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Work to live, or live to work? That is the question facing many of us today. The traditional workplace and career trajectory that many of us grew up watching our parents live out is no longer an option. The days of a linear ascent up the career ladder at one organization seem almost comically prehistoric, and instead, new models of working, enabled by massive technological leaps, are becoming the norm – digital nomadism and emigration, portfolio careers and young entrepreneurialism are all on an unstoppable rise. Jobs as we once knew them are no longer fit for the way we want to live – pursuing our passions, spending time with those that we love or trying to protect our mental wellbeing. A career that fits your life, and not one that you have to fit around, is no longer a nice-to-have, but essential for most of us. And there is no one universal right fit. What works for you will be based around several different factors which are personal to your own circumstances – in that way, it becomes authentic. So, what do you need to consider when searching for the right fit for you?
The Way You Want To Live
Adult life is a constant process of juggling things and trying to make them all fit together, so the job which was ideal when your personal circumstances fell one way, may no longer be once things inevitably change. It all starts with sketching out what your ideal lifestyle looks like. Is it a job which enables you to work remotely, providing consultancy services or building websites as you travel the world? Is it hours which let you pick the children up from school or fit in caring responsibilities for an elderly relative? Do you have a passion that you need to purse around your working life somehow? Once you’ve mapped out exactly what good looks like for you, you’ll begin to be able to get some idea of the tools which may help you get there. It could be boosting your marketing knowledge through platforms such as legendary marketer review or doing a personal skills audit to define that, say, you need to develop more skills in graphic design or learn how to become a virtual PA. Aim to combine your existing skillset with new skills that you need to learn in order to make a flexible career path a viable option.
Auditing Your Commitments
Chances are that you haven’t reached adult life without a raft of existing commitments which will need accommodating in any new plan. These could be financial, they could be material or even moral. There may be a minimum monthly amount that you need to be sure of earning in order to cover mortgage payments and put food on the table for a young family. You may have an existing caring responsibility that you need to fulfill. There will be arrangements you need to work around that set the parameters for you of which career is suitable.
Find Your Values
Increasingly, people are discovering that long term happiness in their careers means choosing to align themselves with people and organizations that share their vision and values – this could be explicitly to do with workplace flexibility and work-life balance, but equally, it could also encompass ethical frameworks such as environmental policy or corporate social responsibility. And if you are intending to launch your own business, then these values will provide the roadmap for how you operate – there is very little separation these days between our personal values and those we live at work. A company of your own creation, or an existing one that you join, will offer you far more fulfillment, connectedness, and pride in your job if you are in alignment.
