Find Passion for Your Work

Most people spend approximately 25% to over 67% of their waking hours working. Eventually, most everyone will want to work in a career that they enjoy and are paid well enough to live a prosperous life. Yet, far too many people end up being miserable in their job and find themselves stuck in a career that they did not choose. People then get discouraged, produce less, and become disgruntled. Unfortunately, people then blame themselves or those they work for, when in truth there is rarely anything wrong with them or the people they work for. Instead, maybe their job selection process is flawed which causes them to fall into the wrong positions.

You have considerable control over selecting your work conditions to get the position you are passionate about by following these 11 steps.

Step # 1 Avoid following the normal trial and error career selection process

You probably follow the trial and error path to select your job or career. You take jobs that appear to be the best opportunities and try them out. You adjust to what your bosses and the companies want in hopes of advancement. You eventually discover that you are stuck in jobs or careers that you really don't like. You might switch to other jobs and try them out and eventually end up in the same unhappy position. You will want to avoid falling back into the trial and error selection process.

Step # 2 Avoid following a career path to please others

Many people feel obligated to follow a career to please others or that they feel they "should" pursue. Spousal influence, peer pressure, family tradition, parental pressure, societal pressure, and other outside influences are frequently allowed to dictate career paths. In these situations, you end up working to suit the needs, wants and expectations of someone other than yourself and deep conflicts arise. These conflicts cause you stress, unhappiness and income reduction. You end up working at a position you do not like and eventually disappoint the people you wanted to please in the first place.

Step # 3 Focus first on what you want and enjoy in your ideal career

You have your own inner wants, needs, and feelings. Many times it is easier to follow how others view you than to look for and accept the truth about yourself. The only way you will know which career is best for you is to focus first on YOU to discover what YOU want and what is important to YOU.

Step # 4 Discover your true passions

Most people are passionate about something, but have suppressed their feelings for a number of reasons. You will want to discover what you are passionate about so you can find the position that will allow you to feel fulfilled. Your passions are always with you and you probably do not recognize or understand them. You will know you are passionate about something when you become naturally excited just thinking about it and even more excited about doing it.

Step # 5 Discover your true desires and priorities

Most people do not take the time to discover what their desires and priorities are in life. They seem to just go with the flow and hope that they are heading in the right direction. Yet, the one big reason people feel so frustrated while working is that it conflicts with their true desires and priorities. An example of a desire is: wanting to work outdoors with people. An example of a priority is: placing your family first.

Step # 6 Discover your true values

Everyone has his or her own value system. Unfortunately, people rarely look into their own values and instead frequently accept the values imposed by the companies they work for. Just look at the damage caused to the many employees of Enron, World Com, Global Crossing and others whose beliefs did not agree with the misguided values of the CEO's and higher executives. Were all of the employees misguided? Certainly not. Yet, most failed to discover their very honest values, and were penalized anyway, because they conflicted with the values of the leaders of the companies.

Step # 7 Discover your true talents

The most productive and enjoyable position for you is the one that comes naturally and is easier to do because it fits your talents and skill levels. You will enjoy working, be much more productive, and generate more quality results when you maximize the use of your talents at work. Your increased productivity and higher quality results will attract greater rewards to you.

Step # 8 Create or find the position the matches you

Unfortunately, many people who actually know what their ideal income positions really are choose not to pursue them. Either they feel guilty pursuing them, or they feel that they are unattainable, or more frequently they do not know how to get them. You want to find or create the position that will allow you to fulfill your passions, desires, values and talents. Now you can create the position to suit you, instead of taking a position and adjusting to it.

Step #9 Get help from the right person

People are led to believe that they can easily look within themselves and discover themselves on their own. Self-help books and assessment tests claim that reading the books or taking the tests will reveal all you need to get your ideal career. Yet, both methods fall very short of actually getting to the truth. Discovering what you really want, what your true talents or values are is not a self-help process.

We humans cannot see our face without using a mirror or a photographic image. Just as you must look into a mirror to see what you really look like, you must have another person act as your objective mirror to see what you really want to do and be in life.

Your other-person-mirror must be totally devoted to you and must be able to actively assist you in seeing within, where you may have been reluctant to look before. They must provide you an objective, non-critical mirror. Seek out and get someone to be your objective mirror to discover the truths about yourself, to find or create your ideal position. Career coaches are trained, motivated and focused on assisting you in becoming "The Worlds Leading Expert on You."

Step # 10 Go after the position that best suits YOU

Devise a program to attain your very distinct target positions. You will not be trying to "get a job" like so many others. You will be able to focus on getting a very specific income positions. You will not waste time, money, effort or emotional energy on pursuing unwanted position. You will want to recruit your ideal positions, even if they appear not to be available. Why? Because you have now become an extremely valuable and in essence, very marketable source of productivity. You will be very surprised how easy it is to actually get the position you love. Bosses prefer people who are enthusiastic about a job because they love it, and customers are easily attracted to professionals or business owners who love their work.

