Today, it's about lists. For all the job seekers who have no idea what they want to do or are looking for, I suggest a day of writing. Close down the job search engines and get a fresh new legal pad. Find your favorite writing device and a comfortable chair. I prefer a hammock on my patio on these bright sunny days. Whatever your choice, make sure you are comfortable and ready to brainstorm with yourself. This is a lone walk for you, do it by yourself first. You can ask others to join in on a different day. But for now, this is your day, your brainstorm, your stuff.
Make a list of everything you have done. Write it down whether you were good at it-- or not, whether you liked it--or not. Don't limit yourself to just work tasks, think outside the cubicle. Think of the things you have done that fun while you were on a vacation. Think of favors you have done for friends. Think of clubs and organizations. Think of children and grandparents. Think about what's important to you. Think of your values.
Here are some examples:
Read a book
Rake the lawn
take a photograph
operate a digital camera
snow ski
water ski
teach a child to tie his shoes
create a blog
change a tire
type a letter
paint a picture
I think you get the idea. I just want people to truly understand we do so many things. Some of those things are very enjoyable and some are a real pain. Lots of times I teach people about the opposites. Once you can identify the opposites there is a huge range of possibilities scattered in between.
Once you have written as much as you can, keep writing. If you have 50 items, think of 50 more. You are never done. I once had a person fill up about 20 pages of a legal pad. It was phenomenal. He had enough material, that we worked on his list for several sessions. We found the common denominators and continuous thread of interests that he was really excited about. We crossed out things. We added more things. When we were done, we were able to identify all of his favorite things, differentiate between work and fun activities, as well as eliminate activities he hated to do. These pages became very important to him. He was able to focus on what he really wanted to do. He identified skills he wanted to learn more about.
These pages can become very important to you. It is a living document--you can add more information and delete other information. You can stop an pause as you think about different jobs and activities. You can lay the legal pad in you lap and take a nap. Just be easy on yourself. Include your values. What is important to you. By the end of the day it is possible to be very satisfied in this process. I believe in hand-writing this type of exercise. Don't do it on the computer. I want you to engage your brain with your body. It's even better if you can do this as soon as you wake up.
If you want you can send me your list via this blog. I will be glad to look at it.
Remember! Anything you do that moves you closer to finding the essential YOU counts as a very productive day.
