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We have been at work we do not like for years. We dream of changing something ... and we are inactive. We are waiting for a sudden miracle. In essence, we are missing our own life. It is very important to realize this and decide on the first step. However, the path is just beginning here. You will not be transported to a happy future by magic. Your road can be long, confusing and with its own treacherous traps.
Finding yourself often ends in failure. The problem is that we firmly believe in a set of myths that in fact only slow us down or lead us to a dead end. Elena Rezanova, an expert in the field of career strategies, talks about this in detail in her book "Never again".
Myth number 1. Vocation: one and for life
So, it dawned on you: it's time to change something in life. You definitely don't like your current job. You don't know where to go next, but you are optimistic. After all, there are so many examples around when people decided to take desperate steps, achieved success and became happy in a new area. You probably even have some vague ideas about the future.
It is at this moment that you can make a very common mistake - to get into a tangled maze of searching for yourself. And now you are already buying literature on how to understand your purpose. You start thinking, “Is this what I really want? What if design / cooking / acting / psychology (substitute any area you find attractive) disappoint me? What if my hobby does not pull me into the work of my life? " A year flies by, then another, a third - and nothing happens.
It makes no sense for years to look for one real vocation, encoded somewhere in the depths of your mind.
Imagine that there is only one person in the whole world who suits you as a couple. He can be born anywhere - in Australia, India, Canada or any other country. In this case, your chances of a happy personal life will be negligible.
When we talk about finding a calling, the logic is exactly the same. If you feel like there should be only one correct answer to your questions, chances are you won't budge. After all, this is a decision for life. You need to make sure of its impeccability, study it from all sides, think it over again, calculate the risks and develop tactics. Is it very likely that you will ever take action?
In fact, it is not at all necessary to make the Big Decision right away. There is no need to choose one and only direction and quit your job. Just try to get closer to what interests you. Sign up for courses. Read the literature on the topic. Join a professional crowd.
Remember, there is no clear route to happiness. The first steps will still have to be done in the fog. Even if you decide on a goal and come up with a perfect plan, don't rely on it too much. Stability is just an illusion. You are developing. The world also does not stand still. It is possible that in five years you will have completely different desires and new opportunities, so dare, and if necessary, boldly deviate from the chosen course.
Myth number 2. We must remember childhood
You've probably heard that childhood dreams and hobbies are the key to your calling. This is another widely circulated misconception. In fact, going over in your head what you once liked to do, you are simply wasting time.
Let's say, as a child, you loved to tinker with cats, weave baubles from beads, roller-skate and read books. You also dreamed of becoming a space pirate. So what? It doesn't lead to anything at all.
You can recall childhood episodes over and over again, but the insight never comes.
Now you are surrounded by a completely different reality. And you yourself have changed a lot. Therefore, stop looking for treasure where there is none. Among your childhood fantasies and hobbies, you are unlikely to find anything of value.
Myth number 3. You need to take a closer look at your talents
Another popular strategy is to list your talents. This approach ("either given by nature or not given") can lead you to believe that you do not have any pronounced abilities. Everything. Dead end. It remains only to come to terms with the existing state of affairs. But let's try to look at the situation from the other side.
Having talent doesn't guarantee you anything. His absence does not mean anything either. Studies show that successful people are those who persistently and purposefully develop their abilities, and not at all those who have a "spark of God" from birth. Only a long intensive practice will lead you to a decent result.
And how do you recognize a brilliant captain in yourself if you have never piloted a ship? It is much wiser to focus on your own interests, rather than on obvious talents. Just pay attention to those areas that seem attractive to you and try your hand.
Make a to-do list for the week right now. Rate them on a 10-point scale, where 10 means "I love it", and 1 - "does not cause any warm feelings." So, all items that received a score above 7 have some kind of connection with the edges of your potential.
Myth number 4. You need to look somewhere far away
Have you noticed that office workers who are “fed up with everything” dream of something that contrasts as much as possible with their routine duties - a literary recluse, wandering around the world, their coffee shop on the seashore? But think about what lies behind this: genuine interest or just a desire to escape?
