Deep Dive
Shownotes Transcript
Hi, thank you for listening to Chasing Life, a podcast aimed to help encourage you to chase a positive, healthy, and fulfilling life. I'm your host, Sarah Kane, and I'm so grateful you decided to join me. I'm a single 30-something dog mom, runner, and higher educational professional.
After struggling with a quarter-life crisis where I learned a lot about myself, I pursued and earned my MBA, got the good job, bought a house, but still struggle with fulfillment and continue to chase goals in running my career and life. I feel called to share what I've learned and continue to learn in the hopes that my story and tips will help make an impact on your day and help you feel less alone. Let's chase life together.
Hello and welcome to another episode of Chasing Life. I'm your host, Sarah. One of the topics that I wanted to cover in this podcast was about career growth and just life fulfillment. So recently I came across a TED Talk by Ryan Clements and he also has an article about the same topic.
and that's seven essential keys to finding fulfillment at work. And I really found that tips helpful, so I thought that it would be worthwhile to share with you as well. Because we spend the majority of our adult lives working. We all want careers that are personally engaging and financially secure, and sometimes we need to make career changes to find that satisfaction. I've been there. I was changing jobs every two years trying to find something that satisfied me and challenged me and made me feel fulfilled in my days.
And whether you are currently in a career that you love or one that you'd like to get out of, there are a number of strategies that if you create habits out of them, you'll feel more fulfilled no matter where you are. Even if you know that the job you are currently in is not the job for you long term, if you take these strategies, it will help make the process between now and when you're actually pursuing your dream job more fulfilling.
Tip number one, define a personal mission and live it each day. What are your values? What defines you as a person? Write them down. Create a personal mission statement, something that defines how you're going to act independent of any external circumstances. Then apply it each day in your work, no matter what you are doing or where you are. This will lead to inner congruence and will make you feel like you live with integrity. This will make you feel more fulfilled in your work.
Number two, constantly set and reset goals. Growth is where fulfillment exists and there is no growth without goals. Set long-term, short-term, and most importantly daily goals. Even if you aren't working in your dream career, you can still benefit from consistent goal-setting behavior. And I promise if you do it enough, you will find more fulfillment than you'll feel without setting goals.
Number three, make a specific goal to improve yourself every single day. Improvement feels great even if it's a small improvement. Don't set the standard for yourself what other people are doing. You're in a race with no one but yourself. Your personal satisfaction in a career is something that you alone must determine. Find ways to improve yourself. Find things about your job description and there has to be things that you can improve that will benefit you down the road.
whether it's people skills, organization skills, management or leadership skills. Improve each day and you'll feel great about yourself.
Number four, be grateful. It could be a lot worse. This is the truth. And if you are ever feeling sorry for yourself, take a moment and find someone else who's in a more dire situation than you. And there are many, especially in 2020. A lack of gratitude in life is a sure way to get discouraged and depressed. But the reverse is also true. A person who feels an abundance of gratitude, no matter where his or her life is, will also find an abundance of fulfillment.
Number five, don't be passive. Take initiative. Your enjoyment in an activity is a direct correlation to the amount of emotional energy you invest in it. So dive in. Don't sit on the sidelines. You won't feel fulfillment that way. Find ways to be proactive. Volunteer for assignments. Again, even if your current job isn't your ideal job, if you invest emotional energy in it and be proactive, you'll find more fulfillment. Number six, find ways to learn something new. Education is fulfilling.
Learning new things feels great. Do an inventory of yourself. What is an area that you would like to improve and how can your current job offer a setting for that type of improvement? You may need to put yourself out of your comfort zone a little for the growth to happen. But again, if you do it, you'll feel more fulfilled.
Number seven, build positive relationships. It feels good to have positive people in your life. There's the quote that says you are the sum of the five people you spend the most time with. The more positive relationships you build in your current work setting, the more fulfillment you'll feel. Take time to listen to people. Show genuine care and interest. The key here is being genuine. Everyone can tell if you're a faker. Show interest in people and they'll show interest in you. Be a good person and you'll build positive relationships.
I hope you found these tips as helpful as I did. Again, this credit goes to Ryan Clements and he has a TED Talk and an article called Seven Essential Keys to Finding Fulfillment at Work. Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed today's episode, please be sure to subscribe and leave a review. I would love to hear from you. Even better, take a screenshot and tag me in your Instagram stories at SarahChasingLife.