Should you leave your job, or is it just a temporary phase? Do you feel stuck? Are you burnt out? Or do you simply feel uninspired in your day-to-day? If you’re confused about the turn your career path should take, don’t worry – these 15 journal prompts have got you covered! 😉
When you’re sitting at your desk and cannot keep your eyes off the clock, you might feel frustrated and wonder, “Why is this happening?”.
Having second thoughts about a job is normal and common – we all have them. Even if around you, you only see people who seem to have it all put together – trust me, you’re not alone in this!
Luckily, I’m here to help you work your way through it.
Are you ready to get more clarity about your career? Let’s get started!
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Step 1: Figure out what you don’t want
Is there a harder question than “What do you want”?.
The thing is that it may not be the ideal question to start with.
But there’s a way to avoid this annoying question and understand what you truly desire.
And it starts with getting clear on what you don’t want.
In this way, you’re cutting down the options. You’re stating what you don’t want so that you’ll know what to avoid if that’s ever presented to you.
How to do this?
Here are the 5 journal prompts to figure out what you don’t want for your career:
1. What can’t you stand in your current job or absolutely hated in a past job?
What can your current or past job experiences teach you? Can you identify some patterns?
Maybe you’ve worked as a barist and receptionist, both customer-oriented jobs. After doing these types of jobs, you’ve realized that the constant and direct interaction with others drains your energy more than you thought.
If that’s the case, you now know that it’s better if you look for positions that require less interaction and more back-office work.
Or maybe it’s the opposite. After working remotely for the past years, you’ve realized that you crave connection and are most productive when around people. Depending on the job you’re looking for, you might want to look for more dynamic roles.
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2. What are your energy drainers?
Make a list of all the things and tasks that drain your energy. Seriously, what are the things that you dread doing the most? Maybe you can’t stand:
- Research work
- Talking to clients
- Data entry
- Working with numbers
- Copywriting
Be honest with yourself. If you don’t enjoy something, put it on this list – so you’ll know what job not to apply to! 😉
3. Who do you envy? Whose lifestyle makes you feel jealous?
Jealousy is telling you something. (And no, it’s not that you’re a bad person)
Oftentimes, you envy someone because they have something that you want. It could also be the case for your career.
Who are you stalking on Instagram, wishing your day-in-the-life would look like theirs?
That’s something to pay attention to because that subtle feeling of jealousy is pointing you toward what you truly want.
So, welcome it and embrace it – rather than shy away from it, thinking you’re bad. You aren’t! You’re just not living the life you desire, and that’s making you suffer.
Don’t worry, though – by the end of the article, you’ll know how to get there! 😉
4. What aren’t you willing to tolerate? What’s your non-negotiable?
There is always something we are not willing to accept. What’s your number one non-negotiable at work?
Perhaps you don’t want to:
- Have a flexible schedule
- Sell things
- Be at the office every day
- Deal with uncertainty regarding your income
- Wear a uniform
This is different for everyone.
Some people are ok with the instability of not having a fixed income as long as they can feel free, so they might opt for a freelancing career.
Others would hate the idea of not having financial stability and prefer opting for the comfort and security offered by a 9-5 job.
Some people love teamwork. Others prefer being independent.
Some people don’t mind wearing a suit every day to go to the office. Others care about their clothing and need to be able to wear what they want, as they value it as a form of self-expression.
5. What’s one career path you would never go for? Why? What do you dislike about it?
You don’t have to try all the jobs in the world to figure out what career doesn’t sound fun to you.
I mean, I’m sure it has happened to you that, as a friend told you more about their job, you thought: “I would never do that, even if I were paid a million dollars”.
When you find the career you would never pursue, ask yourself: “Why?”. What is it that you dislike so much about it?
Be specific about what you hate about that job, and do your best to avoid those particular characteristics in any future job you apply to.
Step 2: Do some self-reflection
Now, here’s the second step. Before moving on to what you desire, you’ve got to get honest with yourself.
Because the truth is, if you don’t know yourself, you’ll never know whether you’re choosing for yourself or letting the world decide for you.
So, take your time to reflect and journal on these 5 self-discovery prompts that will also help you choose your ideal career:
1. What do you value the most?
What matters the most to you? And what wouldn’t you trade for anything in the world?
Because your career path will look very different depending on whether you value family or wealth the most.
What’s most important? Is it freedom or stability? Independence or connection? Novelty or routine?