If you suddenly have a beautiful dream that does not fit into your current life, then this is a reason to be wary.
It seems to us that we will become happy only if we start working in a different specialty or surround ourselves with other decorations. However, do not forget that any professional area is much broader than our current tasks and involves many formats.
You don't always have to look somewhere far away. Perhaps it is enough to simply change the company or go into an adjacent field. See your profession through the eyes of a beginner. What are the different work formats? Are there any topics that you are still interested in? Where could you prove yourself?
Over the years, you have accumulated a lot of knowledge and skills. It is much easier to use them than starting from scratch.
For example, a journalist who has been writing news for a website for several years can try himself as a reporter, analyst, interviewer, columnist, editor. Work in a newspaper, on television, or become a radio host. Create your own media. Go into PR or copywriting. And that's not all of the options.
It is very easy to catch a “viral” dream. The stronger the fatigue, the more you want something completely different. But if you rush into the whirlpool headlong, burn all the bridges and immediately begin to fulfill your whim, you may be in for a huge disappointment.
Of course, ignoring your dreams is not a good idea either. Fortunately, they can be tested. For example, while on vacation. Read about the business that interests you, meet people from this area, start your own project, try to get as close as possible to the life you are dreaming about.
If everything turned out to be at least roughly what you expected, great, continue to develop in this direction. Well, if not, then at least you have arranged for yourself a serious reboot and are now ready to look at the situation more realistically.
Myth number 5. About charity
It is natural for a person to look for meaning in his activities. “Is my job useful in any way? Who needs me to be in this office all day? What will remain after me? "We often ask ourselves such questions and in the end we make a decision: we need to go to charity, social entrepreneurship, or, say, environmental protection.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to help people and make the world a better place. But realizing that you are helping someone is not enough. Imagine that you got a different profession (for example, you learned to be a technical specialist in the field of ecology), and then realized that you absolutely do not like the job to which you have doomed yourself. In your search for meaning, you forgot that the field itself should be interesting to you, and as a result, you simply changed one unhappy career to another.
No matter how important your work is, it will not make you happy if there is no interest and inspiration.
By the way, the meaning can be found in any work. Especially if you are a professional. Assume you have a toolbox. Only you can decide how to dispose of them. (For example, a marketer might sell a product, or he might create ad campaigns that change the world.) Is it worth throwing this box out and starting something completely new?
Here's a little practice: analyze your experience and think about what benefits it can bring and to whom. Is this feasible in your current area? And in others? How exactly?
Myth number 6. One's business is the path to freedom and happiness
Bored in the office from nine to six, we start dreaming about our own business. It seems to us that he will free us from this hateful routine. But "your business" by default is not equal to "work that you happily rush to in the morning." It's just a different format. There are as many unhappy, tortured people among entrepreneurs as there are among hired employees.
You can analyze the needs of the market, come up with an original product, develop a good marketing strategy and create a successful company, but you still feel out of place. Because you don't care about your brainchild.
We are trained to write business plans and do risk assessments. But in these well-known instruments there is no point about the main asset and the main resource: YOURSELF.
Your business should be tailored not only for the idea, product and market. The main thing is that it should be tailored for you.
Your own business means that you have to work very hard. And this will not burden you in only one case: if, when starting the project, you took into account your own interests and unique skills. You need to focus on what energizes you and what you are good at.
Before writing a business plan, use the following tips:
1. Make sure you are interested in the topic. Ask yourself a simple question: "If I were already a millionaire, would I be doing this?"
2. Make sure that the new role makes full use of your abilities, and your weaknesses are not critical to it.
3. Check if the business aligns with your values. Does it have a serious meaning? Will you be proud to do it even if it doesn't work out?
