Without knowing how to uncover exactly why you’re unhappy at work, you won’t be able to find work that works for you. Instead, you will continue to be unsatisfied with your work, unhappy in your career and feel like you’re drifting.
You’re in the right place! I created this proven, 5-step process to help you pinpoint why you’re unhappy (and how to fix that) based on my research and experience over the past 10+ years.
We’ll cover everything from declaring your Values & Priorities to Outlining Your Career Goals. I’ll also give you some things to look out for along the way, mistakes I made before I worked out this system, and ones I still see clients making.
Just follow the steps, and by the time you finish Step 5, you’ll feel like you’re on your way to finding a job that truly fulfills you and makes you happy.
Step #1: Know your Values & Priorities
You've got an internal compass that you use every day to direct and define your experience on this planet whether you realize it or not.
Your values and priorities tend to be wired in deep at the core of who you are. They help you know what's important to you and help you create meaning in your life.
They're also the powerful foundations for any kind of meaningful goal.
Before you can declare who you are today, fully, you’ll want to take your time with this critical first step.
So, the first thing you need to do is list out your top personal values as you understand them to be today. If you need help choosing your values:
Write out ALL the values that resonate with you. Get it all out on paper. i.e. family, creative expression, social impact, security.
Take a look at all your values and group them in like groups. i.e. 'security, financial freedom, big salary, philanthropy' could all be in one group.
Choose one word that acts as an umbrella word for that group. i.e 'freedom, travel, independent agency, individual impact' = Freedom
What to look out for:
Many people skip this foundational step and then wonder why they’re not able to find work that makes them happy (spoiler, it’s because you need to do this step to understand what would actually make you happy). Don’t let that be you!
This is a crucial foundational step that will set you up for success later on. And each step is a building block for the next, so don’t even try to jump ahead!
All done? Great job! Let’s move on to Step 2.
Step #2: Declaring The State of the You (Your Foundation)
At this point, you’re probably thinking that this is a huge time suck and not relevant to finding a new job that just doesn’t have a bad manager.
You may even be wondering, “Aren’t I just wasting time not looking at job descriptions?”
If you hang in there, it will make sense, promise. What we’re doing is pulling this all together into an outline that will let you know what you need (and want) to be happy in your work.
One thing that may help is to ask a trusted friend or loved one for their input on what you present as your “foundation”.
Now it’s time to write out your State of the You address.
Answer the following questions:
Where are you currently?
What problem are you looking to solve?
What are you unsatisfied with, specifically?
What are you lacking?
What do you want more of?
What do you want less of?
The reason this step is important is that it will help you understand what you want and make it easier to get clarity on specific sticking points.
Plus, you’ll have a checklist for your job search that will weed out jobs that don’t meet your criteria.
Here are some tips to help you move through this step quickly:
Don’t overthink it
Do revisit it on a regular basis
Do consider your bigger picture
What to look out for:
When I first started trying to complete this process for myself, I completely skipped trying to get clear on who I was and what I wanted.
I’ve also had the opportunity to peek under the hood at other people’s career searches. And in the process, I’ve seen common mistakes people make that hold them back from finding work that makes them happy.
Instead of skipping this step, you should spend more time on this than scrolling job boards.
You’ll get better results if you are deeply honest with yourself.
If you find it hard to put your finger on the right words/feeling, try just freewriting or talking it out until you find a way to make it clear.
Just keep focusing on what feels best for you now and you’ll be on the right track.
Step #3: Definition of Success
Are you starting to get excited? I hope so. We’re just about there.
You may be feeling a bit antsy, and that’s perfectly normal. Any time you’re trying something new, it takes a minute to process it. Just be patient and stay with it.
Next, you need to define success for yourself.
While you’re doing this, take a look at your values & priorities alongside your definition of career and ask: How will you re-define success for YOURSELF?
Success, for you, not based on societal pressures. Not based on what you were working towards before. Not what you had thought you were ‘supposed’ to be doing - but what would success look like, for you, this year?
Scrap everything that came before. Throw your to do list out the window and start fresh. You can (and should) give yourself a fresh start.
Write it down. Actually, write down what success looks like for you now. Write down why it's different and why that difference is important. Write it down in your journal or your notes app or on a Post-It. However/wherever you will see it regularly.
If you want, you can download my Career Success workbook. I created it to help you define success for yourself, set meaningful goals and actually get started!
Click here to download ‘Set Yourself Up for Career Success’ so you can get started.
What to look out for:
It may be hard to disengage from the expectations others have for you, but do your absolute best to dig deep and understand what would allow you to personally feel successful free from the judgment of others.
Step #4: Your Ideal Day
We’re just about done. There are just two more steps.
Here’s what to do next and I want you to take this one as far as you can:
Imagine an actual, Ideal Day two years from today.
From when you wake up to where you go to what you work on and how! This is all about the essence of how you want to live & work. This is the life you want to live.
Include as much detail as possible: role responsibilities, family obligations, travel, skills and expertise used daily etc.
Do not worry about reality or the ‘How To’ right now… what is your crazy, shoot the moon, ideal life/gig/day?
What to look out for:
No matter what you do, don’t put caveats on everything. Let yourself imagine what a genuine ideal day would be like.
If you tell yourself it can’t happen, you’ll only risk making that the reality. So just take a step back and visualize. As the saying goes, “If you can dream it, you can be it”.
Keep going! You’re nearly there.
Step #5: Get Clear on Your Career Goals
This is the last step. Get ready to celebrate!
Based on your values, foundation, definition of success & ideal day, what are your BIG goals for your career? Remember to keep long term goals in mind.
Here’s how to get the best results with this:
To be the most effective goals should include specific dates, milestones and details
Your goals should be rooted in your personal ambitions and purpose
Create goals and milestones that feel good to you and aren’t based on expectations of others
What to look out for:
The first time I did this to figure out my next steps in my career change, I based all my goals on metrics from my previous job (which spoiler alert wasn’t making me happy) so I threw it out the window and just created goals - from scratch - that may have seemed funny to everyone else but made perfect sense to me.
And you know what? It actually worked out.
I chose goals like “Be a part of a team where I want to spend time with coworkers.” The biggest lesson for me in all that was to focus on what I actually wanted and not what we’re told to want.
More than anything else, you have to do what works for you.
Bonus!
And finally, here’s a Bonus Tip just for you!
This is something I started doing after years of trial and error, and it was a big eye-opener for me.
Get Out of Your Own Way. Period.
In order to create your version of success, you will need a strategy for getting out of your own way!
To help you with this here are 5 questions to put to each of your goals:
What do you need to accomplish your goals?
What does that look like in your life?
What self-sabotaging behaviors will get in your way?
How will you address that?
How will this help you achieve your definition of success?
Write out the answers and make a plan.
Key Takeaways
Congratulations! You just learned how to figure out what you need to find work that will make you happy. Follow the steps above to create a career you love, instead of continuing to drift aimlessly.
I’ve given you all my best tips, tools, and techniques to help ensure your success. Just knowing them isn’t enough, though. It’s time to act and get the results you’ve been dreaming about!
Click here to download ‘Set Yourself Up for Career Success’ so you can get started.
This free workbook goes in depth on how to define success for yourself, set meaningful goals, create a plan to achieve them and actually get started. Get your copy today!
Yours in ‘it’s your time to be happy’ goodness,
EBS
___
EB Sanders | Career Coach for Creative Types
Unsatisfied with your work? Start HERE now!
