Do you feel you are successful in your job, yet you don’t feel you have career satisfaction? Do you wish you could make work more enjoyable?
Perhaps you’ve reached a certain stage in your career that you’ve worked hard to get to & you’re happy with that, BUT you expected that once you got to that stage, that was the point when you would be satisfied with your career. Or maybe other people view you as successful, yet you don’t feel like you’re a success in your career.
For some people, achieving career success & career satisfaction is the same thing & when they’ve reached a certain point or got to a certain goal, they are very happy with their career & the lifestyle it gives them. For others, achieving career success does not necessarily give you the career satisfaction that you are looking for & that’s ok. We’re all different & we all value different things so understanding what career success & career satisfaction mean to you is the important thing.
What Does Career Success Mean to You:
When working with clients, the view of career success varies from person to person. It can centre around meeting performance objectives, getting the required results; getting the required salary; getting recognition for the good work they’re doing. It could be a promotion at work or getting a project finalised. The feeling of making progress at work gives people a feeling of being a career success.
What Does Career Satisfaction Mean to You:
Achieving Career Satisfaction seems to be more elusive for people. This can happen because people aren’t 100% sure what would give them career satisfaction – it can centre around more intangible things. Things like being proud of the work that I do; doing work that excites me; doing work that challenges me. This can be very individual for different people. When you don’t know what specifically would give you career satisfaction, then it’s very hard to get it!
If this is something that you are grappling with, here are 3 things that you can focus on to make your work life more enjoyable & less stressful:
1) Define Career Success & Career Satisfaction
I would invite you to take a few minutes to sit down at write out the following two things:
– If I was successful in my career, what would that look like for me? What would be different from what I have now?
– If I was satisfied with my career, what would that look like for me? What would be different from what I have now?
For example, when I’m successful in my career, I’m getting recognised for doing a great job leading a team of 10 people to finish projects on time & on budget. There is a great team atmosphere & it’s very clear on the results that we are aiming for. I know I’ve reached career satisfaction because when I’m out with family & friends I’m excited & proud to talk about my career (rather than changing the topic of conversation). I have more of a balance & I’m able to enjoy time outside of work as well as.
2) Outline where you are now in relation to your career satisfaction & your career success
Start by focusing on the things that you have current in your career that contribute to your career success & career satisfaction.
3) Break it down into achievable action steps
Consider whether there are current aspects of your career success & career satisfaction that you can bring more into the work that you are doing?
What action can you take to move one step closer to the results that you want? Pick one area for the moment & focus on taking action in relation to that area. For some people the results they want means a big career change, for others it’s smaller tweaks that can be made to work towards career success & satisfaction. In either case, start by taking one small action to move you closer to the right career role for you.
Originally published at amaresults.com