4. Ask yourself if you are under the illusion that you will have a lot of free time.
Life is too short to be wasted in an unloved job. If you feel like it's time to change direction, chances are it is. However, don't forget about templates that can lead you to the wrong place. It is important not only to start the journey, but also not to get lost along the way.
Finding yourself often ends in failure. The problem is that we firmly believe in a set of myths that in fact only slow us down or lead us to a dead end. Elena Rezanova, an expert in the field of career strategies, talks about this in detail in her book "Never again".
Myth number 1. Vocation: one and for life
So, it dawned on you: it's time to change something in life. You definitely don't like your current job. You don't know where to go next, but you are optimistic. After all, there are so many examples around when people decided to take desperate steps, achieved success and became happy in a new area. You probably even have some vague ideas about the future.
It is at this moment that you can make a very common mistake - to get into a tangled maze of searching for yourself. And now you are already buying literature on how to understand your purpose. You start thinking, “Is this what I really want? What if design / cooking / acting / psychology (substitute any area you find attractive) disappoint me? What if my hobby does not pull me into the work of my life? " A year flies by, then another, a third - and nothing happens.
It makes no sense for years to look for one real vocation, encoded somewhere in the depths of your mind.
Imagine that there is only one person in the whole world who suits you as a couple. He can be born anywhere - in Australia, India, Canada or any other country. In this case, your chances of a happy personal life will be negligible.
When we talk about finding a calling, the logic is exactly the same. If you feel like there should be only one correct answer to your questions, chances are you won't budge. After all, this is a decision for life. You need to make sure of its impeccability, study it from all sides, think it over again, calculate the risks and develop tactics. Is it very likely that you will ever take action?
In fact, it is not at all necessary to make the Big Decision right away. There is no need to choose one and only direction and quit your job. Just try to get closer to what interests you. Sign up for courses. Read the literature on the topic. Join a professional crowd.
Remember, there is no clear route to happiness. The first steps will still have to be done in the fog. Even if you decide on a goal and come up with a perfect plan, don't rely on it too much. Stability is just an illusion. You are developing. The world also does not stand still. It is possible that in five years you will have completely different desires and new opportunities, so dare, and if necessary, boldly deviate from the chosen course.
Myth number 2. We must remember childhood
You've probably heard that childhood dreams and hobbies are the key to your calling. This is another widely circulated misconception. In fact, going over in your head what you once liked to do, you are simply wasting time.
Let's say, as a child, you loved to tinker with cats, weave baubles from beads, roller-skate and read books. You also dreamed of becoming a space pirate. So what? It doesn't lead to anything at all.
You can recall childhood episodes over and over again, but the insight never comes.
Now you are surrounded by a completely different reality. And you yourself have changed a lot. Therefore, stop looking for treasure where there is none. Among your childhood fantasies and hobbies, you are unlikely to find anything of value.
Myth number 3. You need to take a closer look at your talents
Another popular strategy is to list your talents. This approach ("either given by nature or not given") can lead you to believe that you do not have any pronounced abilities. Everything. Dead end. It remains only to come to terms with the existing state of affairs. But let's try to look at the situation from the other side.
Having talent doesn't guarantee you anything. His absence does not mean anything either. Studies show that successful people are those who persistently and purposefully develop their abilities, and not at all those who have a "spark of God" from birth. Only a long intensive practice will lead you to a decent result.
And how do you recognize a brilliant captain in yourself if you have never piloted a ship? It is much wiser to focus on your own interests, rather than on obvious talents. Just pay attention to those areas that seem attractive to you and try your hand.
Make a to-do list for the week right now. Rate them on a 10-point scale, where 10 means "I love it", and 1 - "does not cause any warm feelings." So, all items that received a score above 7 have some kind of connection with the edges of your potential.
Myth number 4. You need to look somewhere far away
Have you noticed that office workers who are “fed up with everything” dream of something that contrasts as much as possible with their routine duties - a literary recluse, wandering around the world, their coffee shop on the seashore? But think about what lies behind this: genuine interest or just a desire to escape?
