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Career Tips
I used to say that I had a job, but I definitely did not have a career. I was an expert in my field and I could work towards my next promotion, but it was not my dream job. I could not wait to become a self-employed coach, instead. A satisfying way of earning my income became even more important to me after having a baby. My daughter actually gave me the strength to take a leap into the unknown. Once you start looking for opportunities, you too will find ways to become professionally satisfied, while taking care of yourself and your family.personal development
Here are some tips that may help you to start moving towards fulfilment:
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Start by spending some time reflecting on the right work-life balance for you. How many days per week or hours per day would you like to work? Maybe you do not need a full time job? Or maybe, if you could get a better paid job, you could work less? Would occasional contract work be enough to meet your household budget? Many parents choose to spend as much time as possible with their children when they are small. They accept less income during that time.
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The positive effect of the COVID-19 pandemic is that we have seen that many jobs can be done from home. Search for jobs that can be done remotely if you like this idea.
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Use your annual leave strategically. I used to take a day-off once every two weeks at some point during my career and it was a life saver. I looked forward to each day-off and when I returned to work I knew another day-off would come soon.
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Talk to your employer about whether some flexible arrangements can be made to help you if that is what you need. According to the Harvard Business Review, many parents (especially women) take advantage of these arrangements. Employers do not like high staff turnover as it means loss of expertise and time invested in training a new employee. Finding the right candidate is also difficult. You might be more precious to your employer than you think. Your employer might prefer that you work full-time but in order to keep you they may agree to some flexibility. You could suggest working shorter hours every day, working part-time or working from home most of the time, so that you can save time on commuting. Some companies offer job sharing etc. Just try not to fall into a guilt-trap where you end up doing a full-time job with part-time pay.
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Consider becoming self-employed. I asked a freelancer on Fiverr to design my logo and Google Ad for example. I was delighted with the result. What are your talents? Some people do voice-overs or design T-shirts that are only printed if someone buys them, etc. There are certain things you could start doing immediately, with little preparation. If you spend some time researching, you may find a way of earning what you need that takes less time than your current job. Many successful people share their tips online, on YouTube, for example. They inspired me to consider certain initiatives that perfectly suit my personality, lifestyle and background. Let others inspire you too.​​
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Do you also like inspiring people? Would you like to earn your living while writing a blog, posting videos on YouTube, designing an online course or selling your own designer products etc.? There are still so many niche opportunities waiting for talented people. I remember being very disappointed that there are so few good quality, but affordable, maternity clothes. We love Christian art, but it is nearly impossible to find a picture of Jesus smiling. These are just two example of things that I would be happy to pay for. In many cases you can start turning your talent into income instantly. Many of those projects do not require any initial investment and the profits from sales may be generated for years to come with little input on your side. The great thing about it is that what you earn is yours. You do not have an employer who retains a large part of your earnings. Do not be shy, what is it that you always wanted to do? People often say how their success (including financial) exceeded their wildest dreams. You can start small, but if you are committed and persistent the chances are that things will start bringing some profit. And if not? You can always try the next thing... Successful people fail many times before they eventually succeed. We usually have little to lose but we have our happiness to win, if we succeed.
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Your financial needs can affect your career choices in a significant way. Check whether you can reduce your expenses. For example, in order to pay any bill worth 50 EUR per month, I need to earn about 1 000 EUR a year! This awareness helps me to cool down my shopping enthusiasm. You can check more financial planning tips here.
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Last but not least, ask God to guide you. Our vocation is buried somewhere at the heart of our dreams. There might be a path that makes them all come together. Those seemingly unrelated dreams are like the scattered pieces of puzzle. At some point, if we keep trying, they will all form an inspiring, uplifting picture of our life. I would not be where I am now without God's guidance. God showed me a path towards liberation from a stressful job, slowly, step by step. It was difficult to resist my tendency to simply quit and hope for the best. I felt I had had enough of that job on average once a month (during good times) or even once a week (during the worst periods). It took years, but, eventually, all the circumstances aligned in such a way that I could quit on my terms. I had both the time and money to set up My Mission. I could not believe my good fortune. It really was a miracle and I could see God's hand in it. Here are several hundred-year-old tips on how to receive God's guidance.
