Are you unhappy with your career but afraid to make a change because you’re not sure you’ll like it? You may have an idea of what you’d like to do next, but how do you know it’s the right choice?
We all want to be happy and fulfilled at work. We want something that uses the skills we like to use and is meaningful to us.
The law of attraction tells us that in order to create what we want, we need to be in vibrational alignment with it. We should feel excited about the idea. A good way to vibrationally align with what you want is to “act as if” you already have what you want. You have to be able to imagine that you already have it and what it feels like. But how do you know what that new direction will actually feel like?
Here are some tips on how to “try out” what you think you want to do before you take the plunge.
1.Take classes
There are many e-courses available online. There are also YouTube videos on a variety of topics. Try what you find interesting and see what feels like a fit. You could develop many new skills! And digging into a little bit of training can help you sort through what you really love and find interesting and what you don’t.
2. Take a personality inventory, like Myers-Briggs
This helps you get in touch with your personality preferences. People with the same personality type tend to have similar job and career preferences. Once you know your type, you can search online for careers with your personality type. (Ex: Google “INFP Careers”) Suggestions are made in a variety of fields.
3. Do informational interviews
Request an interview with people in the fields that interest you. Prepare your questions in advance to respect their time and get the most out of the call or meeting. You can ask about the education required, what they like and don’t like about their jobs, what the industry as a whole is like, opportunities for advancement, etc. Some people may even let you follow them for a day. (Once the pandemic is over). Be sure to thank them with an actual physical card that is mailed to them and do what you can to return the favor. You can search on LinkedIn or Google to find people to contact.
4. Explore your values
Are you in touch with your top five values? Whether you want to work for yourself or someone else, your values and the values of the company must be aligned. If what you’re doing for a career doesn’t match your personal values, that’s a toxic situation for you. If you’re not sure what your core values are, you can find lists of core values online and decide which ones are closest to the values you hold. Try about 25 values. Then, group similar values into five groups and decide what they all represent. Those will be your top five values.
5. What is your preferred work environment?
Do you like to be outdoors? Indoors? In a quiet or fast-paced work environment? Do you prefer to work alone or do you like to collaborate in a team? I’m not sure? Try volunteering or taking on a side job that allows you to experience something different from your current job.
6. Use contrast for clarity
Contrast is everything you don’t like or want. By making a list of everything you don’t like about your current situation (and even past ones), you can go back and ask yourself, if I don’t want that, then what do I want? Make a new list of the clarity you just got by changing the things on your contrast list to what you want. Next, give your full attention to the Clarity list. You can even take the clarity list and create a story of already being in that situation. How does it feel?
Now you can “act as if” you already have what you want!