Does Your Career Align with Your Life?

Think About It:

Does Your Career Align with Your Life?

“When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: ‘If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.‘ It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ And whenever the answer has been ‘No’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.” ~ Steve Jobs

_{Photo by Laurenz Kleinheider on Unsplash}

I like to make collages.  You know, tearing pictures out of magazines & assembling them together into something new.  Sometimes it’s a particular chosen theme, like a work/career vision board to illustrate what I want in my working life (which I talked about in this blog post, too, click here),  sometimes I just pull images that appeal to me without thinking about why, then go back when I’m done & see what the images seem to be saying to me, and how my intuition is speaking  to me through the pictures I selected.

Often times this process takes me a loooonnnggg time, because as I thumb through the magazines, I inevitably come upon interesting articles that I end up reading.  In a recent vision board project as I continue to reframe my life  direction after the death of my beloved, I came upon a great article in an O, Oprah’s magazine..  I went googling, though, and am so pleased to find the link to share with you (below!)

I’ve said it over and over again  in my newsletters, here on my blog, and on Facebook – our work is SUCH a key part of what our lives end up becoming.  

Is what you are doing 8+ hours/day something that serves and aligns with your larger life’s purpose and values? Our work doesn’t have to BE our life purpose, but, no job should directly conflict with our larger vision, or, deplete us physically, financially, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually to the point where we can’t serve and live our best lives.

My beloved, when he passed, was working a job he disliked, but for a specific purpose; it served a longer term career & life plan in more ways than one.  I think that getting hit by a drunk driver at 40 is pretty rare (though not rare enough), so this is not a fear based prompting.  I just think it’s important to contemplate periodically, whether you have one day to live (and any of us might), like Steve Jobs says, or 40 more to go, how are you spending your days?  Your energy?  How are your predominant thoughts & feelings serving you, or not?

Feeling stuck, or unsure about your career direction?  Or just want to litmus test your career choice – or maybe job change?

Check out these 5 Questions to contemplate, from the O Magazine article, Getting Unstuck :

Question 1
Does this job allow me to work with “my people”—individuals who share my sensibilities about life—or do I have to put on a persona to get through the day?

Question 2
Does this job challenge, stretch, change, and otherwise make me smarter—or does it leave my brain in neutral?

Question 3
Does this job, because of the company’s “brand” or my level of responsibility, open the door to future jobs?

Question 4
Does this job represent a considerable compromise for the sake of my family and if so, do I sincerely accept that deal with all of its consequences?

Question 5
Does this job—the stuff I actually do day-to-day—touch my heart and feed my soul in meaningful ways?

If you know you need a CAREER CHANGE but maybe aren’t 100% clear on exactly what type of job you want next, then the Career Clarity Guide is for you! 

It’s a 70+ page pdf with 4 “Road Maps” to guide you with more ideas, resources, and “excavation” exercises like the questions above to inspire your career exploration!

Map 1:  Pack & Purge: explore and evaluate your past positions, and what stays/goes now
Map 2:  Choose Your Transfer Tickets: how to use existing skills in a new way (or in a new job)
Map 3:  Write Your Own Itinerary: get clear on your ideal job journey “trip”
Map 4:  Chart Your Quest: plan your new job search journey via your resume, cover letter, and interview answers”
and … look for your Souvenirs/Extras as you go!

>>Your resume needs to be targeted to sell you for where you’re going NOW, so this should help bring clarity to your job search goals! <<

DOWNLOAD this free section of the Career Clarity Guide here!   

It’s Part 2 (of a 70+ page, 4-Part pdf).  Part 2 gets into how to use existing skills in a new way (or in a new job).

Tags: career direction, career exploration, changing careers, changing jobs, new job