If you suddenly have a beautiful dream that does not fit into your current life, then this is a reason to be wary.
It seems to us that we will become happy only if we start working in a different specialty or surround ourselves with other decorations. However, do not forget that any professional area is much broader than our current tasks and involves many formats.
You don't always have to look somewhere far away. Perhaps it is enough to simply change the company or go into an adjacent field. See your profession through the eyes of a beginner. What are the different work formats? Are there any topics that you are still interested in? Where could you prove yourself?
Over the years, you have accumulated a lot of knowledge and skills. It is much easier to use them than starting from scratch.
For example, a journalist who has been writing news for a website for several years can try himself as a reporter, analyst, interviewer, columnist, editor. Work in a newspaper, on television, or become a radio host. Create your own media. Go into PR or copywriting. And that's not all of the options.
It is very easy to catch a “viral” dream. The stronger the fatigue, the more you want something completely different. But if you rush into the whirlpool headlong, burn all the bridges and immediately begin to fulfill your whim, you may be in for a huge disappointment.
Of course, ignoring your dreams is not a good idea either. Fortunately, they can be tested. For example, while on vacation. Read about the business that interests you, meet people from this area, start your own project, try to get as close as possible to the life you are dreaming about.
If everything turned out to be at least roughly what you expected, great, continue to develop in this direction. Well, if not, then at least you have arranged for yourself a serious reboot and are now ready to look at the situation more realistically.
Myth number 5. About charity
It is natural for a person to look for meaning in his activities. “Is my job useful in any way? Who needs me to be in this office all day? What will remain after me? "We often ask ourselves such questions and in the end we make a decision: we need to go to charity, social entrepreneurship, or, say, environmental protection.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to help people and make the world a better place. But realizing that you are helping someone is not enough. Imagine that you got a different profession (for example, you learned to be a technical specialist in the field of ecology), and then realized that you absolutely do not like the job to which you have doomed yourself. In your search for meaning, you forgot that the field itself should be interesting to you, and as a result, you simply changed one unhappy career to another.
No matter how important your work is, it will not make you happy if there is no interest and inspiration.
By the way, the meaning can be found in any work. Especially if you are a professional. Assume you have a toolbox. Only you can decide how to dispose of them. (For example, a marketer might sell a product, or he might create ad campaigns that change the world.) Is it worth throwing this box out and starting something completely new?
Here's a little practice: analyze your experience and think about what benefits it can bring and to whom. Is this feasible in your current area? And in others? How exactly?
Myth number 6. One's business is the path to freedom and happiness
Bored in the office from nine to six, we start dreaming about our own business. It seems to us that he will free us from this hateful routine. But "your business" by default is not equal to "work that you happily rush to in the morning." It's just a different format. There are as many unhappy, tortured people among entrepreneurs as there are among hired employees.
You can analyze the needs of the market, come up with an original product, develop a good marketing strategy and create a successful company, but you still feel out of place. Because you don't care about your brainchild.
We are trained to write business plans and do risk assessments. But in these well-known instruments there is no point about the main asset and the main resource: YOURSELF.
Your business should be tailored not only for the idea, product and market. The main thing is that it should be tailored for you.
Your own business means that you have to work very hard. And this will not burden you in only one case: if, when starting the project, you took into account your own interests and unique skills. You need to focus on what energizes you and what you are good at.
Before writing a business plan, use the following tips:
1. Make sure you are interested in the topic. Ask yourself a simple question: "If I were already a millionaire, would I be doing this?"
2. Make sure that the new role makes full use of your abilities, and your weaknesses are not critical to it.
3. Check if the business aligns with your values. Does it have a serious meaning? Will you be proud to do it even if it doesn't work out?
4. Ask yourself if you are under the illusion that you will have a lot of free time.
Life is too short to be wasted in an unloved job. If you feel like it's time to change direction, chances are it is. However, don't forget about templates that can lead you to the wrong place. It is important not only to start the journey, but also not to get lost along the way.
