How To Find Work You Love In The New Year
By Julia Wuench
In the era of the Great Resignation, many job quitters are realizing they’ve been unhappy at work and need a change. While it may be unreasonable that any of us love our careers 100% of the time, Dr. Tega Edwin, Founder of Her Career Doctor, says we should enjoy our work at least 80% of the time.
Here are the three questions you should ask yourself to find work you love in 2022:
1. What are your non-negotiable values?
Non-negotiable values are the things that are most important to you in life, or your core beliefs that serve as your compass and drive your decision-making. Being unhappy at work is inevitable when your non-negotiable values are being violated. Some examples of non-negotiable values are:
- Social impact (people and planet)
- Independence
- Trust
- Camaraderie
- Learning and growing
- Diversity and inclusion
2. What are your zone of genius interest areas?
Your zone of genius areas are your interests that engage and enthrall you. When you’re doing an activity that involves your zone of genius interest areas, you enter a state of flow and may even lose track of time.
Working out of alignment with your zone of genius interest areas is a guaranteed recipe for disengagement and boredom at work, which quickly leads to career dissatisfaction. Your zone of genius interest areas will help you narrow down on industry focus. Some examples of zone of genius interest areas are:
- Helping people
- Leadership
- Data management
- Information Systems
- Independent research
3. What are your high power skills?
High power skills aren’t just skills you’re good at. You should feel confidence and joy when flexing these muscles. If you’re having trouble identifying what some high power skills are, think back to projects you’ve worked on where you excelled and loved the work. What skills did you use? Your high power skills will help you narrow down on specific job functions. Examples of high power skills are:
- Listening
- Artistic expression
- Data Analysis
- Public Speaking
- Writing
The key difference between high power skills and zone of genius interest areas is areas is that your zone of genius interests areas help you select your most aligned industries while your high power skills are helpful for selecting the roles you’ll enjoy within that industry.
Finding aligned works starts when you take action. Take a shot at answering these three questions, and if you still need accountability and clarity, consider investing in a career coach. “The one thing you shouldn’t do,” says Dr. Edwin, “is stay stuck thinking about what’s next.” At some point thinking doesn’t lead to results. Action does!
