How to Let Your Values Guide Your Career

Do you know that about 75% of your people hate the work they are doing? They go day in and day out through the same motions or similar task and they never enjoy themselves.

Why? You might ask.

Because their career is not aligned with their values and they are letting fear gremlins take over…

Research of course helps us outline the most common reasons (=read excuses) preventing you from living the life of your dreams:

• I don’t know what I’m passionate about.
• I don’t know how to make money from my passion.
• The people around me will think I’m crazy if I quit my job to follow my passion.
• I don’t have anyone to go to for advice, support or encouragement.
• What if I fail? (Ouch! Who doesn’t feel this one?)
• I have a family, mortgage and financial obligations that I’m responsible for.
• My passion is not the kind of thing you can make money from; it’s just a little hobby.
• I’m not qualified enough. There are plenty of experts in my field with more experience than me.
• Between my current job, my family, trying to stay healthy, and all the other responsibilities i have, I don’t have any time to work on my passion.
• It’s too risky. In this economy I need to keep any job security I can find.
• I’m too old and waited too long. I wish I had thought about this 25 years ago.
• I spent years studying something in university that I can’t stand doing now. But it would be way too much of a waste to switch now.

Ok, I hear you lady. It is scary!

But if you want to be a true Ms. Career Girl role model, then take the first step and stop chasing after this one true passion and learn to enjoy the journey. Really, no matter how “prestigious.” or well paying your job is, no matter if you moved to follow it, and yes even if other people depend on it, it is not worth the deadly daily hustle.

We should work to live, not live to work.  Regardless of your current situation (whether a top-level management or a stay at home mom) the first step is always: TAKE SOME PRESSURE OFF.

Now,  you are ready to take the plunge –

Here’s an important exercise to figure out your true values and let them guide you.

Values are “who you are when no one else is watching”. Sometimes they are very different from “how you want to come across” (like smiling and always being nice to people at the office, but inside boiling and about to explode).

Ready to do some inner- work?

Let’s get started:

• • What pisses you off?List at list 5 concrete examples
  • What things most upset you and cause you the greatest discomfort?
  • What behaviors are the opposite of pissing you off?
  • When do you feel most inspired and energized?

Now, use those self-generated insight and start to create a different and better tomorrow!