Career Happiness

For most people around the world, work has always been about making a living. We all need shelter, food, transportation, electricity, Manolo Blaniks (well, maybe not that last one) and other necessities and comforts to continue our existence and that of our dependents. In the past decades people are realizing that a job pays bills, but it also takes a token on our relationships, our health and our wellbeing. I have met a few clients who were working well over forty hours per week only to end up taking a stress leave or even go on disability due to depression. Work does not have to be only a duty or a way of paying bills, especially if we are not happy with what we are doing and our health and the rest of our lives are suffering because of it.

As we walk through this path called Life, we encounter many crossroad and possibilities in our ways. Sometimes we are pressured to take on a job we don’t like, let alone feel passionate about, just for the money, only to end up feeling unhappy and unfulfilled several months down the road.

It does not matter what kind of job you have right now, you can start by taking a few small steps to determine what your next career should be.

I believe that there are five variables that can help us make a better choice next time we are faced with changing jobs. These are your interests, things you enjoy and are passionate about; your competencies, those skills you have that can be put to use in doing something you love; your capabilities, your drive to become all that you can be; your motivation, the values and needs that get you moving and help you move forward in your life; and finally, your fit, the setting that would be perfect for you to put all other elements to work in order to create your perfect job.

Of course finding a perfect job is not as simple as following those five elements and it takes time and effort, but it is a beginning, and if given a little thought, it will get your ideas flowing and your vision expanding.