What Should I Be Doing With My Life?

During my management and consulting career I’ve watched two things impact a person’s sense of “What should I be doing with my life?”

1. A job change initiated by an employer .This is usually a reorganization or layoff that causes people to evaluate what else might be a good fit within the existing company or what to focus on in the midst of a sudden job search.

2. A personal crisis: “What I’m doing at work isn’t satisfying. There must be more to my life than this!”

Both situations offer an opportunity to find more happiness, satisfaction, and contentment.

If you look around, you’ll find different approaches to career development. Some focus on one’s interests , others talk about skills ; you’ll see tools that ask you to clarify your values (what’s really important to you); and finally there is, at last, a valid movement that addresses talents and giftedness.

Much of the work I do is with corporations and individuals involved in 1 and/or 2 above. Both involve having control over meaningful changes in one’s life .

Fortunately there are companies out there that offer support in the event of the first situation. (Unfortunately, there are many that do not, with the result being a lot of wasted talent that could have been used in ways never imagined).

What I think I’ve learned is this: there are 3 key areas to focus on when you seek more congruency in your working life.

I've used elements of this little slide show in past months here and hope that it will add some clarity and thought to how you view your career. If you are a manager, think about how you might use this to see people’s potential a bit differently than you might be doing now.

Here’s the video link for Using Your Talents.