start to explore career opportunities that meet at that intersection. Just because a contestant on Canadian Idol can't sing, doesn't mean he or she can't find work in the music industry: production or concert promotion, or becoming a music agent, or working for a record company or ...
Finally, take action. Wherever you think there is an opportunity to merge your interests with your strengths, just take a step. It's the action that will get you out of your current rut and into something you are "supposed" to be doing.
Katie Bennett is a coach and speaker in Vancouver and head of Double Black Diamond Coaching.
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