Combining What You Love to Do with Your Career Path - CareerAlley

Combining What You Love to Do with Your Career Path - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. Work is often considered the dirtiest of all four-letter words, and many try to avoid doing it at all costs. But you dont have to hate working, and in fact, since youll spend a third of your life doing it, you shouldnt. If you pick a job you love, youll love doing it, and work wont be just that thing you must do to pay the bills, but instead, be something you look forward to every day. Here are some tips on how to combine your passions with your career choice, making not only your life, but the world a better place. Believe that you can combine your passions with your career. More people dislike their jobs than those who actively love what they do. Because of these numbers, it can be easy to fall into the trap of believing that employment is intrinsically unfulfilling. That doesnt have to be the case. The first step, and perhaps the most important step, is mentally overcoming these dreary expectations. That is not to say you should convince yourself that your ideal job will be perfect all jobs come with good and bad days but you should not settle for work that chronically feels meaningless. Figure out the layers of your passions. Most of the time, the reasons you love to do things are complex. For example, someone with a love for poetry may simply love poetry; or, maybe they love the kind of deep psychological insight poetry offers; perhaps they really love discussing a great poem with like-minded individuals. In short, what you think your passion is like poetry, travel, or live music could actually be an expression of deeper interests, like understanding the human condition or collaborating with thoughtful colleagues. Once you get to the root of these deeper interests, many of which are transferable, you could be better prepared to identify fulfilling career paths. Embrace your existing expertise. You may not feel like much of an expert, but you probably are. After decades on this earth, it is highly likely that you have developed a skill beyond the level most people reach. If youre stumped at what it could be, ask friends and family what your strengths are. You may be surprised at how many little skills you exhibit that others find valuable, but that you consider no big deal, perhaps because you are used to having these talents. Isolating these skills is a huge step in devising a rewarding career path. For many people, it not only exposes what they are good at, but can also hint at where your passions lie. Perhaps, for example, you are a skilled mediator in emotional circumstances because, at your core, you love helping people reach productive solutions. Start small. Some people can embark on new dramatic journeys without batting an eye, and if that applies to you, you dont need this tip. However, for most individuals, diving into a line of work that lines up with their passions can be scary. It may even feel impossible at times. Easing into the transition can help take some of the strain off of the process. So, instead of quitting your dreary job and leaping headfirst into a new career, start volunteering in your new field on the weekends, pick up a part-time job, or start your own side business related to your passions. Soon enough, youll be ready to drop your unfilling job. Life is too short to spend a third of it toiling away at a job you hate. Although plenty of cynics may disagree, it is possible to combine your passions with your career. Once you do, you wont look back. Author Bio: This guest post was contributed by Jordan Traeger. Jordan is a freelance writer and careers expert. As a freelancer he understands the importance of temporary medical insurance for when in between contracts. If you would like to submit a guest post to CareerAlley, please follow these guest post guidelines. Good luck in your search. Visit me on Facebook