Career or Project Progression
Purpose
For most of us, earning a living takes a large portion of our time, a large portion of our life. Few of us are going to love every part of what we do, but it should feel (a) meaningful, (b) sometimes enjoyable, and (c) not like we’re selling our souls. For a lot of people, it’s scary to change; it’s scary to take risks. If you don’t feel like your work is at the level of a calling or passion, taking inventory of how you feel about work or other aptitude and interest tests can help clarify the kinds of work you might find more satisfying. Consider a few sessions with a business coach or career counselor when it comes up. It’s important to catch yourself working toward others’ goals in ways that don’t feel important to you.
Benefits: Clarity about what’s most important to you can keep you from going along with agendas you don’t agree with. Even if you don’t see a way to make changes any time soon, just having clarity can help you recognize an opportunity.
Skills
Consider Stephen Covey’s principle “sharpen the saw” from the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Sometimes it seems we don’t think we have time for it, but the opportunity cost may be much higher to not take time to add to our skill set or fine-tune the skills we already have. Adding to your skill set could take the form of lateral moves in your organization if you are ready for a new challenge.
Benefits: Taking time out to increase your effectiveness by learning new skills or practicing can have big payoffs in productivity.
Opportunity search
If you are at a point of wanting to explore a variety of fields to find a good fit, try idealist.com as a job search platform for available opportunities. Even if you are satisfied with your current position, searching to see what else you qualify for could help you ask for a salary boost. A vertical change of position in your company could give you valuable experience to qualify you for an upward position change later.
Benefits: By trusting the opportunities and taking inspired action, you have the potential to reach your goals in ways you never could imagine.
Network
Attending conferences, workshops, and other events in your field is an excellent way to network in an area of interest. If cost is an issue, volunteering a set number of hours is often accepted instead of attendance costs. Visit the networking exercise worksheet for more details.
Benefits: By staying informed on the latest developments or knowledge in your area, you have access to valuable information that most people do not.
Team Up
“Two or more people are always better than one for solving problems, finishing off difficult tasks and increasing creativity” (see https://smallbiztrends.com/2016/03/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-teamwork.html). If you are a freelancer or solopreneur, it’s important to find coaches, mentors, or a mastermind group to compare notes and serve some of the functions of a team. See smallbusiness.chron.com.