How do you discover your career passion?
Recognize and appreciate your natural gifts. Many of us take our natural strengths and talents for granted.
Discover them. They are your special abilities. Even if you do not recognize them, other people do.
Be smart as well as gifted. Be conscious as to the activities you do well and like to do. The payoff can be dramatic.
Take a moment now, and think about what you enjoyed as a child. What brought you sheer, natural joy? Were you alone or in a group setting? Was there movement involved or was it quiet and contemplative? Did it involve a lot of details or was it more broad-based? The person you were then is the person now whom you still cherish. Think about your happier moments and what was occurring. These are your clues.
Now ask yourself today, what do you most enjoy? Most likely it involves time spent on activities that include your natural gifts. This is where you feel most engaged, less stress, and more competent.
When a client is having a hard time figuring out their natural abilities, I usually ask them what they can do most easily when they are tired and not feeling at their best. The answers usually uncover your natural gifts.
Lynn Berger '84, '90TC is a career counselor and coach, specializing in helping people make the most of their lives and feel fulfilled. She received her Master of Arts in Organizational Psychology and her Master of Education in Counseling Psychology from Columbia. She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, National Certified Counselor, Master Career Counselor, and Professional Certified Coach. Berger has appeared as a guest expert on radio and TV shows nationwide and has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Newsday, The Huffington Post, Businessweek.com, and Monster.com. She authored The Savvy Part-Time Professional - How To Land, Create Or Negotiate The Part-Time Job Of Your Dreams.
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