There is a point in your career when you question what work you’re made to do. Whether you are someone who has always known what you want. Or someone who hasn’t, you feel pulled to get some career clarity.
When you want to know what work you’re made for, there are obvious places to look. Career assessments, available jobs, or places you’ve worked before. If you limit yourself to purely rational activities at the cusp of a career transition, you limit your choices.
If you’re yearning to figure out what you’re made for, these three creative exercises can help you open up to knowing. I’ve used them in my consulting practice for years with great results. Sometimes, what holds you back from true career clarity is limiting your career experiments to just a rational view.
- These exercises help point you in a direction.
- Open up to curiosity. Get practical when you’re actually applying for the new work.
- If you don’t allow yourself to explore widely now, you’re already limiting your career.
Exercise One: Track your Flow Stories
This is a variation on the first step in the Career Stories Method (the first chapter of the book).
Get a stack of index cards and write the title of all the jobs you’ve ever had (one per card), until you have a stack of cards. For each role, think about and then write down what brought you into a flow state at each job. There may be one thing, there may be a dozen. Write them all. If there was no flow state, leave it blank.
When I say “flow state,” I am referring to the flow Csikszentmihalyi writes about, those moments where you most enjoyed yourself. This doesn’t necessarily have to be a peaceful experience — many people experience flow under high stress or pressure.
Write down all the flow moments of each job. When you’re done, review all the examples and identify common themes. If you’re into AI, ask it to make the connection for you. Typically, you’re looking for three themes. This gives you a clue about the kind of work you’re made for.
I’ve run into people who say they’ve never had flow in any job. If that’s you, no worries, try the other two exercises.
Exercise Two: Bookstore/Library Adventure
You can also do this in a library; the non-fiction section is good for this. It’s a little harder in the library because of the vastness of topics, but equally insightful.
This can help you know what kind of thinking, sectors, or ideas you’re drawn to. Look for these themes arising in everyday life. How can you weave these into your existing work?
Exercise Three: Speak to Your Inner Career Character
There is a career character within you that knows what kind of work and impact you want to make.
There is also the “you” that you think you are. The one reading this article.
You likely already talk to yourself through these two lenses; this exercise takes it from head to body for additional insights.
- Get two chairs and face them towards each other.
- Sit in one chair and notice your current posture. This is “you.”
- Move to the other chair. Close your eyes and try to locate your inner career character. This article helps you know if your career character is a thinker, a feeler, or a doer.
4. Assume a physical posture for the career character that differs from your regular self. It may be they sit up taller, take up more space, or have very loose arms.
5. Start a dialogue between yourself and this career character, switching seats and gestures as you exchange words for at least six rounds.
In this first session, you may just learn about your career character. It can be basic like this:
“Hey, I didn’t know you were inside me.”
“I didn’t know I had a voice.”
“Me either. I guess we have some talking to do.”
“What made you want to listen to me now?”
“I’m a bit lost about what I want to do next.”
You’re opening the channel to inner wisdom. Over time, either in this first session or in the following conversations, start asking if they have a sense of what you’re meant to do. Your inner wisdom will show you something you haven’t been able to see.
In this first round of inner self-talk, it’s important that you don’t push too hard for an answer. It can take several conversations to gain insight. Close the conversation with a thank you.
What opened for you?
Try these exercises more than once, compare notes, until a clear theme of ideal work shows up. Note what opened up for you. The next step is crafting career experiments to explore these further.
What opened by doing these?
