Choosing a career path that aligns with your lifestyle and values
A huge part of my work as a career and salary negotiation coach revolves around helping people find deeper satisfaction in their work lives. While that often means arming individuals with powerful interviewing and negotiating skills to land a better job, or to ask for a salary increase, I also work with most clients to determine how the right career path can support their lifestyle goals.
I think life is too short to devote the majority of your waking hours to a job you can’t stand. Even if that job comes with an attractive salary and benefits package, will it ultimately leave you with a sense of accomplishment and pride? Will it allow you enough freedom and flexibility to pursue all the other interests in your life?
Shifting Focus
If you have been in the workforce for 10 years or more, like most of my clients, you might view those years as a sunk cost. You have devoted so much time and energy to this one career track or field that you might not believe you can change gears or try something new. That leaves you facing the next 20 to 30 years with complacency – or even dread.
I see the weight of that feeling in my clients’ eyes when they come to me for help. I hear it in their voice. Even the ones in their early 30s seem older than their years and worn out by the day-to-day demands of their jobs. Slowly, though, as we work together to shift focus away from one rigid career path, their light and energy begins to return.
We begin with the idea that you can apply your experience, strengths and skills to a variety of jobs and settings. You do not have to stay with one company, industry or job title simply because that’s what others around you seem to do. When you can open up to the idea of other options, you reclaim power over your own career. And that small break through often leads to bigger actions that lead to far more happiness.
Now What?
More options might instill a little fear in you because you don’t know where to begin. Yeah, it’s a little daunting to start fresh, but you owe it to yourself to rise to your potential.
As you begin to assess your options, set aside the phrase “career path.” Rather, start to define a new “lifestyle path” for yourself. Think about:
How you enjoy spending your free time
Activities or interests you would pursue if you had more time/money/flexibility/freedom
The people who make you feel most valued
Work that makes you light up, excited to face each day (and remember to think beyond the scope of your current job, title or career path)
When you feel most in tune, or in flow
What gives you energy and what drains your energy
Unlike a skills assessment, which focuses on current skills and training, this brainstorm should spark some insight into the kind of lifestyle you want to live. That includes the kind of work you want to do and the people you want around you.
This exercise is not about following your passion, necessarily, but it should help you focus in on a career track that supports your passions.
What’s Stopping You?
Next, consider what constraints at your current job or in your life have thus far prevented you from achieving the lifestyle you want. Do you need:
More money?
More flexibility in your schedule?
Higher quality people in your life who support your goals?
Freedom to create and innovate?
Identifying barriers can help you develop a concrete plan for overcoming them in order to achieve your dreams.
Aligning Career and Lifestyle
Few of us can claim independent wealth that supports whatever lifestyle we imagine. So, for most of us, we need a job. Ideally, a job that pays good money.
Beyond earning a healthy salary, there are some additional factors at work that impact your lifestyle for better or for worse. I spend a lot of time with coaching clients helping them get clear on their values and identifying career opportunities that are aligned to those values.
A “perfect job” on paper might not be perfect for you. If you would like to feel more like yourself at work – and more valued – it pays to look carefully at culture and lifestyle fit.
If you would like to achieve your lifestyle goals through a more fulfilling career path, contact me. Why wait to start taking action toward your dreams?