Jenna: Hey there, and thanks for joining us on another episode of Elevate Yourself Podcast.

Today I wanted to talk a little bit more about careers because that really affects burnout for people. So our last topic was all about burnout. And I think sometimes the way you are aligning yourself with your career can be the thing that is burning it out, but then it can also sometimes be just generally the career that you're in.

And so we have done a podcast "How to align your career with your self-care goals?", which is worth checking out if you are interested in this topic, but I've been wanting to talk specifically about how to find a career that you love. This, I think is a really important thing, just as necessary to go dive a little deeper into I think, and sometimes if you're dealing with burnout, it is necessary to question these things and see if you are in the right place in order to be successful and happy and feeling energized and not drained by that you're working on it.

So according to a Business Insider article, the average person spends over 90,000 hours of their life working. This comes out to more than 10 straight years away from friends and family or hobbies and leisure daily activities. In other words, the career we decide to pursue matters and not only has lifelong consequences for you but your larger community as well. Just speaking to this, though, to these things are true, but it has been shown that also the average person changes careers about five times in their lifetime. So I think as a younger person, sometimes we do take this a little bit too seriously. Our strategy should be more about gaining experience and taking advantage of the opportunities that we are really given. It might not be very permanent. So whether you are finding a career that you love, or if it's a good opportunity, and better than what you're doing, I think is probably more so what you should be thinking about rather than what you love. But as we grow older in our careers and we have taken advantage of more and more opportunities.

We get to a point in our lives where we are looking for something that's more permanent because we know ourselves and we have tried a lot of different things, then we can really find out what we actually will love and start to invest a lot of time in that. There are those people that are just blessed to know this is what I'm going to do and this is what I love, but oftentimes you think that and it turns out completely opposite. So I would caution you if you're younger, take it with a grain of salt and don't take yourself too seriously in the beginning because you're just learning and figuring out stuff. You got to try things to know if you liked it or not. But once you're older and you have a good hold on that then it's a really good time for you to really reassess whether you're in a career that you love.

There's a global poll that was conducted by Gallup has uncovered that out of the world's 1 billion full-time workers only 15% are engaged at work, which means an astronomical 85% of people are unhappy in their job likely. We have also linked that source in the podcast notes in case you're interested in checking out that little bit further.

So here are some science-based reasons why you could be unhappy at work. Coworkers is a big thing. As we said before, your job often takes you away from your friends and family. But if you are surrounded by people you like all day at work, then it's a lot easier to like your top two. Teamwork makes the dream work. If you're living the dream, you're likely in a group of people who are supporting that vision as well and the co-workers are probably awesome. But if you are not living the dream and your co-workers are hard to collaborate with and not positively impacting your life in your workspace, and it's probably going to really suck so that could potentially play a big role in why you are unhappy in the workplace.

A boss, of course, one of the reasons for your boss if you don't get along with him, it's hard to enjoy being at work. There's a lot of different things that you can switch about this but generally you really have to mesh with the person that you are working for. So that's really important as well. The type of work we're doing, like the specific project that you were assigned some systemic issue, and sometimes it's just a short term one. So I think in the short term is something we all don't like about every career. If it's every single day, it might be a sign that it's time to switch.

Your attitude, so this can be a big sign of burnout too. If you are finding that your attitude sucks all the time and you do not have a positive can-do attitude. If you find yourself to be grudging when being asked to do tasks rather than excited to help and contribute to the workplace that can be a sign of time for you to move on as well from wherever you are. Having a negative attitude at work affects the way you act with everything that happens to you.

A small comment from a co-worker can seem so much more snarky when you think everyone is out to get you. With a positive attitude, the way people act and the type of work you were doing might be totally different. This can be a lot of external things too. I would caution you that your attitude is a choice a lot of the time. There are things where we just fundamentally will be out of line. So your attitude it's a combination between burnout and self care and choices that we make a lot of the time. So I will say that. Yes, it can be work related, but be very careful in assessing whether your attitude towards your job is the problem or your job is the problem with your attitude.

Commute could also be a reason why you don't love your work. A long commute to work can be a huge downer. When we take a job we are excited about the role and or the company. This means we often overlook the little things. One of those things that loom largest is the commute, a long commute is unexpectedly stressful. And especially with gas prices right now I know everyone is rethinking the roles. People are trying to work remotely wherever possible going forward in the future. I think a lot of people are trying to commute a lot less and spend more time with their families. And have more leisure time by not commuting. So you may fundamentally think that this is something that's not going to change or is is not going to be supported by change in your company or your career. And that might be a reason that you would like to morph into something that you love more. A lot of the times though now we can also do that simply by changing our role by like working remotely or something like that or reorganizing our schedule as well. So make sure you take some perspective with that. Don't just ditch the career unnecessarily because the commute is an issue sometimes just be a stepping block for growth and development of your career in that industry and for giving feedback to your boss because oftentimes there's something that can be done about this. Sometimes there's not though. So another reason why you might not be loving your career is you feel stagnant in your growth.

