When I felt stuck in my professional life, this one experience helped me get unstuck.
The outcome was certainty around the skills I enjoyed using the best and the types of work I should pursue that utilized those skills the best.
When I was 30, I realized the thing I always wanted to do in my professional life wasn't going to be enough to provide for my family.
My wife and I were a few years removed from having our first child, and despite working in likely the best radio job in the industry where I was paid well and had autonomy, I knew it wasn't exactly what I was looking for.
I felt like I was never going to find exactly what I was looking for.
I wondered if that specific job wasn't going to work, especially because it supplied so many pros for a job in the radio industry, then how was anything ever going to work.
Things started to change when I read What Color Is Your Parachute?. I had heard about the book and decided to do some Google research. When I read the subtitle, "Your guide to a lifetime of meaningful work and career success," it felt right to put in the work. My hope was I could figure out what besides play-by-play broadcasting would bring me fulfillment.
As many weekday nights as I could set aside, after working the daytime doing a transition job where I sold industrial supplies (but knew nothing about industrial supplies), I went to a McDonald's with good Wi-Fi and worked on the chapters of the book.
Working through the activities from the book, I identified moments in my professional life when I was the most fulfilled, what exact tasks I did during those times and started to compare aspects of my work one-against-one.
The outcome was certainty around the skills I enjoyed using the best and the types of work I should pursue that utilized those skills the best.
I talk with people often who feel like their is something missing from their professional life. Some know that is the case, and others elude to it through the stories they tell about what's not enjoyable or what's missing.
I believe there is a ton of power in being self-aware about the tasks you truly enjoy doing and trying with every ounce of your being to agree only to work that matches those skills.
If you're feeling stuck in your career, it was experiences like this that helped me get unstuck and start having as much happiness in my professional life as I have in my personal life.
Perhaps we can work together to help you do the same!