
Image Name: Traditional Career Approach
Are you having difficulty finding meaning and satisfaction in your work? You are not by themselves. Many people today feel as though their personal happiness does not match their career successes. Renowned career coach and Coaching for Underfulfilled Overachievers founder Megan Hellerer tackles this problem in her latest book, Directional Living: A Transformational Guide to Fulfillment in Work and Life. Here are five key insights from her book that can help you navigate your career journey and find greater fulfillment.
The Traditional Career Approach is Failing
Work isn’t working. Recent studies reveal that engagement at work is at an 11-year low. Only 30% of U.S. workers feel engaged with their jobs, and only about 17% find their work to be a source of meaning—half the rate reported just four years earlier. Additionally, 84% of workers report symptoms of burnout, and almost 50% of millennials report symptoms of depression or anxiety disorders. These statistics indicate a systemic problem in the traditional career approach.
Many people, whom Hellerer calls Underfulfilled Overachievers (UFOAs), have impressive resumes and have followed all the “right” steps but still feel unfulfilled. They are living great lives on paper, but they don’t feel great inside. You might relate to this if you’ve achieved much but still find yourself asking, “Is this really all there is?” Hellerer herself experienced this, having graduated from Stanford at the top of her class and landed a dream job at Google, only to find herself miserable and unfulfilled.
Focus on the Direction, Not the Destination
We are deeply unfulfilled because we’ve been taught that achievement is the path to fulfillment. This Achievement Lie orients our lives toward reaching destinations—finish lines and outcomes—regardless of the sacrifices made to get there. Degrees, honors, titles, and promotions take front stage over our experiences or the value of our labor. When you get to these places, though, you might discover you have no want to be “there.”
Instead of focusing on destinations, Hellerer suggests living directionally. This means moving iteratively in your own personal right direction without needing to know the precise destination. It’s like driving a car at night: you can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way. By focusing on the direction rather than the destination, you can find more purpose and fulfillment in your career.
Forget Your Purpose; Follow Your Curiosity
One of the latest trends is the focus on finding “purpose,” but treating life purpose as a destination can freeze you and keep you stuck. Purpose is not a static destination but a direction. The best proxy for purpose is curiosity. Curiosity is like hunger; it shows you where the fulfillment is. By following your curiosity, you can find directionally right actions that lead to purpose.
For example, Hellerer noted Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s curiosity for public duty when they worked with her. Her curiosity drove her to behave in ways that didn’t fit neatly into a strategic career plan but finally pointed her toward running for Congress.
Image Name: Follow Your Curiosity
Seek Not Blind Ambition but Aligned Ambition
The issue is not ambition itself; it is blind ambition, which runs counter to your actual needs and desires. Conversely, aligned ambition is inner-directed and combines your preferences, skills, pleasures, and questions. This produces a job and way of life unique to you and none others.
Though you might reach amazing benchmarks with mindless ambition, you still feel empty. Even if the successes are not as large, aligned aspirations can help you to feel more fulfilled since it will reflect who you are. For example, Hellerer found that working at Google was a version of success but not aligned for her. Publishing a book and having a thriving coaching practice, however, felt deeply fulfilling because they were aligned with her.
Life is a Game of “Warmer-Colder”
Directional Living is like playing the children’s game of “Warmer-Colder.” At each juncture, you ask yourself, “Is this warmer?” or “Is this colder?”—more aligned and directionally right, or less? You move iteratively in the “warmer” direction without knowing exactly where you’re going to end up.
This game emphasizes moving iteratively, taking an experimental approach of testing, learning, and refining along the way. The only way to fail is to refuse to iterate and adjust. In real life, this launch-and-iterate strategy is crucial because of constant change. What is “warmer” for you at age 25 will be different at 35, 45, and beyond. The world is not static, and neither are you. By focusing on the direction, the destination becomes irrelevant.
Conclusion
Challenge the conventional definition of success if you want more direction and fulfillment in your work. Emphasize the direction rather than the destination; follow your interest; search for aligned ambition; treat life as a game of “Warmer-Colder.” This can help you to more successfully negotiate your career path and increase your work satisfaction.
Combining these realizations into your career plan will help you to overcome the structural problems with the conventional career path and create a profession that really excites you. Recall that it’s about always traveling in a route that feels appropriate for you, not about arriving at a destination.
Related Post
Looking for Comfortable Work-from-Home Gear? Here Are 5 Must-Haves!
Interview Process for the Higher Posts?
Interview for your dream job