Maybe you liked your job initially and you were challenged during the first few months now though, you feel like you're not learning anything new, the work might feel monotonous and not very challenging. Once again, there's a lot of different things that you can do to activate this growth in your career again, one would be definitely talking to your boss, having conversation and the courage really to bring up these issues is the first step to really getting so another thing that if you are finding yourself in this place like you develop to a certain to every job and then you feel this feeling like were you having to in order to grow sometimes that can mean that you're not actually verbalizing what you need.

And so if you don't put that out into the universe and into your community and workplace then usually won't be as much opportunity given to you. And if you are ambitious, and you are a go-getter, you will find a way to break through this if you really do love the career you're in. If you do notice that you are in a lot of jobs where you love it and then you lose interest and seem to be like burning out with no growth. It could be also that you just haven't learned how to properly communicate with the people that you're working with to be able to be continuously challenged. I would challenge you to look into this and just really look at whether it's an internal reason for a stagnant growth that maybe you're not putting yourself out there enough or if this is a fundamentally flawed position where there is no possibility at all, even if you were to voice any kind of opinion for that growth. And then in that case, definitely worth finding a new fair possibly. So lack of appreciation can be another thing that might contribute to why you're not loving your job. It's hard to put your heart into something and not receive any recognition for it. Understanding the impact that the work you are doing is really having can be very helpful. Sometimes you just need to look past or have a conversation with like your boss or coworkers to see the big picture.

And obviously, it's so good to be on a team where there is a free flow of appreciation. And once you can have an employee you can really reach out for feedback and create situation where that communication is opened up. Moreso, if you feel like you need it. Sometimes, some workers or employees do definitely need more appreciation and feedback than others. So by asking for it, you can actually program your boss or your co workers to kind of be expecting to give that feedback loop to you and to know that it's actually important. So two way street with that one as well.

But definitely can contribute overworking when there is significant work to be done. You can get handed a large burden and sometimes that can feel overwhelming. And this is when we also need to take a step back and really communicate more but if it's continuously going on and you're not being heard, and that's definitely a situation where you might consider changing a career. What your company stands for is pretty integral to your satisfaction in your career though too. You might enjoy the work that you're doing and even the team you have but if you're against what the company is working towards, and then that doesn't really line up and it is time to move on at that point. It's okay to have like a candid conversation for sure.

And I think that that's like really great for everyone to get used to being very honest about what they want it because if you're honest about what you want, then people can be honest about whether or not they can give it to you but also they really try to help you in some way. But if they don't know what you want, and they're just guessing it's so much harder for you to actually get what you want. There are times no one's going to want to see you and that really sucks and it might be time for a change.

So finding a career you love might seem a little bit frustrating. There are so many choices out there. And sometimes after you find something you might not feel same way after a while. Finding a career you love can really be as individual as you are. So knowing your own goals is a useful way to start and making meaningful decisions throughout the process can help you ensure you are matching your career choices with your own objectives - not your parents or your family or society's expectations. Really important that you have your own objectives to find a career that you really love.

Finding a career you love can also be a deeply gratifying experience. So some of the things you should think about are "What are you naturally gifted to do?", so one way to begin thinking about finding a career is to start with your natural abilities. Sir Ken Robinson, Ph.D wrote a book called Finding Your element how to discover your talents and passions and transform your life which can serve as a comprehensive blueprint for finding work that aligns with your passions and talents and consequently leads to finding yourself. I would highly recommend checking that out if you're looking for some sort of inspiration or direction.

The second thing I would recommend is looking at "What gives you life?", so when using the term passion, it's important to clarify if finding work that you're passionate about does not mean it will always be easy or perpetually pleasurable to do. No matter what the work is, there will always be days that are more challenging than others. But how do you know when you aren't passionate about your work? We all know that feeling of dread that accompanies certain activities we have to do. We may be finding activities boring, dull, draining or unfulfilling. And when those activities are not merely in the periphery of our days, but make up their center, like when we're stuck in a career that isn't a good fit. It is totally a problem.

As the philosopher Alain de Botton, Ph.D discusses in TED talk, it's an awful thing to sacrifice years of effort to reach a goal that as it turns out, doesn't make you happy. However, I would highlight that doing something is better than doing nothing. I think no experience is wasted. Everything is going to teach you something about yourself and as long as you are not dwelling on wasting time or all the bad things that happened because of it. You will actually find positive way to move forward out of that and be aligned with something that is even better suited for you because you know what you don't want and just like I was saying in the beginning of the podcast, like when you're young, this is gonna happen to you a lot. And this is like actually a good thing because if you sit around and you're like I don't know what to do, and you don't do anything in your art, for the right thing, this smack in the face, you're going to be waiting a long time and you're wasting a lot of time. If you get out into the world and take every opportunity that is positive, the best opportunity to at every single time of your life, you're likely going to find yourself in a way better place, a person who's waiting for the thing to align and just fall into their lap.

