“In order that people may be happy in their work, these three things are needed: They must be fit for it: They must not do too much of it: And they must have a sense of success in it.” ~ Jim Ruskin

Does your job contain these three elements? If you are in a career transition  – or even if your job is still intact – these questions provide food for thought for helping you evaluate whether you are in a good fit career.  

 How Do You Know Whether You are in a Good Fit Career?

Yes, a good fit career includes your skills, but don’t limit yourself to thinking only about your skills. Would you limit yourself to thinking that exercising one muscle means your body is fit? Then why would you limit yourself to thinking great skills are all you need for a good fit career?

Sounds silly when it’s put that way, doesn’t it?

Here’s another way to think about it. Have you ever bought an outfit you thought you’d wear even though it didn’t feel quite right when you tried it on? Maybe you bought it because you needed something in a hurry, or maybe a store clerk told you it looked great on you. So you settled.

What happened later on?

• Did you try it on at home later only to wonder what the bloody heck you were thinking when you bought it?
• Did you feel annoyed and out of sorts every time you put it on?
• Did you feel like you had to wear it because you spent your hard earned money on it?

Consider the difference when you try something on that fits perfectly. You just KNOW you look your best. You feel great!

• Isn’t it likely you’ll be noticed?
• Isn’t it likely you’ll stand a little taller, walk with confidence and generally feel like you’ve got the world by the tail?
• Isn’t it likely you’ll think your money was well spent no matter what it cost?

A good fit career works that way too. You know it’s a good fit by how you feel when you’re in it. You’ll feel comfortable, energized, valuable, and happy. And I like to say … SEXY!

How Do You Know When You are Doing “Too Much”?

Here are three questions you can ask to tell whether you or not you are overdoing it:

• What’s your stress level?
• What’s your energy level?
• What’s your joy level?

If your stress level is high and your energy and joy levels are low, you might be overdoing it. Of course there low energy days, times when we experience undue stress, and days when what we are doing doesn’t have us dancing in the aisles. But if you spend the majority of your time feeling tired, stressed, and miserable, it’s time to take stock.

Even when you sense you are overdoing it, you may not stop to consider whether you truly have a different choice. A friend of mine had this experience. When she started her business, she was excited and energized.  

A few years later, she felt overwhelmed and energetically drained. She complained about it to her business partner. After some brainstorming, her partner suggested they take every Friday off. My friend’s amazed reaction was, “Can we DO that?”.

She hadn’t considered that she could control her own agenda rather than being at the effect of everyone else’s agenda. Sound familiar?

How Do You Know When You are Successful?

My friend’s feelings of overwhelm didn’t allow her to feel successful even though her clients loved the results she produced. Success is about more than money. It’s about how well your life is going.

Ask yourself some questions:

• Are you getting what you want?
• Are you spending time on what you value most?
• Do you feel like your career has meaning, value, and purpose?
• How much joy you are experiencing?

When you can clearly answer what success means to you on your own terms, you’ll have a good idea about what to go after and how recognize it when you get it. Your life will take on a richness that reaches far beyond the money you make. 

A good fit career doesn’t happen by chance. And it’s not necessarily true that what was a good fit career for you when you started out is still a good fit for you today.

Give yourself a gift. Spend quality time with yourself. Evaluate where you’ve been, where you are now, and what might be an exciting and fulfilling direction for you in the future.

Let yourself dream a little. Dreaming, in conjunction with your experience and skills, can lead you to new discoveries about yourself.

Who knows? You may end up headed in a brand new and exciting direction.  You may discover that a Sexy Second Act Career that fits you perfectly is waiting for you right around the corner!

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Looking for a Sexy Second Act career that fits you like a glove? Get started today with a Career Assessment and complimentary consultation. Call Coach Sue at 949-212-4345 to set up your “get acquainted” coaching session to learn more, or email [email protected]