I know what I love, and even what I do well—now what?

We each do one thing better than anyone else on the planet.  We often stumble onto that thing through trial and error, sheer accident or simple necessity, but we’re all an expert at something.  Chances are your thing has something to do with the fact that you’re a creator, inspirer, healer or protector, or a combination of the two.  But more than likely, you’re wondering, “I know what I like, and even where I excel, but how do I combine the two to create a successful life doing what I love?” Of course, there is no one straight path to follow, but these three simple strategies can help you take that next step in uncovering the answers to your question.   

1. Stop trying to fit in someone else’s box—create your own darn box and “sell it”. Show someone an untapped need, and how you, and only you, can fill it. For more than a decade, I had helped hundreds of friends, colleagues and even strangers find new jobs, get into PR, and change industries and careers—not to mention changing my own career path numerous times.  My “aha” moment was realizing these experiences were promotable skills, that coupled with my background in communications, could enable me to market myself as a “teacher” to anyone navigating personal and professional transitions.
    
2. Capitalize on who you are.  Chances are, if you were the hall monitor in grade school, we probably weren’t the best of friends.  However, I might hire you in a heartbeat to be my compliance officer/consultant. Know what makes you you, and embrace it. The story is that I started talking at 10 months old and … never stopped. I am a communicator, and at the heart of it, I am an inspirer and creator, sharing what I have learned (from some of the best) about marketing and branding to benefit others. Ask yourself who you are, and work it.
    
3. Take stock in all ALL of your LIFE experiences (paid work, volunteering, hobbies, and especially favors and how you “give yourself” to friends and family).  What’s the common denominator of what you love AND do well?  For me, it was inspiring others to think from new perspectives.  Even though I was clueless at first about how to use this information, I was also excited because at least I knew where to “dig.”  I soon realized in what direction I had to head toward to discover my greatest passion and purpose – it had something to do with using communications to inspire others.
   

Thoughts of the Week:

• The more positions you’ve had that you didn’t like, the more you’ll learn
  
• Knowing who you aren’t is the first step to determining who you are
  
• Don’t be too quick to say you’ll never do something again – you’ll only limit yourself more