Where Do I Start?

By Joseph & Viola Twelves

Perhaps you are one of the many people who have found yourself stuck in a rut and not sure how to even begin to dig yourself out of it.

One of the most common “ruts” that we end up in deals with our choice of profession or career. It’s something that, unfortunately, is often inevitable. Why? Because most of us didn’t have the guidance necessary growing up to help us make the best decision nor did we put the work into making that decision.
During those pivotal years of “growing up” it is normal to be more concerned about the contents of the vending machines in the cafeteria than the contents of our permanent school records. With that said, it’s important to have fun in the present while remembering that we have a long future ahead of us – a future that will seem even longer if we’re dragging our feet through a workday we can barely stand.

If you have found yourself in this situation, like countless others, here are 3 things to ponder as starting points to help dig yourself out of your situation:

1) Priorities / Likes / Dislikes: Get out a piece of paper and literally write down things you enjoy doing and hate doing. Get as detailed as you would like and cover anything from doing dishes to working with special needs children. Also, write a realistic list of your priorities and the things that you need for yourself and/or your family.

2) Ask Around: Talk to your peers, neighbors, friends and relatives about what they do. I don’t mean “How’s work going?” but really ask about what their job entails, their daily responsibilities, and what they enjoy (or dislike) about their job.

3) Reflect: Ponder and reflect about the things that you have learned about yourself and the potential professions that surround you. Think about these things in a quiet place. This is something that is not practiced enough and can really lead you to discovering important things about yourself that you didn’t take the time to realize before.

You might think career planning is a bore, but that process is downright thrilling compared to spending forty years in a career meant for someone else. It’s true that it takes work to find out what the best fit is for you, but it’s well worth the journey. Join the conversation, find even more resources to help you on your journey, and start getting yourself out of that rut!

Van Twelves and his family are the creators, writers and editors of the ultimate career resource guide Conversations: Find Your Niche!. They worked together for almost a decade on this family project that includes 150 interviews with working professionals, a research roadmap to guide you through, and countless resources to save you months of research. Their desire is to help people find the career best fit for them to help them find happiness in their work and life. Conversations: Find Your Niche! can be purchased at Amazon.com and the Twelves family can be reached via email at JoeTwelves@keeperpress.com as well as on Twitter @KeeperPress.