Career
Pathways
Finding Satisfying Work – The Keys to Pure Job Satisfaction
Boredom at work is a very common affliction among the employed. There is however a cure, which can be achieved in three simple steps:
1. Discover “your true calling”
2. Implement it
3. Devote less time to everything else
The key idea is first to discover where your motivations and talents lie, and then to bring your work in line with these motivations and talents. While this is excellent advice in theory, it is not an easy matter to achieve it overnight. It is a very slow process, comprising of the above steps, which are discussed in detail below.
Step 1. Discover “your true calling”
This is simply a matter of discovering what it is that you are cut out to do. The problem is that many people only have a vague idea of what they can do, and what their motivations and talents are, and are unable to express it. This is where career assessments can prove most helpful
Step 2.
Implement it. The implementation step entails aligning what you can do with what you actually do. Learn to make the most use of your strengths, in order to do what you do best. Through this process, one can achieve not only maximum performance, but also maximum job satisfaction.
To achieve implementation, ask yourself what you have learned from your career assessment. You need to know what your talents and motivations are, and also to what extent your job responsibilities utilize these talents and motivations. After you have answered these questions for yourself, share your answers with your boss – so that he or she will give you responsibilities which best utilize your strengths, and identify areas where training might prove useful.
Step 3.
Devote less time to everything else It is impossible to achieve everything. Do not waste your time and effort trying to achieve something in areas where you do not possess the requisite talents. Instead, devote your time and efforts to whatever it is that you do best. This, however, must not be taken to mean that you must avoid all work that lies outside your areas of expertise. Sometimes it is absolutely unavoidable to do so. In that case, keep your expectations honest, and try to look into options which may prove helpful for you.
