True Calling

Your True Calling

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” is often the question we get asked when we are still at school. Notice the semantics. It did not read “what do you want to do?” The notion being that we define ourselves by our work.

When they are younger most people have hopes and aspirations for their future working lives but it would appear that somewhere along the line it can go awry. The typical worker is estimated to labour away between 80,000 and 100,000 hours over the course of their lifetime. Research has suggested that 60 % of workers are unhappy with their work. Certainly a lot of people will identify with the feeling of dread come Monday morning when the working week starts again. In terms of productivity a high proportion of workers will ‘get through’ Monday by putting in less than a full working day and similarly come Friday unhappy workers will idle away their time doing the minimum, counting down the hours until they can escape the prison that has become work.

Many people have settled for something other than an emotionally fulfilling job and given up on their dreams and aspirations. There are lots of reasons for this:

• Some people fall into certain career paths that don’t really fulfil them because traditional wisdom says it’s a good career but it is not really what they want deep down. Perhaps it is what their parents pushed them towards, or what their peers where aspired to that resulted in the wrong choices.

• When we are starting out in our careers we don’t always know what a job or career path really involves. There can be a mismatch in terms of our values and that of a profession or organisation. For instance, being a lawyer or forensic psychologist can seem much more glamorous from the outside looking in.

• Peoples values and hopes can change over time. What once fitted with our beliefs can no longer seem to hold true as we grow and develop through out our lives. Certainly life span psychology has shown that we are not static beings from the time we grow up. Rather we are continuously developing and growing.

Whatever the reasons, it is clear that many people are now realising that they can radically improve their lot by re-evaluating their life purpose, values and interests and seeing how high they can reach if they build on what they have by setting new goals.

Of course this is all easy to say. Procrastination and the fog that surrounds knowing what really turns us on and can realistically earn us a living usually get in the way unless have a little help. Entering into a coaching relationship with a career coach is the answer for some people. Others want to dip their toe into the water or just need the tools to do it for themselves.

Knowing what will fulfil us emotionally is just part of the equation in terms of having a happy working life. Marketing yourself; deploying the secrets of a stunning resume and interview tactics that ‘get the job’ are the next steps.

To find out more about my approach to coaching please visit http://www.careercoachzing.com