how to find a job that you love

Updated August viii, 2021

I was having a conversation on reddit the other twenty-four hours. Someone asked how to find a job you dearest.

And then I answered, and someone else said to me, "You know not everybody gets to observe their dream job. Some people just piece of work jobs they hate because they make a lot of money and they exercise the affair they love on the side."

And that's i-hundred percent, unequivocally true!

I would say that MOST people are probably doing jobs they don't honey and then on the weekend they're going and trying to figure out where their passion comes from.

Merely today I desire to ask:

How could you actually get at that place?

What if yous wanted to be one of those people who does what they dear?

How can y'all find a job you love?

In that location'south a guy in my hometown who makes java. He roasts his own beans. He drives to another city to get the all-time beans imported.

He actually loves what he does.

When you come in for a loving cup of coffee, the passion that he has for every single cup that he makes literally spills over—haha, see what I did at that place?—and you tin sense of taste it in the product.

So the question is, why can't y'all be like that? What would it have to effigy out what you honey to do and exercise it for a career?

Here are 9 questions to ask yourself if you lot want to know how to discover a chore you lot love. And–spoiler alert–it's non merely about finding jobs. Information technology'south putting the job within a wider give-and-take of the life you want to live and what needs to be true for you to be living it.

If you'd rather picket this post than read it, here ya go! If yous like text, go along scrolling!

1. What do you believe to exist true nigh the world?

This seems abstract, but I want to start hither. What do you believe to be true about the globe?

There's something that I learned from studying faith. Anybody'due south thought of what is meaningful and what purpose should be is wound up into a whole agglomeration of beliefs and expectations that nosotros have about the world–our worldview.

Religions are the obvious example of this. They requite their followers a way to think through significant. People who belong to a religion can conceptualize their identity in this box that kind of makes sense to them.

A religion commonly gives you lot an thought of the things in life that are worth chasing. Information technology tells you what the end of your life should wait like, or gives you an idea of how to care for other people.

Even in a society where we are more and more secular, there are still behavior that dictate how we build purpose.

This might be a political amalgamation.

Mayhap you lot dearest capitalism or maybe you hate information technology.

Perhaps you lot remember social welfare is the answer or possibly you think information technology's a problem.

Some people dearest their hometowns, and tin't imagine living anywhere else. They want their boondocks to prosper and the people in it to be healthy and happy.

Name these beliefs you have well-nigh the world when you're trying to find your purpose and live inside them. If you hate commercialism, don't become work for a hedge fund. If you love information technology, be careful about working for a non-profit.

Your behavior will dictate where yous actually discover meaning and how you should devote your time to chasing that meaning.

Figure out what it is that you think is true about the world, because your purpose and the piece of work that you do and the chore that you somewhen get should somehow fit within that.

Your behavior volition dictate where you actually find meaning and how you should devote your fourth dimension to chasing that meaning.

2. What is the biggest problem that y'all would solve in the globe if you could?

Everybody has a different answer for this. Some people want there to be a cure for cancer. Some people want to combat ignorance. Some desire to see violence eradicated.

Some people have more than local goals. Some want their local businesses to take ways to tell their stories online. Some want to have local, organic vegetables.

If nosotros're going to fit into work that feels similar it has purpose, I really believe we should exist working to solve bug that thing to u.s..

I started Roostervane because I really hate that students are graduating and don't actually have any idea how to go a job or how to exercise something that they dear with their degree.

So that became the problem that I devoted my attention and my endeavour to solving.

If you desire to do piece of work that is meaningful enquire yourself what problem would you like to actually solve. If you could be a part of a solution to a problem, whether it'southward a huge trouble similar earth peace or whether information technology's a modest local trouble like a supply chain issue, what would it be?

If there's something that actually bugs you lot, this can be a really proficient identify to start. A lot of businesses are launched because of this.

3. What do you get so engrossed in that yous forget to pee?

Have you e'er had those moments where you get completely into a zone? Experts call this "flow," when you disappear into a project or your work and time seems to stand notwithstanding.

When you practice this, work is rhythm. Information technology'southward music. Information technology'due south the furthest matter from monotony.

Information technology feels good, and we don't desire to end. Fifty-fifty to pee.

I felt this recently making an intro video for the Roostervane YouTube.

I'thousand actually creative, and when I write an article or edit a photo fourth dimension stands however. And I'1000 realizing information technology'due south the same matter with video.

I made a new intro video in Adobe Aftereffects. It took me like 6 hours. And I didn't get up, even to pee.

I got so into flow I couldn't end doing information technology. I was so in the zone and I didn't want to become up.

I didn't want to cease. Commonly I go to bed at 9:30 or x:00—because I'm a really old man and I have small-scale kids who become up in the morn. Simply this fourth dimension I went to bed at i:00am.

What is information technology for you that gives you that flow? What is the thing that gets you so engrossed in what you lot're doing that you forget to pee?

I don't know who outset asked that question just information technology's a good question to ask.

What is it that you get so deep into that that yous can't leave of it? That'south a really adept place to start when you're thinking nearly finding a job that y'all desire to do.

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi'southward Ted talk about flow.

iv. What's an area you want to go on growing in? Like, y'all seriously want to keep getting meliorate and ameliorate?

There is probably already an area that you take flow in, but then the side by side question is, "What's an area that you want to grow in?"

For me information technology's business concern. I love business. I'g really trying to acquire all the fourth dimension how to get better at it, and at that place are a lot of different parts to that, but it'southward something I can never learn plenty almost.

