Monday, December 15, 2008

Why we wake up every day...

This past week I have been musing about the thoughts surrounding "work" and why we do it. Think about it with me for a minute:
  • Wake up 5 days a week to get ready for work (6-7am)
  • Drive to work in traffic -(7-8am)
  • Work 8 hours (9 when you take your hour lunch)- (8-5pm)
  • Drive home in traffic (5-6pm)
  • Finally home and exhausted
So you have 4 hours at home every night to spend with your family, wife, husband, children, do any chores that need to be done, visit friends, exercise, and anything else you may wish to do with your 5 nights every week.

There is a silver lining to this whole process though and it is CRITICAL that we find it- You must love what you do every day and be excited to engage it every morning. The other crucial part is that your employer takes care of you and respects a work/life balance (in my next blog).

The question that plagues so many of us is, "How do I find a job that I love going to every day?" And unfortunately there is no easy or fast answer to that question, it is a process to be gone through.

Here we go:
  • If you could get paid to do anything, what would you do?
  • What are your strengths?
  • What are you weaknesses?
  • What are you passionate about?
  • Are you willing to relocate for your job?
  • What education do you need/desire to have?
  • What do you do for fun & what are your hobbies?
  • What do you want from your perfect company? (benefits, time off, schedule, work from home, bonuses, work/life balance, etc.)
  • What are companies that are currently doing that? (Your answer to #1)
  • If there is not a company doing that, is there enough interests in the area for your to start your own company?
After you have gone through these tough questions, you are well on your way to finding your dream job. Take your thoughtful answers from above and begin to research what companies that share your passions & direction, positions that play to your strengths & desires, and if you cannot find a solution it is time to see if there is enough of a market demand for you to start your own company. Although a lot of work, being your own boss can be very rewarding and freeing.

I'm happy to work through this process with you and help to guide you more if you would like. Just email me at: marcoux@gmail.com.

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