Is a Job Really a Job if You Love What You do?
As a boy, my father always reinforced a simple principle, “Find a job you love enough that you’d do it for free, then find a way to get paid to do it.”
Well, that sure sounds all fine and dandy but is realistic advice?
For many people, the three-letter word, J-O-B, conjures up thoughts of four-letter words that I’ll refrain from spelling out. ☺
So, can one truly find work they’ll enjoy? I believe it is possible and I’d like to share some ideas to help you land a great J-O-B that will have you thinking of one single four-letter word, L-O-V-E!
Step 1: Jobs Discovery
Grab a pen and piece of paper, consider all the possible jobs that you think you’d be interested in. Consider what your friends do, what your role-models do, what you wish you could do and take a day or two to contemplate you ideas and build your list. Look at it several times throughout each day and no mater how bold or simple the idea is, write it down. Once you’ve exhausted all your ideas, move to the next step.
Step 2: Narrow Your Focus
Now that you have a long list of ideas in front of you, review the list and highlight three ideas that you would consider to be the best jobs for you. During this process, DO NOT let constraints of education or lack of experience keep you from highlighting the job you really want to have.
Now, move those three ideas to a new piece of paper and designate 1/3rd of the paper to each of your ideas. Starting with the first one highlighted on the list, visualize yourself being in that role, then write down all the positivity you would have in your life if you were in this chosen job (i.e. happiness, success, money, freedom, travel, prestige, etc). Also, write down all the barriers to achieving this position (i.e. education, experience, confidence, time, etc).
Repeat this process with the other two job options. Now you’re ready to move on to the next step.
Step 3: Laser Your Focus
Review your list of three options; weigh out the positivity of achieving each as well as the barriers to each. Then pick “The One” the feels right.
Congratulations! You are now focused on your dream job! This job is your future!
This job is your true calling in life!
This job will make you happy! This job will complete you!
The only question left is; How do I get LASER FOCUSED?
It’s easy, you just need to set some goals. You should start by picking-apart each of the barriers you wrote down, line them up in order of easiest (or quickest) to accomplish and FOCUS on breaking through them! If education is holding you back, contact a school and start planning to return ASAP. If experience is holding you back, find a job on the track of your dream job and work your way up!
Examples:
- If you want to be a business owner, get a job with a small business where you will have close interaction with the owner, learn how to run a business from them, gain as much experience as you can while working for them and build up enough courage, experience and money in order finally start your own business.
- If you want to be a manager, start by taking a supervisor positions and study what your manager does (or doesn’t do) and decide what kind of a manager you want to be.
- If you want to be a doctor, start by getting a job in a hospital while you’re going to school so you can learn about the medical industry and really see if your chosen field is still the right path for you.
The key to this step is to set goals (short-term, medium-range & long-range) goals to do all you can to gain experience, education, and courage to lay the foundation you will continue to build upon until you reach your ultimate goal. The job you’ll love!
Step 4: Don’t get discouraged
As we’ve all experienced, January 2nd is usually the first day that people give up on their New Year’s resolutions. The same goes for job hunting. People dream of the “Perfect Job” but a few days or weeks into the job hunt they get discouraged and settle for any job. You must stay focused on your goals and be sure to continue to progress. If you have a four-year plan to achieve your dream job, start today and stick to the plan.
Just think; you can either work hard for a couple years to achieve your dream job –or- you can keep doing what you’ve been doing in the past and never reach your dream. In four years from now you can have a degree finished and start working in your dream career –or- in four years form now you can still be working a job that doesn’t make you happy.
Which path would you rather have?
So, what’s holding you back form your dream job? The only answer is “Y-O-U.” Don’t let yourself get in the way of finding the dream J-O-B that you will L-O-V-E!
Your Employment Solutions just might be the best source to help you find your next dream job, or at least one to help you along your journey.
Jarum Stone
Operations Manager
Your Employment Solutions
