Laurie Luh

Welcome to week two of uncovering your career passions. Hopefully you are feeling inspired and energized by the process. In week one, we stopped worrying about all of the perceived challenges that stand in the way of having the career that we desire and focused on what would make us feel inspired.  This continues in week two with a focus on our skills and passions. We all want to get paid to do something that we love, so we’re just honing in on what we love to do!

By the end of week two, you will be ready to start searching for your dream job. Week three will provide step-by-step instructions that walk you through different job searches each day. You won’t have to worry about not knowing where to look, because you’ll be given popular websites, tips and tools to guide you along the way. At the end of this little journey, you’ll have a much better sense of your dream career and what it would take to make it happen.

Week 2

Day 6.  Reread and Remember - Read your entries from the past week and really take it all in. Write down any thoughts or observations that are inspired by what you read. Try to add new items to the lists from the past week. Go deeper and make sure there that you didn’t miss anything.

Day 7.  Applause - Write down your favorite things about yourself. This isn’t always easy, but work through it and be as honest and specific as possible. Don’t just say that you are creative. List all of the attributes that make you creative. This is for you to help you determine your best qualities. If you are using the skills that come naturally to you, it won’t feel like work.

Day 8.  Listen - What do others say they love about you? What have people said that you should do for a living? Make a list of everything you’ve heard from the time that you were young. Feel free to ask your friends to help you answer these questions. Don’t worry if you are hearing something that you don’t want to do for a living. You’re just gathering information.

Day 9.  Observe - Start your day by simply closing your eyes and asking what should be the next step on your career path. Keep your eyes closed for 60 seconds. That’s it! Open your eyes and write down everything that came to your mind during that time.

Bring your journal with you and pay attention throughout the day. Write down any and all answers that come back to you. Did you read an interesting article that caught your eye? Maybe something grabbed your attention on TV or the radio. Write down everything that stands out.

Day 10.  Reflect - This is your last day of journaling. Reread all of your entries from the past two weeks and take stock of where your real passions lie. What you've written is the information that you need to move toward connecting your job with what's important to you. Look at your list of skills and hobbies. You may be surprised to find that they align with one or more of your dream jobs. Are there items on your wish list (day 1) that were also on your remember when list (day 3?)  If so, then you have been interested in these jobs for your entire life! The answers are in the details. Let the past two weeks of journaling help define your dream job and we'll start looking for it next week.