I’m addicted to change. For years, I’d work somewhere for 6 months, be bored out of my mind, quit, then find another job. Everyone told me I was nuts, I’d never find a good job if I didn’t stay at my jobs longer.
Leverage your skills
But I just couldn’t do it. I dreaded going into work – even if I loved the people I worked with – and I’d feel like I was going to crawl out of my skin. So, what did I do? Every time I changed jobs I leveraged my existing skills to I acquire new responsibilities: publishing a magazine, organizing a state-wide convention, editing newsletters.
I looked for jobs in my sweet spot – not necessarily my passion work – not for a long time, but jobs where I learned more skills, honed existing skills, worked with people, did some kind of writing and editing. The jobs also had to be self-directed and fast-paced. I didn’t really have a plan, I just kept moving forward.
Why not my career passion? Because I didn’t know what my passions were until my 30’s. But that’s a post for another day.
Get reacquainted with your career passion
You can do the same thing. If you’re bored or feeling like your work doesn’t matter, there are some steps you can take to get ready to make change. First, re-acquaint yourself with your passions (if you’ve identified them) and your favorite skills (notice I said favorite skills, not most marketable).
Take your list and go to Google, LinkedIn, and GlassDoor and search for jobs that use your favorite skills. Now look for jobs in fields where you can use your skills and work passion to drive your success.
Picture yourself in that job
What does it take to go for those jobs? If you have 50-60% of the skills listed in a posting, create a practice cover letter for it. Talk about why that company and that job speak to you. Hold onto that letter. Picture yourself in that job. When you put your intentions out there in the world, things change.
Change is good. You don’t have to be stuck in your job. Create a new path for yourself by taking those first steps. To quote the poet Antonio Machado,
Traveler there is no path. The path is made by walking.
Watch, Read, Learn
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