So reflect and assess also to find a career that you love. Periodically reflect on what you've learned about your potential career options and how you and your goals may have changed thinking mindfully about how your thought processes evolve can help you make career choices that will reflect your most recent and important values. There's a lot of motivation for finding a career you love. It's awesome when you can find something with values enjoyment and not to mention a positive outcome.

So we're talking about salary, future roles and other opportunities that can be motivators for you to consider the daily work of your career affects these kinds of outcomes, which may be a priority to you. Sometimes if you don't have the right paycheck, and you can't afford your bills. You may have enjoyment or value in your career, but your lifestyle outside of work might not also align with the values and enjoyment that you would optimally see for your life. So we have some tips for building a network in the career you love. This is really important really helps to network with people because support is like the best thing towards working through being successful in a new career that you might be starting. So make connections in new fields. If you have a few ideas of career paths that might interest you. Great idea to reach out to establish individuals in those domains. ask specific questions that show you've done a little research independently and be sure to offer phone skills in return. Networking relationships are two way dynamic that is meant to benefit both parties involved and oftentimes if you're the person approaching someone and wanting to develop that question, you really should be the first person to reach out with some kind of kindness or gesture of goodwill and friendships, that's genuine. It's also just good karma to do approach things.

Leverage technology as well. You can join the online groups and focus boards, Facebook or Instagram, LinkedIn might be a good thing as well. And all these places will have some sort of thing focused on the career you might be interested in. And you can also reach out to individuals in these groups when appropriate, and just ask questions. Lots of people really do want to mentor people and help people if someone else really loves what they do, then it's actually more of a joy for them to share it with someone usually. So if you haven't found someone who gives you those vibes, you might just be looking for the wrong person and you might just have better luck with someone else who's maybe not going through so much burnout or in a better place in their career. Seek professional development opportunities.

If you're looking to build a career you love engaging in professional development such as classes, networking, social events, can help you make connections while learning new skills. So you can check online resources for learning opportunities in a career field that interests you. There's a lot of like courses you can take also online, lots of free courses these days, you know, take it with a grain of salt like if you're getting something for free, obviously, sometimes there's a reason for that.

But there is a lot of things that you can do to like baby step your way into a career instead of like going full-guns blazing. And like for instance, if you're thinking about going into a university program or a Trades Program, or esthetician program or something like that, you can take one or two courses here and there and dip your foot in the water or you can you can also like volunteer at a studio or a shop or something like that just to get an idea of what the work is like before you commit your whole life and all your life savings, or your credit card balance towards something that you're not sure that you really want to do. Just make sure you do your research and keep in mind that you have to give a little to get a little sometimes and if you're just always looking to take from a situation and to find out what's best for you and not give back to like the people that you're trying to be involved with. You will never have a positive relationship developed there and it's not going to be a good scene.

So if you are trying to make a change and find a career you love but you're not sure about it and you are not necessarily ready to go balls to the wall. Maybe it's a good time to practice a little humility and a little generosity and of spirit and open-mindedness so that you can really put yourself in a situation that is going to have a positive result for you one way or another and also give you a good idea because if it is the query you want to go into you definitely want to be approaching that from something that is very open hearted like that because otherwise you're just gonna get off on the wrong foot.

If it's something you love, then generosity of spirit is key for sure. Because if you can find that in yourself and you genuinely love it, then money is not the motivating factor. And that's when the magic happens and money follows after just have to trust the process and come at it with like a really pure spirit. I think that's how you really truly find something that you love. Be prepared to find lots of things that you don't love. Be prepared not to be discouraged because every time you find something that you don't love, this is another step closer to finding something that you do love.

So remember that and I hope that you guys have picked up some tips here and tricks on ways that you might be able to morph your career into something that you love if you are in a bad situation that you don't think is going to change and if you're just ready to move on to something that is a little bit more in alignment with your self care goals and who you are as a person which might evolve around overtime rate.

So give yourself a little bit of forgiveness and leeway and flexibility with that as well as you're figuring things out. I would love to touch base with you guys if you are into sharing your journeys. Hit me up on the DMS or in like the comments of the podcast. I would love to hear about everything you're going through and if you also have any tips for anyone else. Thanks so much for joining me on another episode of Elevate Yourself podcast. I can't wait to talk to you guys again next week. we are going to continuing a little bit of this kind of theme for those who are really interested in making some changes especially after a little COVID thing. So, yeah, thanks again for joining us, Elevate Yourself podcast and we'll see you next week.