Find a Career You'll Love With These 4 Simple Questions

You’ve always known this day will come — the day when you must decide which career is right for you. You've been told you should become a banker like your mum or a teacher like your dad. Your best friend figured out long ago that they wanted to be a lawyer or a doctor and has been on that path ever since.

You, on the other hand, have no clue where to start.

You’ve heard that you should choose something you enjoy doing. The challenge is that you love to do many things, and you do them all well.

You’ve heard that loving what you do isn’t essential if it doesn’t pay well. So, choose what’s bound to never go out of style, like teaching – people will always need teachers.

Round and round the ideas go. All the opinions have left you feeling frazzled, stressed out and discouraged.

Everything I’ve described above happened to me.

After a few false starts, I finally figured out a few things. Stick with me, and I’ll show you four things that will take the heartache out of the process of choosing your career.

The thing you can do effortlessly at 2 a.m.

Suppose I came to your house at 2 a.m. and asked you for help with something which I know only you can do. What would that thing be?

I know. I know. You might be a night owl who is wide awake and rearing to go at 2 a.m. so the 2 a.m. test may not apply to you. But, here’s the thing. The point to the exercise is to figure out that one thing you can do even in your most tired moment.

You may be so gifted that:

• You can whip up a fantastic meal at a moment’s notice
• You can bake drool-worthy delights without thinking about it
• You can write such moving stories that compel people to action
• You can explain a process for the millionth time without losing your mind
• You can design amazing logos and websites that draw people in

The list is endless.

• If you can whip up a fantastic meal at a moment’s notice or bake drool-worthy delights without thinking about it, you may be destined for a career in hospitality.
• If you can write such moving stories that compel people to action, you may be destined for a career in writing or journalism.
• If you can explain a process for the millionth time, you may be destined for a career in teaching.
• If you can design an amazing logo and website, you may be destined for a career in graphic design.

These are some examples to guide you. But, you need to figure out your 2 a.m. test results. I say "may" because you still have a choice to make to walk down a specific road.

The results of your 2 a.m test hold one of the keys to unlocking your potential career.

The answers you always seem to have

You must know that one friend who has the 4-1-1 on who is having a sale and when. You may know someone else who knows where to find the best local meals. You may be the one who knows all the Excel and Word hacks or social media hacks. Where I come from, we say "I know a guy". Are you that guy?

If you look back over the last month, you will find instances where you solved a specific problem for someone or a group of people. It can be something as random as giving strangers directions or being mistaken for a supermarket attendant when doing your shopping (this happens to me all the time). I hear I look helpful. 😊

No matter how weird, the answers you always seem to provide is another key to unlocking your potential career.

The Books in your Library

Every year many of us promise to read more about business, parenting, success, or leadership. You may even have mapped out what you want to read. But, if you look carefully at the books you enjoy reading or end up reading, you will notice a common theme.

You may gravitate towards:

• Books which use facts and figures to explain a subject
• Books which tell a fictional tales to pass the message across
• Books based on someone’s life experience

Your book choices reveal something about you.

For example,

• A facts-only book lover tends to be precise and exact. They may enjoy a career in accounting, architecture, or engineering. In short, fields which need high levels of precision.
• A fiction-only book lover tends to be creative. They may enjoy a career in writing or design or creative arts.

Books open a whole new world, and point you in the direction of your potential career.

The Strengths You Demonstrate

When growing up, I remember having to answer for the low scores on my report card. It didn’t matter that I had scored an A in English. Instead, it mattered that I’d scored a B- in Sciences. I would then struggle to bring up the B- to a B. What an uphill task! Many of us were raised to believe that you should focus on your weaknesses instead of your strengths. This is flawed thinking. If for no other reason other than the fact that it’s discouraging to keep working on weaknesses and never seem to improve.

Here’s the funny thing about strengths. They are such an integral part of you that you never think of it as a strength. For example, I’m a natural planner. I see the big picture and the mini actions along the way. I can marshal different kinds of resources and rally people to get it done. I can almost plan in my sleep. For the longest time, I didn’t consider it a strength. Yet my friends, family and colleagues were always in awe of my planning skills. Is it a wonder that I ended up in project management?

It’s your turn. What strengths do you demonstrate – naturally?

I heard the story of a guy who struggled for a few years to pass the bar exam. Throughout law school, he enjoyed the research process. Not only that, he thrived when he was in research mode. Then one day it hit him, why was he struggling to become an advocate when he had no interest in going to court? He’s since opened a law research practice where he’s living the dream.

When you find your area of strength, you will have more pointers towards your potential career.

The Four Questions to Ask Yourself

You can have a thriving career in an area you love. You don’t have to follow in your parents’ footsteps. It’s also not too late to rethink the road you are on.

Want to find a career you’ll love, ask yourself these four simple questions:

• What can I do effortlessly at 2 a.m.?
• What answers do I always seem to have?
• What books are in my library?
• What strengths do I demonstrate?

I promise that if you are honest with your answers, you’ll be a step closer to unlocking the career of your dreams.