Achieving true professional satisfaction and fulfillment can feel like a lofty goal that’s permanently out of reach – but it doesn’t have to be that way. The truth is, you have the power to be fully satisfied with your career, it’s just going to take some work on your part. You’re going to have to take an honest look at three critical aspects of your life and be willing to make profound changes when necessary.
With that said, here are the three things you’ll need to evaluate (and possibly change) in order to achieve professional satisfaction and fulfillment:
1. Your core values.
Your core values are the guiding principles that drive your behaviors and actions. These values help you decide what’s right and wrong, and how you’re going to live your life. In order to be satisfied and fulfilled in your career, your core values must align with your company’s core values. If they don’t, you will experience burnout and frustration instead of fulfillment. For example, if you value teamwork and collaboration, but your company promotes employees who prioritize individual performance, your values aren’t aligned. In this case, you’ll have a very difficult time finding fulfillment with this company, and may want to consider making a change.
2. Your interests and strengths.
To be professionally fulfilled and satisfied, your interests and strengths should shine through in your career. Make sure your career highlights your strengths and the activities you find engaging. For example, if you’re an accountant who is inspired by numbers, your career is probably a pretty good fit. However, if you’re an introverted numbers guy whose job involves having sales conversations every day, that’s a different story.
3. Your ideal image of satisfaction.
Close your eyes and picture what your ideal career looks like in terms of your job description, company culture, co-worker relationships, commute time, and daily environment. If this ideal image doesn’t match up with your current reality, you may want to consider making a change to an organization or role that is better aligned with your goals.