Step # 11 Recognize that your career wants and needs will change

Many people think that because they finally found the position they are passionate about, that they will want to stay in it forever. The position that is ideal today will probably not be ideal in a couple of years. Why? Because your passions, desires, priorities and needs will most likely change with time. Your values, or at least your understanding of your values might also change. As they change, your ideal career positions will also change. You will want to continually keep a pulse on yourself to determine your new priorities to reshape your career positions to what is important to you in each stage of your life.

Provided as an educational service by Bill Dueease of The Coach Connection, where "connecting great people with great coaches" is their goal. You may receive a free copy of the article "The Ten Paths to Human Improvement" by contacting The Coach Connection at 800-887-7214 or 239-415-1777 or coaches@findyourcoach.com, or http://www.findyourcoach.com/0o-career-coach.htm


More Resources

Passing The Police Test Just Became Easier
You've taken the police officer selection test or law enforcement entrance exam, but just can't seem to get a high enough passing score. You know you would be a good police officer if you could overcome that first hurdle.
2 Job-Search Success Stories
Here are two success stories from my readers who found great new jobs last week. As you read each story, ask yourself, "How could I apply this to my job hunt?"1) Job-search goal cards workHere's a story sent in by Fred, from Chanhassen, Minn.
Petite Modeling: is There a Career for You?
PEtite modeling is a tough industry to break into. Especially since most modeling agencies won't represent models unless they're 5 feet and 9 inches tall or taller.
What Turns Potential Employers ON; What Turns Them OFF?
According to an annual survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, these are the most important qualities that employers are looking for in a job candidate, in priority order: (1) Communication skills; (2) Honesty/integrity; (3) Teamwork skills; (4) Interpersonal skills; (5) A strong work ethic. Be sure to highlight those skills in your resume, during your interview, and in your thank-you letter.
The Five Most Common - And Most Avoidable - Résumé Errors
Writing an effective résumé can certainly be challenging. There are numerous rules and none of them apply 100% of the time.
Skills Make Labor More Valuable
As you know by now, if you have been a long time subscriber to our weekly E-zine, I'm a very big proponent of activity, labor and discipline. In fact I devoted one of the five major pieces to the life puzzle (in my book under the same name) to the subject of activity and labor.
Recovering From a Career Crisis
If you have ever experienced any of the following, you have had a career crisis:? Losing your job? Being fired? Burning out? Not wanting to do your job for one more dayA career crisis can be caused either by someone else (being laid off) or by your own feelings (burning out).Common Causes of Career CrisesThere are many reasons why people experience career crises.
In a Rut? Ready for a Career Change?
Are you unhappy at work? Tired and lacking energy and drive? Don't worry, you are not alone! Studies in the US show that up to 70 percent of the workforce is unhappy with their job at any given time. We all feel dissatisfied and frustrated with our jobs at times.
Which Half Are You?
When more than half of Americans were identified as overweight, people took notice. Major news outlets began educating on how to stay out, or get out, of that statistic.
20 Questions That Helped Me Take A Leap Of Faith And Change Careers
When I was working more than 45 hours a week in a job with a two hour commute each day, the challenge of a new husband, new step children, two beagle dogs and maintaining a home was more than a stretch! Something had to give, and unfortunately I was the one starting to not be able to hold it together!It was a Catch 22 situation. We had an expensive home near the city center with large mortgage costs, which demanded feeding through joint incomes.
Why Culinary Education
If you are thinking about a career in culinary arts then studying in a culinary school is a must. You may be a great cook but you will never become expert learning culinary arts yourself.
Four Important Questions to Ask Your Interviewer; Do You Really Want to Work for This Person?
Many job seekers miss a golden opportunity when they are asked towards the end of an interview if they have any questions. If they feel the interviewer adequately explained the position, they make the mistake of answering "No" to this question.
Loving What You Do
Man is a social animal and survival is his major need. There are needs that he needs be fulfill.
Looking for a Qualified Medical Billing Specialist
Families, mothers, employers, and medical practices all interact in one way or another with a medical billing specialist. When medical billing is required, a qualified medical billing specialist can help you process your claim quickly and thoroughly.
10 Ways to Speed-Up Your Job Search Effort
Today everyone knows at least one person who has lost their job to down-sizing, right-sizing, cut-backs, production reduction or a mean, vicious "bogus leader" who could care less about your family, your life or your existence at the company. This may sound a bit overboard, but everyone has probably experienced the manager, supervisor or company leader from hell, and if you haven't just stick around.
Create Your Plan B Before the Layoff Axe Falls
In one short week, the axe fell at a number of companies and thousands of employees were without jobs. Hewlett Packard, Kodak, Ford Motor Company of Canada, PNC Financial and Kimberley Clark each had to make critical business decisions and lay off large numbers of employees.
It is Still Possible to be Upwardly Mobile in America!
Yes, it's still possible to be upwardly mobile in America: it's called a career in sales.Sales jobs come in all shapes and sizes.
What Do Accountants And Doctors Have In Common?
Freshly qualified accounting graduates when asked by the interviewer "Are there any questions you want to ask?" usually respond with "What are my duties and responsibilities"Be careful. Some interviewers intentionally do not mention anything about duties and responsibilities to test the reaction of the candidates.
A Concept That Could Double Youre Income in Mystery Shopping
Do you want to double, or increase significantly you're income in mystery shopping? If yes, I'll be sharing to you an age old concept. Now you might have learned this already or you may consider this common sense.
Free Resume Template: What Makes a Good One?
You can drown in the "free resume examples," "free resume templates," and "free resume samples" on the web.In my opinion, a single thing makes one free resume template different from another: results.

