In this post, our guest writer is Career + Mindset Coach Hayden Humphrey! He shares tips for people who are feeling stuck and unfulfilled, and contemplating a career change.

Here's my theory about why people struggle to find fulfilling and satisfying careers… 

You feel stuck at work because…

• you’re following the script

• you don’t know yourself well, and

• it’s scary to do new things

And if you’re reading this, there’s a good chance at least some of these things apply to you.

In this post, I want to break down each of these pieces, as well as provide some clear next steps and reflection questions to help you unscript yourself, and find a more fulfilling career.

Step #1: Break up with the script

We are products of our environment. The family, community, and culture that we grow up in has an outsized impact on our sense of self, our understanding of the world, and the ways in which we make decisions.

From a young age, we’re implicitly taught to follow the “script” — stick with what’s safe, what’s responsible, and don’t do anything too "out there" or too different.

When we live life following the script, it can often feel like we don’t have much power or control over our circumstances, because we are, essentially, doing the things we think we’re supposed to do, instead of making decisions based on what we really, truly want.

In our careers, this can manifest as a pressure to stay in a particular line of work because of family or cultural pressure, as a habit of discounting our own interests ("that’s just a personal hobby, I could never make a career out of that!"), or as a general feeling that our career path options are “limited”.

The beautiful truth here, my friend, is that you are an infinitely capable, all-powerful being who can create anything they set their mind to. Your options are truly limitless, and you can choose to deviate from the script and reinvent your career (and life) at any time.

The first step to actualizing this truth is to figure out where you’re following the script.

Here are some reflection questions to help you get started:

1. Where am I doing what I think I ‘should’ be doing in my career?

2. What fears do I have about changing my career or doing something else? Who am I afraid of upsetting, disappointing, or receiving criticism from?

3. If I had all the money in the world, would I still be doing what I’m doing? If not, what else would I be doing?

Step #2: Get to know yourself better

So you’re stepping out of the script. Now what?

The next step to finding more career fulfillment and satisfaction is getting to know yourself in a deeper way. 

Fulfillment and satisfaction are born from alignment — alignment between who you authentically are, and the activities you involve yourself with on a daily basis. If you don’t know who you are and what you like, how could you possibly find a satisfying career?

The work here is spending more intentional time getting to know yourself. What are your strengths? What are your preferences? What are your interests? What do you love talking and thinking about?

Conversely, what do you hate? What kind of topics or activities drain you? What are you not good at, and don’t want to get better at?

When I work with clients to help them reinvent their careers, one of the first questions I ask them is:

“How much time do you spend on a weekly basis, sitting with yourself and reflecting on what you like and where you want to go?”

Oftentimes, the answer is zero — zero time.

Here’s the thing — finding a fulfilling career is born from you knowing yourself. Knowing yourself is born from creating the intentional time to journal, to ask yourself questions, and to understand more about who you are as a unique individual.

My encouragement to you, if you’re seeking a more fulfilling career, is to set aside one hour every week for “Reflection Time,” where you sit and journal intentionally. 

Here are some reflection questions you could use, specifically related to work:

• What kinds of problems do I get most excited to solve at work?

• What kinds of roles or responsibilities most excite me?

• What are the activities I am naturally talented at that, give me energy when I do them?

• What kinds of industries most spark my interest?

• What kinds of people and teams do I want to work with?

If you’re looking for an even more structured approach, feel free to use this tool: https://bit.ly/CareerClarityWorksheet

Step #3: Face your fears and take the scary actions

No matter what area of life we’re talking about: change, and trying new things, is scary. Creating positive change requires us to step outside of what’s comfortable and what’s known, and to be willing to brave new and unfamiliar situations without any guarantees.

Change in career can be especially scary, given how closely it’s tied to our livelihood, and our sense of self.

But here’s the thing: creating the kind of fulfillment you’re seeking in your career is impossible without trying new things.

As you reflect more on who you are and what you like (Step #2), you will start to identify different topics, skills, and types of work that feel interesting to you. 

And, in order to figure out what you want to do more of, you have to regularly experiment and be trying new things. Because you don’t know what you don’t know!

The only way to know if you want to do more of something is to do it, and then to reflect on how it felt to do it. 

Finding your most fulfilling career path may require you to try a lot of different things.

The question then becomes: are you willing to go through uncomfortable situations and push yourself to act, if it means that, on the other side, you’ll have the experience of career you’ve been craving?

The good news here is that this exploration and experimentation doesn’t need to be dramatic or drastic. It won’t require you to quit your job and renounce your belongings. 

It simply asks you to do something every day or every week that will help you get closer to your goal.

That could mean, for example:

1. Launching a small side business and asking your friends and family for projects

2. Volunteering with a nonprofit or community organization to get experience with a new type of skill

3. Go to networking events in the industry you’re interested in and talk to people about how they like it

4. Reach out to people who have the role you’re interested in and ask them questions about what the day-to-day looks like

5. Spend time researching and taking online courses for the business function you think you’d like to work in

The bottom line here is that thinking will only take you so far. Eventually, you have to give yourself new, lived experiences to more clearly help you paint the picture of where you’d like to be in your career.

Bringing it all together

While I’ve laid these steps out in a sequential order, I like to think of them more as individual tools or approaches you can utilize: Unscripting, Knowing Yourself, and Taking Action.

I also want to remind you that if you find yourself currently feel stuck or unfulfilled in your career, this experience is temporary.

Being aware of the problem and seeking resources (like reading this blog!) is the first step towards making a change.

I hope this blog was helpful and gave you some new ideas or insights on how to move your career in a new and more fulfilling different direction.

Cheers,

Hayden Humphrey, Career + Mindset Coach

Learn more about Hayden at: www.haydenhumphrey.com/