What's Your Ideal Working Life?

Forget about what you do now, forget about how your life or days are structured. Think about what you REALLY REALLY WANT! It doesn't have to be based on what's realistic - or even on what's possible...this is about your ideal working life - which is turn in based on your ideal life - the stuff of fantasy. Keeping things focused on your working life what is your ideal working environment?

Would you choose to work indoors our outdoors?

Do you prefer a fast pace or a gentle pace?

Do you like a structured organisation or a more flexible one?

What type of organisation would you choose to work in - the public, private, voluntary or charity sector? Large, medium or small? Industry sector? What sort of activities is the organisation involved in - financial, creative, caring, craft-based, legal, training, administration? What values does the organisation embrace?

What skills do you want to be using?

Who would you like to be working with? Are you managing a team, working in a team or working alone? If you're in a team, what kind of team? Are they like-minded people or is there great diversity?

What about the location? Do you prefer to be in a big city, large town, small town or rural? Are you office or field based, in a production facility or on a farm? Do you work from home? If so, how much of the time?

Would you be travelling? If so, where, and how often?

Are you working full-time? Part time? Is it a portfolio career? Would you be job-sharing? What hours are you working? Are there shifts? What are the best hours for you to work and be productive?

Are you producing something or are you delivering a service? Who for?

How do you feel about your work? What kind of things would you be doing in your working day?

If you are a square peg in a round hole and you're seriously thinking about changing the hole - give yourself some time to think about what your ideal working scenario would be. When you've got a pretty good idea of the kind of things you'd want to be doing - then start thinking back about what's practical and what's realistic. Most things that you'd want to do, are entirely do-able and possible if you want them enough.

If your concerns about the practicalities, or the risks, of making such change are big enough to stop you - then think about how you could get there in incremental steps. If you want to jack in your corporate life to run a small holding.....and you know nothing about running a small-holding - then do some research about what it would take, what it would mean. Go and visit someone who runs one - take a proper look at the life-style and ask questions. How did they do it? Why did they do it? What's a typical day like? What are the good bits and the bad bits? Can you see yourself in that environment? What do you need to learn, or practice, or understand? How can you get that knowledge, experience and understanding? Could you volunteer locally to where you live, without giving up your current job? Do something active to find out more about what it is you want to do.

For most of us, the pivot is smaller it's not so much a change in career as a change in company, job or role - we already have knowledge and experience, at least in a related field, and the leap is more to do with our confidence levels. Even so, I'd advocate the same approach - go and find someone who does the job you're looking to do - talk to them about how they got into it - how they actually spend their time on a day to day basis. Is it still something that interests you?

What additional skills do you need? What could you do to get some experience in that area? Map out some steps and build a pathway in that direction. If there are roles within the organisation you already work for...make it known that you're interested. Talk to your manager or HR about what you would need to do to be eligible for that type of role. Be pro-active and get some help from your colleagues and peers that could take you in the direction you want to go.

Most of all, don't just stay stuck in your rut. Give it some thought. Get some help if you need it. What do you really, really, want? You have to know that before you can figure out how to get there. Sometimes, the reality doesn't live up to the fantasy - but there will likely be some tweak, variation or related role that suits you better. You won't know that, of course, unless you go and find out.

#squarepeg #careerchange #careercoaching