The road trip to a fulfilling career (3 of 3): Time to Drive!
Posted on March 13, 2022 by Shawn Yates, One of Thousands of Business Coaches on Noomii.
As you move toward your career goal, you have to be ready to recognize change and integrate it into your plan!
In the last two articles we have been comparing finding a fulfilling career to taking a vacation road trip. In the first article we picked our destination. In the next we plotted the course. Now, there is nothing left to do but hit the road!
Pulling out of the driveway, we are full of energy and excitement and ready to conquer that highway! Within the first five minutes, inevitably, we remember something we forgot that we MUST go back for. The second more successful departure is usually a little less energetic, but still the start of a vacation. As we drive I am continually monitoring gas, mileage, timing and the status of the passengers in the car.
You may experience similar things as you drive down the road, following the path to your fulfilling career destination. Perhaps the false start of applying for roles and not getting them. The retracing of steps by taking a role and deciding that it’s not what you expected. All the while, as you move down the path toward your fulfilling and balanced life.
As my clients follow their action plan, I help them keep their eye on the road and the gauges. We continually explore what they are experiencing, learning and achieving through the actions they take. We keep an eye on what is going on in their life and how it is impacting and impacted by their career journey.
No matter how well we planned our vacation road trips, there was always a change. Maybe it was a good change like deciding to add a bonus stop at an attraction on the way. But, frequently the change was more like road construction, traffic or a sick kid in the back. No matter what, we would have to make adjustments to the plan while still keeping the destination in mind.
As you drive toward your fulfilling career destination, there will be changes that have to be dealt with. Maybe you find a stop on the way that you really love for many reasons and want to stay there longer. Or, there is a role you thought you would enjoy that quicky becomes the bane of your existence. There are in technology and corporate landscapes, as well as changes in your life such as health and family.
With my clients, we always strive for balance and fulfillment along the way. Really, fulfillment is not a single destination, it is a way of existing. Most clients find that once we align the destination and the path with their values and goals, that fulfillment is found even on the way to what the thought was the destination.
Having balance and fulfillment along the way means that as changes come along, we can examine them and think about how to handle them. Together we will think through questions like:
• How can you respond to the change to increase your balance and fulfillment?
• Does this change impact your destination?
• What excites or worries you about the change?
And so, while the vacation road trip is focused on a specific destination, the career road trip is a continuous journey. Once the trip is aligned with your core values and principles, you can strive for balance and fulfillment along the way. This doesn’t mean there isn’t a destination and goal in mind, it just means we don’t have to wait till the end to be balanced and fulfilled. And, achieving that on the way actually empowers you to have more passion and energy to make even more progress toward a destination.
I hope this short series has given you some inspiration on how to get started on your own career journey. If you decide that having someone to guide you and bounce ideas around with would be helpful, I would be honored to be your coach!
