In my previous post, Why quitting is necessary to find the right path, Marie mentioned that you need to go through trial and error to find the right path but I’d like to share that there is a bit more to it based on my experience.
I have tried several jobs — different positions within the same company, different companies within the same industry, jobs across different industries.
I did all of the above. All that trials and errors are supposed to lead me to the right place, no?
Each time, I thought I was making a strategic move. Some of the moves did make a difference, but in the end, I was still left discontent, wondering what my true calling is. You know that feeling your true potential is not being utilized.
I ended up quitting my job without any plan of what to do next, just so I can pause and examine what has gone wrong and what I need to do differently going forward before going through another “trial”.
That’s when my life coach stepped in and introduced me to the concept of fulfillment criteria. I absolutely love this concept and I expect to utilize this for all my journeys going forward.
How do you find out your fulfillment criteria?
1. Identify your core values
I think you can look up online for exercises that help you find your core values. Chances are you have heard of this. But you never did it because perhaps it sounds like a boring task that has no foreseeable impact on your salary or your sense of fulfillment. One benefit of having a life coach is you block some hours each week to do this type of task, much like you do work out with a trainer.
Some of the top values I had identified for myself are excellence, contribution, authenticity and growth.
Then, I was able to look back at all the positions I had held that were not satisfying and it was immediately clear why I was not happy. No, it was not that the company was struggling. It was not that I had a bad manager. It was not the project. It was not the team. The truth was they failed to meet one or more of my own core values.
Your core values serve as the ultimate guiding principle. Without knowing them, you cannot evaluate your past and future career decisions at the fundamental level.
2. Establish non-negotiable criteria (fulfillment criteria)
Based on #1 above, you can come up with a more detailed requirements for the new career you want to pursue.
For example, if one of your core value is independence/autonomy, perhaps remote work option is a must-have. If your core value is excellence, you want to pay extra attention to the quality and standard of work being done in whatever new field/company you want to try.
It works the other way too. It gives you clarity on what you are willing to trade off. If high salary did not make into your list of non-negotiable criteria, you know before walking into offer negotiation that you are willing to accept the position as long as it meets all the non-negotiable criteria and that you are going to be fulfilled in the job.
Side notes on fulfillment criteria
It is not a bulletproof way to get you to the ultimate, fulfilling career in one move.
Just because you have come up with criteria and found a job that fits the bill, it does not necessarily mean your journey ends. You are going to discover something new about the job or industry that you did not expect. You are going to realize that the new job does not actually meet one of the criteria after trying out despite your due diligence. Or, you are going to discover another core value you did not discover earlier during exercise, so your journey might begin again. Be open to surprises. Market conditions change. Companies go through ups and downs. Layoffs come without warning.
Your core values can change.
As much as the word “core” suggests it is not prone to change, I think it is important to accept that over time, as you learn more about who you are, the core values may change (or more values get added). Let’s stay open to that possibility so we are prepared to embrace the need to change/reinvent our career again.
Choose to be fulfilled today, instead of at some unknown time in the future.
We all have that ultimate dream. It’s going to take a while to get there. So do we postpone the idea of feeling fulfilled until then? Well, the fulfillment criteria can help you find the “transition” job that also meets all the criteria and makes you feel fulfilled. This was one of the enlightening lesson from my coach. Let me provide an example.
Let’s say I want to run my own YouTube channel with millions of followers and influence a lot of people. As the owner of a successful channel, I expect to feel fulfilled. The job offers plenty of creativity, autonomy, excellence and growth.
But it would not be wise to wait until that day comes to feel fulfilled. In the beginning of any channel, there is no audience. There is no sponsorship. There is no income to cover the living expenses (non-negotiable). Then, you can ask what alternative jobs I can pursue right now that meets my fulfillment criteria?
One option could be working as a video editor for an existing successful channel. Ok, maybe you are not going to call all the shots but you may be able to exercise your own creativity in how films are put together, learn and grow your video editing skills, interact with audience and make some money while growing your own channel.
Or you could be a freelance video editor where you are going to enjoy more authority.
Yes, the jobs you hold on your path towards your dream can be fulfilling too.
My coach wrote an entire article about how fulfillment is presence for your further reading.
Consider hiring a life/career coach
I found working with my coach was particularly helpful for the above process for the following reasons.
- Having a 3rd party asking you questions creates an opportunity to evaluate yourself objectively.
- Having worked with many people going through the process, they can read you and sometimes challenge your own answers to guide you in the right direction
- They can hold you accountable to go through the exercises and help you see the value of these exercises in more ways than you initially assume