And if you don’t know your values, don’t worry – I got you! 😉
Grab your FREE “Core Values Workbook” that will guide you through the process of figuring out what you value the most in life:
2. What do people come to you to ask for advice on?
This is a great way to find out your strengths without asking yourself or others the direct question.
Especially if you don’t have much confidence, it’s hard to point out what you’re good at.
To avoid struggling with that, just pay attention to the reasons why others come to you. What do they usually need help with?
3. What are you doing when you feel absolutely your best?
Feeling your best means feeling confident, inspired, and aligned with a higher purpose.
When do you enter that magic state of ‘flow’?
Maybe for you, it’s when you’re:
- Writing
- Creating art
- Teaching others
- Making music
- Spending time outside
What do you do when you don’t care about the time flying?
4. What topics interest you the most?
Is there something you could spend hours talking about? What can’t you wait to learn more of? And what things have you always found fascinating?
Choose a career that includes or revolves around what you’re most passionate about, if you can.
You can’t hate a job where you’re doing something meaningful to you. But first, you must understand what’s worth spending your time on.
5. What does success mean to you?
This is one of the most important journal prompts you can ask yourself to get more clarity about your future career. Why? Because it tells you whether you’re chasing the right or wrong things.
Success doesn’t mean the same thing to everyone.
For some, it equals freedom and independence.
For others, it’s buying expensive clothes and driving a fast car.
Success means living a balanced life for some, in which family comes first.
For others, success is all about wealth and nothing else.
So, if you want to find the perfect career path for you, you’ve got first to ask yourself: “What’s my personal definition of success?”. Start from that.
For more deep questions, you can grab my FREE “50 Journal Prompts for Self-Discovery”:
Step 3: Figure out what you want
The final step to making that big life decision that can completely change your career is figuring out what you actually want.
Here are 5 journal prompts to get more clarity about what you’re looking for in a career:
1. If you could immediately obtain one skill, what would it be? What does it tell you about the career type you’re looking for?
Let’s pretend you could acquire one skill straight-away, without lifting a finger. What skill would you like to have?
Maybe it’s:
- Speaking 5 languages
- Coding
- Playing an instrument
- Excellent writing
- Public speaking
What would you want to be instantly good at?
Once you’ve figured that out, analyze your choice. What can your answer tell you about the career you want for yourself? In what industry would you like to work? What’s your ideal environment?
2. If you had to describe your ideal workday, what would it look like?
Everybody wants to be a lawyer, a doctor, or an engineer until they live like them.
The salary is appealing, but what about the lifestyle? And this is not the case only for these 3 jobs…
Many high-paying jobs require dedication, hard work, and long-term commitment. Would you go for it all, or does the paycheck only attract you?
One way to ensure you don’t get fooled by fancy job titles ending up making you live a miserable life is writing down your ideal workday.
How would you spend your day at your dream job?
3. What would you go for if you knew you couldn’t fail?
Failure is the enemy of your dreams. So, for a second, let’s pretend failure didn’t exist.
If you had the certainty that nothing could go wrong, what would you try doing?
Would you launch that business? Would you write that book? Or would you take a shot at becoming a travel influencer?
What’s the wildest dream you’d dare to chase if you were certain it would all work out?
4. What kind of lifestyle do you want to have 5 years from now?
Your current choices will affect your future.
The question is, “What kind of future do you picture for yourself?”.
If you’re chasing freedom, you must look for jobs not tied to a place.
If you want stability, you might want to choose a 9-5 job rather than a freelancing position.
Or, if you want growth, you need to look for jobs that allow you to scale up.
It all comes down to what you want for your future and what you’re willing to accept now to make that dream become a reality. Your reality.
5. If you won the lottery today, what would you keep doing?
How would you spend your time if you did not have to worry about making money to survive?
How would you spend your days if money was no longer an issue?
Those are important questions because they will help you understand your life purpose.
If you had the freedom to choose anything, to do anything, what would you do?
For me, for example, I know that I would love spending my days writing, exploring, traveling, and connecting with people. I would do yoga, relax at the beach, surf, read, and be adventurous.
What would you do if money no longer stopped you from doing anything?
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Conclusion
That’s all from me today!
I hope these 15 journal prompts helped you clarify what you want for your career.
If you’re seriously confused about your next step, set aside some time to intentionally reflect and answer these questions.
And if you ever want to talk with me about your career or seek life advice, my email inbox is always open. Feel free to reach out!
Q: “What’s the change in your career you’re hoping these journal prompts will help you make peace with?” – Comment below! 🙂
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