As Christians, we must understand that our most important calling is our call to Christ – our call to be His disciples. But beyond that, it is important to consider the fact that our lives are not simply made up of random events. We are here for a reason, and that reason is to glorify God. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I believe we glorify Him most when we are doing what He gifted and created us to do. So how do we discover what that is?
There are lots of methods and strategies we could use, but I want to focus on SIX:
Discover Your Strengths
Assess Your Passions
Know Your Values
Examine Your Past
Ask Others
Try Things Out
Discover Your Strengths
First of all, how do we want to define strengths? Most would say our strengths are things we are good at. That’s true, but it doesn’t go far enough. Here is a better statement – strengths are activities that leave us feeling strong and energized, not weak and deflated. What activities do you look forward to? What scenarios leave you feeling energized and excited about life? In what contexts are you able to show up as your best self, and give your best work? These are your strengths.
Assess Your Passions
I believe in pursuing your passions. I really do. But I’m not so sure that every passion is meant to be pursued as a career. There are some things I am very passionate about that I will likely continue to pursue as hobbies or volunteer work. The question we must ask regarding our passions is, how passionate am I? Am I passionate enough to make the sacrifices necessary to pursue this as my career? Am I patient enough to stick with it even when things aren’t looking good? Or, is this something it makes more sense for me to relegate to my spare time?
How do you know what you are passionate about? What are you already doing for free – and loving it (or what would you happily do for free if you were independently wealthy)? What do you think about, read about, and talk about all the time? What desires simply will not go away, but always come up again and again? What issue keeps you up at night? What problem(s) do you feel compelled to solve? These are your passions.
Know Your Values
What is most important to you when it comes to your career? Is salary a primary factor given your goals and circumstances, or are you more interested in doing something that makes a difference in the lives of others? Do you prefer to work for a large company, or a smaller organization where there is more freedom and less oversight? Does the degree of diversity within your workplace matter to you, or is that a secondary concern? What kind of city or town do you want to live in, and are there opportunities for you to do the kind of work you are drawn to in that setting? How does your Chrisitianity impact the kind of work life you desire? Are you okay with working nights and weekends, or do you want to be able to leave the office at 5:00 pm sharp and not think about it again until the next workday? These are important questions, and they will help you decipher what matters most to you as it relates to your career.
Examine Your Past
Think about the times in your life when you have excelled and enjoyed what you were doing. What are some common denominators or themes that seem to have come up over and over when you are doing things you love? What jobs have you tended to like the most? What kind of environment do you thrive in? What were you drawn to in high school or college? Have those desires gone away? What work-related skills do people always seem to compliment you on? If you look at your past, I”m pretty sure you will find patterns that can help you make an informed decision about the future of your career.
Ask Others
Let’s be clear – the first person you need to ask is God. This is a matter for much prayer. He is the one who created us, and He is the only one who knows (for sure) why we are here. So ask Him. After that, ask family, close friends, and colleagues what they believe you were created to do. Ask them when you seem to be happiest and at your best. Ask them what they see as gifts and strengths. If they had to choose a dream career for you, what would they choose? Of course, we must take others’ observations with a grain of salt, but it can be helpful to get an outside perspective – especially if you tend to be more self-critical.
Try Things Out
Believe it or not, this may be the most important item on the list. It is really hard to sit on our couch (or in our dorm room) and try to figure out what to do with our life. We May be able to pick up a few clues here or there, but the only real way to know we will enjoy a certain job or career is to do it (or something very similar to it). This is why many, many people end up spending lots of time and money on college degrees, only to end up doing something totally different. Whatever it takes, I urge you to find a way to do the things you are considering transitioning into. Volunteer. Shadow. Create a side hustle. Whatever you do, try things out before you jump.
Next Steps
I believe God has a plan and a purpose for your life. I would love to help you get clear on what that is, and walk with you as you transition into it. Reach out today to schedule a free coaching conversation.
