Who you are vs what you do

As the famous saying goes “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”

That’s the goal — to match your skills, passion and personality to a career that is a perfect fit. A dream career where you enjoy every second so it doesn’t seem like work.

To get to this point you have to start with yourself. It might sound cliché, but it’s undeniable — the better you know yourself, the better you can find that dream career.

But it is really tough to know who you are. In an age where information is pouring into our lives at every turn, it’s hard to step back and reflect; to make time to disconnect and get to know yourself. Ms Career Girl Blog outlines some helpful steps in getting to know yourself.

“Think about those defining passions that make you, you.”

To get started on this path, you need to distinguish who you are from what you’ve done. Don’t just ask yourself what you’ve accomplished, ask yourself why you were able to accomplish it.

What vs. Why

Let’s consider two successful marketers at different companies. Both might be able to say:

“I have grown various marketing teams and always hit KPIs.”

Marketer A has taken the time to ask herself why she accomplished what she has. She knows that she enjoys training and mentoring, and these aspects of the job fuels her progress. As a result, Marketer A finds future success because she knows what drives her. She constantly puts the team first — mentoring, pushing and batting for them — but this comes from a place of authenticity; it’s how she naturally wants to be.

Marketer B has not taken time to reflect to ask why. She pushes herself to hit KPIs and always finds success. She dabbles in a little bit of everything only to find herself in a career where what she does is “ok”, “pays the bills” and “I’m good at it.” Perhaps she stays in this field; eventually figure out their own personal “why” after losing steam — and missing those KPIs she was so proud of before. It was just a thing she did — and there was no well-thought-out “why” behind it.

This happens to us all, we start out doing something and eventually the day-to-day grind can get to us. We find ourselves doing what we do just to do it. We lose sight of our goal, or never define one in the first place. In turn, we care a little less everyday, our work suffers and that fiery passion fizzles.

It’s not always apparent how to “snap out” of the same habitual mindset and reflect. But it couldn’t be more important: knowing yourself makes the difference working at a job and building your dream career.

Below are some tips I’ve personally used to help me reflect:

Take time to be alone

Set aside time to be alone. It’s tough, and for most of us life won’t just give it to you — you have to actively carve it out. It can mean having some time to sit quietly, or do an activity just by yourself. Go hiking. Have coffee at the coffee shop. Read in the park. The point is to take the time to be with you and only you.

Silence your phone

If you can leave your phone behind, do it. If that’s too much to ask, silence it and don’t look at it. Block out all the noise of the outside so you can think and focus on yourself.

Be mindful

The goal is to reflect. Don’t worry about your errands or family, you’ll address those the other 364 days of the year. Focus on yourself.

Reminisce

Think about your work and ask yourself “What parts about that did I enjoy most?” Think hard and don’t give yourself the surface answers, take a few minutes and continuously re-ask why to the subsequent question. Peel back the layers and think hard! That’s where the real values lie.

To round back to our earlier example:

I loved when we hit our goals.

Why? — I enjoyed seeing the team proud of what they had done.

Why? — I loved seeing the smiles on everyone’s faces.

Why? — Because I know they accomplished their own personal goals.

Why? — I loved mentoring them there.

It doesn’t happen in a day

Reflection takes time and upkeep. Just like flossing your teeth — it takes diligence and the more you do it, the easier it is.

If you ever feel unmotivated in what you are doing or are struggling to find a fit, ask yourself if you are clear on your own personal “Why”. Stop and take a look at yourself — you’ll thank yourself when your work and your personal goals begin to align.

For more career advice you can follow us here on Medium or visit us at www.jobbindr.com.