Dear Workaholic: How do I figure out what I want to do with my life?

Great news!

Going forward I will be doing a monthly advice column and I’l be answering all the questions I’ve been receiving from readers. If you have a question you want answered, then email me on: helpmegetunstuck@gmail.com

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Today I’ll be answering this question:

“During Covid, I lost my job and now I feel stuck as to what I should do next. I would like to work in a place I love and in a job that suits my strengths. I’d like to know myself more to know what i’m good at. Can you help?“

To get to the bottom of this question, we need to start with the basics:

Step 1: Create a life plan

Where do you want to be in 5 or 10 years? Who do you want to be as a person and what impact do you want to have in other people’s life, if any. To help you through this step, read my earlier article on how to create a life plan here:

How to create a life plan – Part 1

Step 2: find your strengths

What are you good at? There are a couple of ways to do this:

• Ask people you trust and respect

• Look at the things you do (personally and professionally) and write down what you enjoy the most (ex being with people, analysing numbers, solving problems etc)

• Look back to your childhood: the qualities that stood out when you were a child and that your parents and teachers noticed are your natural abilities.

• Look for patterns; what areas tend to come up again?

Step 3: look at the past

What did you do work wise before that didn’t work for you? Did you have to manage people and found it stressful? Had to crunch numbers and hated every minute of it? Write down what didn’t work so you know what to avoid.

Step 4: Brainstorm

So far you have collected quite some data. You know where you want to be in a number of years, you know what you’re good at and what you enjoy doing but you also know what didn’t work before. So where does this lead you?

Ask yourself: “What do I really want to do?” and write down any ideas come to mind, no matter how crazy.

Step 5: Evaluate

Evaluate your list of options and rank them in terms of preference.

What changes you need to do, to go after your dream job? Consider the adjustment period required. If you need to study or learn a new skill, can you study and work at the same time?

Step 6: Rethink your resume

If you are applying for a new job, keep in mind that:

The first applications for a job opening are received 200 seconds after a job is posted

Average time spent looking at a resume is 5-7 seconds

To ensure that your resume stands out and passes the 6 second test, check my previous article on resume templates to get you noticed.

Resume Templates that get you noticed