When you were a child you knew exactly what you loved to do.
Back then, if you had a typical, regular childhood, you could easily get lost in any activity that drew your attention. You could explore any path that fascinated you. For some time, you could be, well… just YOU.
No guilt. No shame. No shoulds.
But trying to do what you love as an adult, it’s a totally different story!
In fact, many of us searching for a new career path, can’t even pinpoint what our passions are anymore.
Life got into our way.
We disconnected from our interests when more “important” things claimed for our attention, and slowly lost sight to the dreams in our hearts.
The good thing is you haven’t lost your ability to enjoy life, nor your ability to know what it is you want.
You’ve only lost sight of it, buried under a pile of “shoulds”, “musts” and “have to’s.
So how can you get back in touch with your inspiration?
Charo’s coaching tip:
I discovered this exercise in one of Marcus Buckingham’s books. And even though it’s designed to help you identify your strengths, I’ve found it incredibly useful at helping you reconnect with your inspiration.
It all starts by observing yourself.
So today’s experiment is this:
This week, bring a small notebook and pen with you. Every time you engage in an activity observe yourself and notice how you feel:
- Do you feel energized or drained?
- Does it leave you feeling happy or frustrated?
Once the week is over, take a look at your answers and mark the activities that recharged you.
Those activities that make you feel great are your strengths, and according to Marcus, you should be doing more of those because…
First, that’s where your greatest contribution lays, and second, they will make you really happy.
Now, let me add a personal tweak to Marcus Buckingham’s exercise:
Don’t limit yourself to your habitual activities.
During the week, add other activities you’ve been longing to do for some time or that you used to enjoy as a child, and notice how you feel. You might want to expand this experiment a bit longer than a week and that’s ok. I assure you that the information you’ll gather is worth your time. It will help you find clarity about what path will really make you happy.
Now, I understand that looking so closely to ourselves can be tricky. We are too close to see the bigger picture, notice patterns or see our potential. And that’s when having a second pair of eyes go through you findings is very useful.
So if you are ready to get crystal clear about your next fulfilling career path, and you would like me to guide you through that path rather that do it alone, I’d be honored to help.
I invite you to apply for an Escape Career Frustration complimentary session with me. Just contact me letting me know why changing careers it’s important to you right now and I will get back to you as soon as possible.