In Part 1 of the Career & Money Series I talked about the question “How Did We Get Here?” when it comes to our work lives. This time I’m going to delve deeper into the career versus job distinction by giving you information and tools that will help you answer the questions “Do I want a job or a career?” and “What do I want my life to look like?”.

Most people plan for their work lives backwards. That is, we look at “what do we want to do to earn money?” and go from there. Rarely do we take a broader view and do some serious life planning first. Just as a business plan is crucial for someone starting a business, a life plan is essential for everyone. Since our work lives take up a significant part of our time and energy, it is so important that it is congruent with who we are and our overall life plan.

Life planning often gets a bad wrap. People think they don’t need to do it (or fear it is a futile exercise) and by omission end up living a life by default versus a life by design. We put off the things that matter most to tend to the crises of the things that matter least and eventually wake up one day and wonder what the hell happened. While it is true your life plans will ebb, flow, and shift over time, you still need a roadmap or you’ll simply be all over the place and end up somewhere you don’t really want to be (or simply have no clue where you are).

Life Planning 101

Don’t be intimidated by the term life planning. It’s not like you’re sitting down one Saturday and carving out in stone what your life has to look like for the rest of your life. You are simply asking yourself the tough questions to unearth what you really want from your life. It is like the Stephen Covey principle of “Begin with the End in Mind”. In this case you want to take a look at your life and live it backwards.

Take some quiet, uninterrupted time when your mind is clear and your body is relaxed to answer the questions below. (If you are laughing hysterically at this prospect, you need this exercise even more than you think.) Then, sit down with a paper and pen and allow yourself to free-write what answers you hear from your heart (notice I didn’t say your mind). Do this without judgment, without analyzing, and without trying to figure it out. As much as possible keep your intellectual, over-rationalizing, deceptive mind out of it. This is your life we’re talking about so let your heart and deepest desires speak to you. Remember that life is not a dress rehearsal.
Ask yourself:

  • At the end of my life, what do I most want to be remembered for? (Write your own eulogy)
  • Who and what matters most to me?
  • Where do I want to live? What part of the country? Do I love the city, suburbs, or vast rural space? What type of community? What type of house? What is the weather like?
  • Who do I want to have in my life? A long-term partner? Children? A close community of friends? A spiritual community?
  • How much free time do I want in my life?
  • What type of lifestyle do I want to live?
  • What type of money will I need to earn and how will I need to tailor my lifestyle to achieve the financial freedom I desire?
  • What types of skills do I have or want to learn?
  • What type of work setting is most conducive to me? Do I work best in an office? With a team? By myself?
  • Is it important to me to have my work life be more than just a job?
  • What impact do I want to have on others? On the world?
  • What do I really enjoy doing?
  • What does my ideal day look like?
  • What would my ideal job look like?

These are all very meaty questions and can take time to reflect upon. Don’t try to rush it, let it evolve over time. Allow the answers that feel right to you for right now to emerge knowing you always have access to your heart and your inner wisdom to adjust and re-invent your plan as you grow.

Career or Job?

Once you’ve gone through and started to unearth clues to what you really want from your life you are more prepared to answer the question “Do I want a job or a career?” Keep in mind that at different times in your life you may choose one over the other and then change back again.

A job might be a better fit for you if you:

  • Want to work for money and put most of your focus on other areas of your life.
  • Could benefit from a transition position that meets your financial needs while you go back to school, change careers, start a business, etc.
  • Simply want a means to earn money so you can take large chunks of time off for volunteer work, travel, etc.

A career is a better choice for you if you:

  • Want to use your work life to have a bigger impact on the world
  • Desire to be masterful in a chosen field or profession
  • Long to be in the top leadership ranks of a company
  • Want to own your own business (large or small)
  • Derive personal fulfillment, growth, and satisfaction from your work pursuits
  • Choose to make your work life a significant focus in your overall life plan

A recent article at Yahoo Finance made some great points about the new surge in entrepreneurial ventures. In it they debunk some old entrepreneurial myths such as:

Old: Women will get power in corporate America and change it.

New: Women are getting what they want by leaving corporate America to start their own businesses.

While a steady stream of press releases touts the increasing flexibility of corporate jobs, it isn’t happening in practice. But instead of pounding their fists against the doors of corporate human resources departments, women have put their energy toward growing their own businesses.

More businesses are started today by women than by men, and most of the sole proprietorship businesses are run by women. This tells us that women have won the fight for flexible jobs by creating them for themselves.

Old: The self-employed are happy because they’re doing what they love.

New: The self-employed are happy because they have control over their work and they have a flexible lifestyle.

These trends are prime examples of how people have intentionally chosen to create their own path because it better fits who they are and their overall life plan. No longer are people willing to just “put up and shut up” in their work lives.

While being an entrepreneur is not for everyone, it does illustrate the fact that different work lives fit for different people. The more conscious you can be about what you really want, why you want it, and who you want to BE as you journey through life the better chance you have at aligning your work life with your deepest desires for your life as a whole.

If the whole life planning piece suddenly has you overwhelmed, don’t panic! Check out my website and blog for some resources and articles that can help support you as you get clear on what you really want.

Stay tuned for Part 3 when I’ll tackle the topics of uncovering your values and determining what you need to earn.

As always, I love to hear your thoughts, stories, and suggestions in the comments…

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Paula Gregorowicz is the Comfortable in Your Own Skin(tm) Coach and you can learn more at her website www.thepaulagcompany.com and blog www.coaching4lesbians.com .

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