More Careers & Employment Information:

Related Articles

Stop Searching for A Job and Start Attracting Professional Success!
1. Assess - Evaluate your skills, interests and abilities.
Those Little Things
Moving to another state meant finding a new dentist. I tried one a neighbor recommended who seemed friendly, competent and eager to please.
Ask Me No Questions, Ill Tell You No Lies
If only there were no questions involved in getting a job!If you've been following NBC's "The Apprentice," you know who Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth is. She's had the honor of being fired by Donald Trump (and others, according to "People" magazine).
Creating Traffic Jams
It's hard to imagine why anyone would pick up a newspaper to find a job any more. With a seemingly endless array of career sites, mailing lists, corporate sites and newsgroups, job seekers have more options online than ever before.
Working with Recruiters: 5 Critical Words for Candidates
As professional recruiters working both retained and contingency search assignments, we spend a significant part of our effort preparing both the candidate and the client employer for prospective interviews. Preparing each side to meet and interact removes much of the predisposed tension that is inherent to the interview process on both sides.
Tips for Requesting a Raise
You probably think you deserve a raise. But does your boss think so?Here's how to go about convincing your boss that you're really worth more than you're being paid.
Are Online Degrees Valid to Prospective Employers?
Online distance learning has gained rapid popularity with the advent of the internet, which has proven to offer great supporting facilities and convenience for online education. However, just like everything else with pros and cons, the internet has also opened doors for the widespread sale of bogus online degrees.
Job Hunting Tips: Staying Active
Unemployment is depressing: financial pressures stress you out, looking for work is humiliating, and your fragile self-confidence reels under the blows of indifference and rejection.It becomes harder to get up in the morning, to take care of yourself, to be supportive and loving to those around you, to swing energetically into job search activities.
Who Should Write Your Resume?
This is a question we get a lot. It seems rather easy to do it yourself if you have access to a word processing program and printer and feel comfortable writing your job history.
Employment Law: Unfair Dismissal - Employer Succeeded in Changing Terms of Employment
Good News for Employers wishing to change the terms of employment of employees, however, employers must still take care.In Scott & Co v Richardson [2005], the Dependant, Mr Richardson, who worked for a Scottish firm of debt collectors, refused to accept his new terms of employment which required him to visit defaulting debtors during the evenings.
Benefits of Maintaining a Career Portfolio
Have you ever tried to contact a past employer only to discover they are no longer in existence or your former manager has moved on and been replaced by someone else? Of course, if you are an avid networker this shouldn't be much of a problem when it comes time to provide proof of your experience, education and accomplishments. A portfolio of your career should be developed and maintained using all documentation of your career history in order to overcome any problems that could arise in proving any aspects of your career.
Interview Preparation Made Easy: Create An Interview Preparation List
Here's a quick way to compare your own job experience and qualifications with those that your prospective employer is looking for in a specific job position. Make an "Interview Preparation List".
Get a Life Why Dont Ya?!
It's okay to take your job seriously, to be a stickler for professionalism, and sure it's wonderful to take your responsibilities seriously. However, you have to be a bit careful when you allow your job to become your LIFE.
Dont Forget to Say, Thank You
One of the biggest mistake for job seeks is to not follow up an important interview with a thank you note to the people who interviewed them. Human Resources experts note that as few as 10% of interviewees take the time to say, "thank you.
Careers-Changing Jobs: The Fantasy of the Ideal Job
Most people would agree that the concept of a job today is vastly different from that of 20 years ago. Organisations are changing at speed, technology has changed the face and pace of work, and globalisation is pushing every business to examine it's operations in a totally different context.
Why Culinary Education
If you are thinking about a career in culinary arts then studying in a culinary school is a must. You may be a great cook but you will never become expert learning culinary arts yourself.
Acing The Interview
It's no secret that there is a lot of competition for writing jobs.What makes or breaks you in an interview is more of a mystery that some writers may try to unravel for years.
How To Write A Job Winning Resume That Puts Yours On Top
Many people would love to get a better job. And most of these same people have the proper training and skills to achieve this goal.
Thank-You Notes: An Integral Part of Your Career Design
There is one little practice that is vital to generating the interest of potential employers. It is critical, but very few job seekers actually do it.
Is A Career a Calling or Choice?
How much of our career path is destiny and how much is free will? In my opinion, it is 50/50. We are given a life map at the beginning of our lives, and there are things we are meant to learn, people we are meant to meet, work we are meant to perform.