Looking for your strengths
In building a professional career, it is not about everyone striving to be the president of a corporation. Yes, some percentage of people are made for it, but luckily not all of them! There are as many opportunities and ideas for a career as there are people. Why? Because everyone was born with a unique set of traits, skills, and talents that affected each person differently. Therefore, every human is one of a kind, and that’s why we should not strive to duplicate paths followed by colleagues. When building your professional career, it is worth consciously focusing on your possibilities. How to find your own strengths and link them with work?
What do you enjoy?
We are often taught that fun is not a good advisor and that achieving success involves difficult work, overcoming weaknesses, and going beyond the comfort zone. For us, this is a recipe for unhappiness at work. It is important to know what tasks are fun for us. If you hate meticulous counting and filling in data in tables, you are unlikely to become a good accountant. Do you understand? You have to be aware of what you like and what you don’t. Go in the direction you enjoy, because that’s where your strengths lie.
What are they saying good about you?
Maybe you often hear that you compose beautiful bouquets? Maybe people appreciate how you organize yourself? Or do they call you when they have a difficult time and want to talk to someone? Listen carefully to what good others say about you, what they value you for, what they consider to be your strength. Sometimes we are modest to notice it, but EVERY one of us has something to bring to the world. You definitely have it too, and close people see your potential. Don’t be shy, just watch it and write it down. And if you have more courage, ask your family and friends what they think about you, or ask your coworkers why they like working with you (if you already work somewhere). You will surely learn surprising things about yourself!
Look for your differentiator
We encourage you to look closely at yourself. Instead of autopilot, turn on self-awareness and pay attention to how you do things. If you cook, do you do it frivolously, making a big mess, or do you do everything carefully? Are you behaving similarly in other situations? Are you cleaning the house according to a specifically crafted plan? There is a lot of information about us in our daily activities. Thanks to these observations, you can learn a lot about how you operate.
Analyze the work you’ve done so far
If you already have professional experience, think about what made you most happy and what made you most frustrated in your work so far? Try to find the answer to the question “Why was that?”. With such knowledge, you can do a lot, most of all not to go back to activities that you don’t like. Work fatigue can take the form of occupational burnout, which significantly reduces life and job satisfaction. Your mental health is important, it’s worth taking care of, and not forcing yourself to do what you really hate.
Give yourself time
The above points describe a process that takes time – give it to yourself. Write down your observations and don’t be afraid to change your mind, because you have the right to change the idea of yourself if you feel you need it!
