We spend a huge amount of our lives at work. Of course, the main reason that most of us work is that you have to, in order to live! However, there’s no reason at all that you should have to sleepwalk through your working day, counting down the hours until you can go home.
Finding your purpose
When you start to think about what it is you want to do for a living, it’s important to think about this question in the larger context of your life. What is it that you are passionate about?
A lot of people think about careers only in terms of money, but money is only one piece of the puzzle. If you aren’t passionate about what you are doing, then you will end up spending your days going through the motions and not ever engaging with your passions.
When choosing a new career, ask yourself what it is that you are passionate about? Try asking yourself questions like:
- If money and education weren’t a limiting factor, what would your dream job be? And what is it about that job that appeals to you?
- What tasks do I get the most enjoyment from?
- What subjects do I read about the most?
- When I have retired, what legacy would I like to leave behind?
- What skills do I already have that I value?
- What types of tasks do I really not enjoy?
Asking questions can help you to form more of an idea about what it is that you actually enjoy and are passionate about. You can use this information to start to form an idea of what types of careers would be right for you.
Seek Inspiration
It can be helpful to get some help and inspiration. Many men turn to blogs like Masculine by Design to see how other men have changed their lives. It can be highly beneficial to feel part of a community and to be able to communicate with like-minded people as you embark on your journey.
Applying purpose to your career
Once you have an idea of what your absolute dream career would be, you can apply this idea to your life.
Think about things like:
- What is the minimum amount of money that you need to earn (to start with) so that you don’t destroy your quality of life?
- How would you like to work? Would you like to work as part of an organization, or would you prefer to go out on your own?
- Would you like to work regular office hours, or are you happy working evenings and weekends?
- Are you willing and able to go back to school to get additional qualifications?
Once you have the answers to these questions, you can start to really narrow down the career paths that you might legitimately be able to follow.
It’s not comfortable to overhaul your life, but once you come out of the other side, you will be living a life that you had previously only dreamed of.
