Transition Dynamics

Career Clarity Article

What Do You Do Best?

The flame of the Summer Olympics has been extinguished after a 16 day showcase of athletes of all shapes and sizes doing what they do best. Some move faster than anyone else, some jump higher, others are stronger.

Individually and collectively they demonstrate what it means, what it looks like, and what it sounds like to have a body intelligence that has been honed through years of intense training. Able to perform feats most of us can't imagine doing let alone perfecting.

The Draw

I have always been drawn to the Olympic Games. Growing up it was a family event. Given that none of us, by any stretch of the imagination, could be considered athletic, I've always wondered what drew me into the stories of the athletes, the competitions, and the medal ceremonies. Several years ago I realized athletes embody something many of us long for. Everyone of these athletes:

• Live with passion
• Drive themselves to succeed
• Invest in themselves and their vision
• Retain their focus in the face of difficulties
• Excel in their craft

They are doing what they do best. They are the cream of the crop. They demonstrate the pinnacle of success in their field of choice.

What Do You Do Best?

Not all of us excel in athletic realms. Our bodies aren't put together in a way that makes this possible--no matter how hard we might try. Nevertheless, many of us long for something we can dedicate ourselves to. We just don't know what to do with our longing.

The first question to answer is: What are you best suited for? What is your body, mind, and soul built to do?

• Are you good with words?
• Are you good with numbers?
• Are you a logical thinker?

Although these are the areas of intelligence most commonly recognized within our academic system, they aren't the only forms of intelligence. Perhaps you excel at one of these categories: (Pulled from work by Howard Gardner, Multiple Intelligences)

• Are you more artistic than many?
• Are you musically inclined?
• Do you connect deeply with nature?
• Are you at ease connecting with others?
• Are you more aware of your inner truths than most?
• Are you fascinated by the questions Why and How?
• Are you able to create things with your hands?

(Did your mind go straight to worrying about how you can make "a living" with some of these skills? If so, it's likely you go down this path frequently. Did you know jumping into this kind of worry shuts down your passion and creativity prematurely? The first step in any journey is the vision. Finding a practical expression of your passion can only come when you are clear what your passion is. For now, spend time exploring your passions. Practicality and feasibility can be explored in a different conversation.)

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For some, their passions are obvious to them. They are able to step forward in their lives using their passions in ways that fulfill them.

For others, their passions are not quite so obvious. They are frustrated without a focus, without a direction.
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If you are in this second group, your frustration may have roots in one or more of these reasons.

• Perhaps you have so many interests you can't narrow the field.
  
• Perhaps you can't catch the thread that would allow you to unravel the clues to identify your passion.
  
• Perhaps what you naturally do best was squashed when you were a child.
  
• Perhaps the responsibilities of your current situation seem to preclude you from moving in the direction of your passion.

If you yearn to do something that makes a difference, that's meaningful, that's fulfilling, your passion is waking up deep within you. Your special combination of skills, interests, innate abilities, and experience is trying to come forth so that you may live and work from a place of passion.

Discovering Your Passions

Unearthing your passions is much like a treasure hunt.

Imagine attempting to find a sunken treasure somewhere on the planet with one or two clues. It would be nearly impossible. The same is true when you attempt to identify a fulfilling career when you have only one or two interests to work with.

The key to finding your treasure is to pull together as many clues as you can about your interests and passions. The Career Clarity Program is an 8-Step process that allows you to collect 60-80 clues about the work that will fulfill you.

If you want to discover a career that excites you to step forward with the passion and commitment of an Olympic athlete, the Career Clarity Program is the guide to help you reach your treasure.

Five Ways to Step Toward Your Passions

No matter how much you think about it, your meaningful career will not just appear one day in neon lights. Creating a fulfilling career is a process, a journey. Each step reveals more details, more clarity, and more excitement. Here are a few tips to get you started:

1. Pay attention to the small voice within that's questing for something more. Listen carefully.
   
2. Pay attention to what draws and attracts you--topics, people, actions, industries, discoveries. Keep these things on your personal radar screen at all times.
3. Start doing things you enjoy today! Don't wait until you have it all figured out. Take a step based on what you know now. See what unfolds from there.
   
4. Learn more about things you enjoy. Read a book on the topic, take a class. The more you know about your passions, the easier it will be to spot openings for your talents.
   
5. Connect with others who enjoy what you enjoy. You'll be amazed at what you learn from immersing yourself in a community of like-minded people.

I encourage you to begin the journey to discover your passions. If you'd like help, email me to receive a detailed description of the Career Clarity Program. Taking one step on the journey leads you to the next.

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