There'southward something like that for you lot too, whether it'due south learning to manage a project or make the best croissant.

We are fulfilled when we grow, and so this should exist an area we consciously identify our purpose in.

We feel this sense of fulfillment at pushing our own limits in terms of what we're capable of and becoming a better version of ourselves.

Oprah Winfrey has a maxim that I love:

"No matter what challenges or setbacks or disappointments you may encounter along the way, you will find true success and happiness if you accept simply 1 goal — in that location really is only one, and that is this: To fulfill the highest, about true expression of yourself as a human existence."
Oprah Winfrey, Harvard Get-go Speech, 2013

That's the question to ask yourself. Where practice you desire to grow? What's it going to take to bring you lot to that highest, most truthful expression of yourself?

5. What is that matter that you would go larn if you could, if money wasn't an object?

I believe that learning is non limited to university. Learning is life! And constant learning and growth is the best fashion to alive a life that has pregnant and purpose.

When you pick a task, don't pick something that you can do 100% of. Shoot for something that yous're 40-60% competent in. (I know, I know, someone needs to rent you first. I get information technology.) This style, yous tin get paid to learn! Information technology'south one of the nearly rewarding experiences e'er.

six. What would yous spend your day doing if you won the lottery?

I grew upward in a town of people who were obsessed with winning the lottery. They were mostly blue-collar people.

And they talked about information technology all the time.

"When I win the lottery, I'thousand going to open a wood-carving studio."

"I'k gonna retire to Florida."

"I'm gonna golf game all day."

"I'm gonna open the best burger joint."

"I'grand gonna start an outfitter business organisation to teach people how to fish."

I don't know about Florida or golf, but some of those things are actually jobs!

People dreamed near living the lottery so that they could work someone else's job! That's bizarre!

If yous have a dream that relies on winning the lottery, a much improve question to enquire is, "How could I achieve that affair without actually winning the lottery?"

Whether the answer is that you want to flip furniture or exercise graphic design or learn online marketing or play the stock market place, figure out how to make your lottery life your real life. Believe it or not, in that location's a much meliorate chance that you can requite yourself your dream life than that the lottery volition. And, by the way, yous've got a better run a risk of becoming a millionaire with your own work than past winning the lottery.

An estimated 3% of American households have ane meg dollars in net worth. By that, nosotros might debate that you take a 1 in 33 chance of becoming a millionaire at your ain easily. Y'all have a 1 in 14,000,000 adventure of winning the lottery.

I similar my chances of doing it myself better 😊

7. What would yous try to create in this globe if you knew that money didn't matter and you couldn't neglect?

Okay permit's stick with the theme of, "if money didn't matter." But likewise, "What would you effort to create if you know you couldn't fail?"

Our fright of failure holds u.s. back from a lot of things, and building something that we truly believe needs to be in the globe is definitely upward there.

You have an amazing dream. Something that the world needs.

And you think to yourself:

Merely it's probably not going to piece of work.
I'm non skillful enough.
What would people call back?
What if I failed, would people express mirth at me?

This blazon of thinking stops the greatest achievements of humankind. There are tremendous advances to our species that take never happened because of this type of thinking.

Then if y'all have something to give the globe, employ this "fear of failure" question to figure out what the heck it is.

Then, figure out how to build it anyway! Anybody who does groovy things is afraid. The only question is whether you're going to abound by your fearfulness or let it define you.

8. What kind of lifestyle is an accented must for me?

My life requires time spent in the outdoors. I dearest to be outside. Information technology makes me happy. Information technology rejuvenates my spirit.

Some people become free energy from cities. Some of my friends who live in Toronto or New York feel at home in a big city the way I'll never empathize.

So, for me, trying to build a career as a hedge fund director on Wall Street wouldn't really fit my ideal life.

Figure out what your not-negotiables are in terms of the lifestyle you lot need to be happy.

If yous desire to retire to a yacht in the Mediterranean, you might need to do the hedge fund. If yous want a simple life in a tiny house in the woods, you lot might come into town twice a calendar week to work a shift at Starbucks.

Whatsoever life you want is true for you, and it's important to honour it when choosing a career.

I e'er imagined working from domicile, getting paid to practise stuff online but too helping people. I idea about information technology every bit I rode a smelly commuter bus into the city—literally commuting 3 hours some days.

This isn't my life.

Then I thought about what I needed. I wanted to create something to help people that could ideally too bring in some revenue. I wanted something that was accessible online. I wanted access to the outdoors.

And, I wanted to build a company to help students launch amazing careers. I was so angry that people were doing degrees that were leading nowhere.

Everything came together with Roostervane.

nine. What'south the best way to become to my vision?

Then when you answer the 8 questions before this and figure out what is true for you and your world, what do you need to bring that life into existence?

Do you demand a certain job to do it?
Do you need to create your own task, even if it's something that doesn't exist all the same?
Exercise y'all demand to build a network that includes certain people?
Do you need to go back to school?
Do yous need to accept a sales job to learn to sell?

Yous can offset to create your own roadmap for getting where yous want to be.

Maybe you desire to open a bakery, and you need to learn to bake. Maybe you want to be a YouTube star and you demand to learn to edit videos 😊

Conclusion

These are nine questions you tin can ask yourself if y'all want to know how discover a job you lot love! Try them and let me know what you think! If you like the results, you lot tin can electronic mail me at chris@roostervane.com and tell me what dream you've decided to follow.

And you tin watch the video I made virtually this mail service! I'one thousand excited to meet where it takes yous.