If there’s one thing that COVID-19 has taught us, it’s that our time here is precious. We have all been through an unprecedented public health crisis. As the signs and signals are showing promise, we have a new opportunity to look ahead to a brighter future.
Many professionals are using this time to reflect on their career choices. It’s fascinating how the crisis can bring us right up to the present. This is a good time to reconnect with yourself, find your passion, and make your move towards the career of your dreams.
Let’s look at the top tips to help you connect with your heart and do the work you love.
Make Time For Reflection
Although it’s been a rocky and wild ride, it’s time for you. Making time for self-reflection and inquiry may not have been the first thing on your To-Do List. But now, your dream career is calling. It is time.
Many people find that journaling, writing, and expressing ideas is a gateway for getting to the core of what matters most.
Let’s look at what journaling can reveal. As you explore these 4 areas, you may find some very useful clues from lessons you’ve learned in your own life. As you do, you’ll be making a plan that is rooted in what works best for you.
What Sparked Your Passion?
Perhaps you have always loved doing something—such as caring for people, advising on nutrition, or helping people get healthy. Maybe it’s a secret passion you’ve had your entire life.
Many people realize that there’s always been a current of interest flowing in their lives…the thing they return to again and again. It’s not really about the money—it’s about the spark.
Who Has Helped You?
Who supported you in seeking out your true passion? Perhaps it was a friend, mentor, or teacher. Maybe it was a religious person such as a pastor or rabbi.
In the past, when you’ve made career decisions, who helped you?
What Worked Best For You?
While you’ve explored options at other times in your life, what special things did you do? Did you have a way of evaluating your choices that seemed to work like a charm?
Many people have unique rituals and activities. What works for one person might not be the key that turns the lock for another. That’s why this is so powerful to explore in your journaling.
When you identify your unique ‘work-flow’ you have precisely tailored information. It’s a lot like having the pattern for your favorite shirt or pair of jeans. You might not have the identical fabric anymore, but you can recreate the pattern.
Some of the things people have found include:
- walking in nature without a plan
- spending time near water, and writing ideas in a notebook
- drawing and sketching
- dancing solo
- going for a run
- listening to a favorite song
- watching an inspirational movie
Your choices may be completely different. When you see what helped you in the past, you can adapt it to the present.
What Behaviors Did You Do?
Making a career move often involves trying things out.
Let’s say you are intrigued by the idea of going into nursing. Perhaps you’ve even looked into going back to school for a year to get certified with an Accelerated Bachelor of Nursing. You may be checking out options for online ABSN programs. You might be talking to friends and family who are nurses, getting their input, and gathering insights.
Checking in with your own life experience gives you valuable clues to understand the behaviors, patterns, and process improvements that help you thrive.
- Do you like to make lists?
- Do you like networking with friends and colleagues?
- Do you enjoy interviewing people working in the profession you’re considering?
- Do you prefer reading interviews or watching videos?
By identifying the investigative behaviors that work for you, you’ll come up with a game plan that’s right for you.
Sum Up
Journaling can be one of the most accessible and cost-effective ways to explore your career options. You explore your choices—anywhere, anytime. It could be one of the easiest steps to take as you explore your professional development.
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