When someone asks a kid what he or she wants to do, the little one is going to reply right away, very sure of what he wants to become. Wait 10-15 years and ask the same person the same question and you will get an uncertain reply “I don’t know”.
As we grow, we get distracted and we soon become lost when it comes to what we want to do for a living. The certainty we had when we were kids fades out in front of the life’s realities. The dreams are replaced by financial analysis. Moreover, teachers and people around us have a huge influence on which career we end up choosing.
There are many teens who ask their teachers for advice and they rely on their advises. So if your teachers says you won’t be able to become a writer, but you have high chances of succeeding as an accountant, you are probably going to listen this advice.
Choosing a career path
Of course, the most important factor in choosing a career nowadays is money: you have to be able to afford living. This is a sad truth for many talented painters or musicians or people who have special skills that are not profitable.
The fact we have to choose a career when we are only teens makes everything even more difficult, as most kids are not able to effectively assess their skills in their teens and they end up choosing the wrong career path.
This is exactly what I did: guided by my parents, I chose to get a degree in Informatics and Computing, only to find out that my true passion was writing. It was hard to acknowledge that all the years I spent learning were now useless. It was hard to change my job.
But I did it and I learned what you need to do before accepting a job you are not sure you really want.
1. Journal your desires
When you get a new career or job opportunity, make sure you write about your feelings in your journal. When you put it on the paper, you will be able to step back and see how you really feel about the entire situation.
It will also help you decide between your logical thinking and your heart’s desires. If your true feelings show that you are ready to take up the new challenge, do it!
2. Visualize and meditate
Before you give an answer to an interview invitation, you can meditate. There are many ways to meditate, but you can choose the one that best fits you. For example, you can just stop and visualize your goals while you are taking a walk in the park or while cycling.
The important thing is to get in touch with your inner self and check out what you really want. Let go of all the other thoughts and kick out your comfort zone, as this is how you will discover what you really want.
3. Use your imagination
Another visualizing exercise you can use is imagining your life without the job you are not sure about. If you will feel sad and you believe your life would be empty without that job, then you need to take up the challenge and accept the job.
If this exercise makes you feel bad in any way, then you need to change your life. At the opposite side, if you don’t become emotional thinking of it, then you are good the way you are right now.
All these things are meant to make you listen to your heart, not your logical thinking. In most cases, people make logical decisions,ending up sad and bitter. Moreover, logic is always going to tell you that you need to pursue the money and financial wellbeing, but your heart might ask you to take another path for your own mental wellbeing.
Featured photo credit: Andres Cabrera/Flickr via flickr.com
