What do you want to be when you grow up?
Quite often, my clients are feeling stuck and unfulfilled in their roles. Last week, I shared the question that I often pose in those situations:
If I were to pay you $1,000,000 a year on the condition that you had an occupation, what would you do?
If you have a clear answer, that’s really useful information. I shared some tips on how you can use that data to guide you to find more joy and fulfilment in your working week.
But it’s not uncommon for the question to be met with a looooong silence followed by “I have absolutely no idea”.
No problem.
If you are feeling unhappy with what you’re doing in your career, but also very disconnected from what lights you up, here’s a few ideas. First, data gathering:
Spend a couple of hours scanning the job ads without worrying about what’s realistic, what you’re qualified for, or what a role pays. Just play around, let your imagination run wild, and keep notes on what roles capture your attention (or repel you).
Find a big (real world) book shop and browse the aisles. Not for what you “should” like or read, but for what actually pings your interest. Are you an accountant who finds yourself drawn to the architecture books? An architect who is curious about natural history? Again, take notes, but no judging, analysing or conclusion-drawing.
Over the next few weeks, pay attention to which kinds of conversations and activities you find absorbing and engaging, and which feel like chores.
What did you want to be when you grew up? As a child, what occupations interested you? As an adult, you may now realise that particular jobs are different from how you understood them as a child (I wanted to be a “signwriter”, thinking that was the job of conceiving and creating advertising!), but don’t worry about that now. No filtering or being sensible. Just remember what you were interested in and list it down.
Flick through various news sources and magazines (print or online) and notice which articles you stop to read and which you pass by.
Take note of any other flashes of insight that pop up over the two or three weeks you undertake this project.
Then, it’s time to synthesise your data and find out what it might be telling you.
Write down all your notes and ideas on index cards, one per card. (You could use an online mind-mapping tool for this but in my experience it works better with the tactile, tangible, real-world version.) Arrange them all in front of you and begin to organise them…
Are there themes? What do these subjects or ideas have in common?
Do any seem diametrically opposed?
Any outliers?
Add in new cards or create sections as you consider:
What strengths of yours might be activated by any of these options?
What do the various interesting items have in common?
What appears here, that is missing from your current role?
What is missing here, that is present in your current role?
If you could magically have a life that included all the best and most desirable aspects of the ideas on the cards, what would it be? What would that give you? What would it allow?
What else pops up?
Once you’ve spent some time on this project you’ll be ready to explore next steps as I described in last week’s article. Enjoy and good luck!
Until next week,
Take care of yourself and others
Madeleine
PS. Want to work with me as you figure out what you want to be when you grow up? Let me know. Send me a message to enquire, and please share with anyone you think may benefit.
I help accomplished professionals untangle difficult career questions so they can thrive in work and life.
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