For most of us, determining the right career path takes plenty of reflecting, thought, time and guidance to figure out – and even then, we may not feel fully fulfilled or rewarded with the career we find ourselves in. For this week’s discussion we want you all to feel equipped to begin contemplating the career that would make you feel whole.
Let’s start by thinking about what success means to you. How do you define success? What does a successful future for you look like? Take some time to write down 3-4 ideas before continuing!
Now that you have some idea what success means to you, let’s drill down a little deeper. We want to highlight four keys to a successful career for each of you. The four keys are as follows:
- Values
i.e. Family, friends, honesty, education, integrity
- Passions
i.e. Social justice, sports, art, technology, math, theater
- Talents
i.e. Communication, organization, punctuality, time management
- Goals
i.e. Flexibility, wealth, work-life balance, happiness, travel
Let’s start with Values. Write down a short list with some of the most important values to you. Feel free to refer to the examples provided above. Once you have some of your values written down, move on to the next three categories and do the same thing!
You should now have a few things written down: your definition of success and some of your values, passions, talents and goals. Now let’s bring all of it together! How many of the four keys does your definition of success align with? All of them? Some of them? None of them? The most important thing to consider when picturing your success is whether it aligns with your four individual keys. Often folks only consider wealth and power when thinking of success, even when that means disregarding those things that they are truly passionate about, what they truly value, and their goals.
At the end of the day, success looks different for each and every one of us because it is a product of our four keys. Here at JFY, we believe in a holistic approach to figuring out the right career for you, and that starts with alignment with all those things that make you YOU.
If you enjoyed today’s post, be sure to keep an eye out for a public Soft Skills for Success workshop (held regularly via Zoom) where we go over these topics in more detail. In the meantime, check out the Soft Skills Workbook for more exercises to further help you determine the right career path for you!
