You don’t have to prove anything to anyone.
CHOICES THAT FIT YOU
I frequently help clients navigate through choices. Shall I continue studying, or shall I find a job? Shall I keep my employment, or shall I explore new career opportunities? More often than not, it is the perennial “what shall I do with my life?” So, what is one to do with such questions, and how can we ensure that we make productive choices.
do not borrow solutions
First and foremost, remember, it is a choice for you and only you to make. Stop comparing yourself or competing with others. What works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for another.
Don’t accumulate guilt
I have found that whenever I feel the need to justify a choice, it is because, down deep, I feel there is a need for justification. And with justification, there is always the subtle guilt for not going the other way. So, between two choices, ask yourself – which option doesn’t require justification and go for it. Just the money you are going to save from future counseling and therapy is worth going this route.
align with your strengths
You don’t have to prove anything to anyone! While such motivation is admirable, spending a decade proving a point can be tedious and flat-out expensive. So, always choose the options that align with your strengths. Then, you will naturally be the star in what you do. It’s fun, it’s rewarding, and it is the only sustainable option in the long run.
Take time to figure out what your strengths are. Think about the fundamentals. Let’s say you’re trying to choose between a career in accounting and marketing. Well, if you enjoy interacting with people – go for marketing. On the other hand, if you are a detail-oriented person who is meticulous and prefers to work alone – then accounting is the way to go. You can sort through any such career options if you focus on the basics: do you like to work alone or you need to interact with people. Do you enjoy communicating – writing, speaking, etc. – or do you work best when left alone?
change is the only guarantee
One thing that you should never do is choose on account of guarantees. There are no guarantees in this world, and you should be wary of anyone who says otherwise. What was a guarantee last year is no longer valid this year. Think of the list of fail-safe professions in the past: the doctors, the lawyers, the engineers, the physicists turned into financial analysts, the programmers, the data scientists, and so on and so forth. There is no end to that list – it changes every so many years and every time everybody is convinced that that is it.
However, if you choose with your strengths and become your best, you don’t need many jobs in your field. All you need is one – guess who is going to get it?