Loving What You Do or Nah?!?

“Choose a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life!”

-Unknown

One powerful way to give 100% of yourself in your career is to do what you are meant to do. Now, how do you know what you’re meant to do? How do you know the career path you chose is right for you? Have you thought about switching jobs or your whole dang career totally, but don’t know where to begin?

It’s never too late to try something NEW!!! Let that sink in for a minute… Firstly, when you think of your career, you should feel fulfilled, happy, perhaps even, excited to go to work. And if that’s not the case, then you may want to consider a career/job change. I know that sounds easier said than done. But here at TK Love & Lifestyle, our mindset is on the positive and proactive. This means:

• I’ll put positive intentions out into the world
• I say what I mean and I mean what we say
• I can do ANYTHING I put my mind to
• I’m the gatekeeper for what I want in my life

These are just a few of the affirmations we wholeheartedly believe in.

How does all this apply to you and your career?

Take me for example, I recently decided to start a blog as an initial step in a possible career change. I am successful in my current career as an educator (leading, coaching, guiding, and supporting teachers to improve their practice).

Now, at almost knocking on 40, I’ve decided that I want to take my skill set as an educator-leader-coach and apply that to other’s daily lives. All in the hopes of being able to help even more people and have a greater impact on the world.

Maybe I could of started this when I first had the idea, but I didn’t. Why? Unfortunately, I let the self-doubt and the potential roadblocks deter me from initially pursuing my dream . It took me getting out of my own way in order to take the necessary steps towards my goals. And I want the same for you! There’s two very important questions you need to ask yourself:

• Are you happy at work?
• Are you able to have quality “me time” and still be successful at work?

Am I fulfilled at work?

Fulfillment at work, or lack thereof, can come in a variety of forms. You may be okay in one aspect of your job/career, but not in another. The four forms of fulfillment we will discuss today are: mental, physical, spiritual, and the all important, financial. Here are some questions to ask yourself to figure out the area(s) of concern for you and your current job.

Mental

• Do I feel my smarts are consistently being utilized in my job?
• Are there opportunities for professional development?
• Am I surrounded by people who are equally as or smarter than me?

Physical

• Am I feel safe at work?
• Do I have a place/space that I can call my own?
• Do I have the resources/tools at my disposal in order to be successful?

Spiritual

• Am I happy at work?
• Do I enjoy going to work?
• Do I enjoy being around the people I work with professionally?

Financial

• Am I able to make ends meet with what I bring home?
• Do I feel I am paid what I deserve? (No one ever is, I know 🤪)
• Are there opportunities for me to advance in position/pay?

Are you able to have quality “me time and still be successful at work?

Another major factor in loving what you do is if you are still able to make time for the people and things you love most. You can be fulfilled in every aspect of your job, but if it consumes you to the point that you miss out on special events and holidays. Or even if it causes neglect your own personal and physical needs, then this can be problematic.

It’s super important to have a work-life balance. If you’re loving what you do at work, and who you are as a person outside of work. Then, you’re living the dream, my friend. YOU CAN HAVE IT ALL…That is, if you chose that for yourself!

One place you can begin your new found career aspirations is with yourself. Spend some time reflecting on your wants and desires. Think about where the gaps in your happiness lie by answering the job reflection questions above. Remember to continuously spend time reflecting and refining your ideas until you have a solid next step for yourself. By solid, I mean ACTIONABLE. More about self reflection can be found HERE.

As you reflect and answer the questions above, think about if the bad outweighs the good. If so, then you may need to re-evaluate your job/career choice. Now, I’m not talking about ‘pie in the sky’ ideas like, “I want to be a millionaire.” (which is totally doable is you put your mind to it). #iwanttobeamillionairetoo

I mean, can you enhance or shift what you currently do with a bit more training or experience that can put you in a more appropriate, fulfilling, better paying position? Or do you need to find the time for a side hustle hobby/interest that will allow you to explore another avenue, while still being able to pay the bills?

Another tip I can offer is for you to take a personality/career test to evaluate what you are “meant” to be doing. Perhaps by taking this quiz, it will solidify the career path you’ve already chosen for yourself OR it can even confirm for you a potential path you may want to venture out and explore.

Either way, it will give you some insight and information that you can then choose what to do with it. One that I enjoyed taking can be found HERE. Remember, read the instructions carefully before taking the quiz.

Best of luck to you in discovering the shifts in your career you may want to take. I am right there with you, plunging ahead to build the life that I want for myself and my family.

Let me know if there’s anything else I can support you with on this journey! Leave a comment below to let me know how the career test worked out, and if it was useful to you.

I know you’re working hard girl, so jam to this as you get ready for work!!!

*I do not own any rights to the music/video above.*

Hopefully, this article has inspired deep reflection, the gathering of your thoughts, and organizing yourself BEFORE actually leaving your job. At the end of the day, you gotta pay your bills. In closing, have a solid plan before jumping ship!