There are many aspects to our careers and it is having the whole package that leads to satisfaction. We will experience fulfillment and success to the extent that our needs in the 4 key areas are met.

Step 6 – At this point you must work to identify all of the benefits you would like to receive from your job financially, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually.

In step 5 you evaluated the payoff you are getting from your work. Now, it is time to identify the payoffs you want to get from your work.

I often talk to people who stumble when given this question. They know something is not quite right and they feel it in a myriad of ways but specifically identifying how they would like it to be gets a bit more challenging.

First of all, many people don’t even realize that they want something. I worked with one client for example who was really struggling in her work. She felt like she was not using her talents and strengths and it was wearing on her to the point that she felt little motivation. So, we spent some time focusing on this and describing what it would look like if she were able to use them and how she would know. When it really came down to it, this person needed and wanted to feel appreciated and recognized at work. She wanted to be seen as a leader and it was important to her that others see her as having a pivotal role in her company. The most telling thing however was that she felt “shallow” for saying it. She was uncomfortable saying it out loud because to her it felt self-serving and truth be told she was a bit embarrassed that she “needed” this.

The important thing to remember here is that if you really want to create authenticity at work, you have to be honest with yourself about what you want. Do not judge yourself and do not sensor your feelings. If it is a big paycheck you want, admit it. There is nothing wrong with wanting to make money. If you want a job that allows you the flexibility to spend time with your family and enjoy other parts of your life, say it.

I worked with one client who had been miserable in her job for years. She was burnt out and the constant discussions she had about making a change were exhausting her. We spent several weeks brainstorming options but nothing seemed to be lighting her up. I could tell there was something holding her back. So, I asked her “what are you afraid to say?” After a bit of skirting the issue, she finally said that she didn’t want to work at a traditional job anymore. She wanted to quit her job, complete her Pilates instructor training and teach Pilates a few hours a day. I asked her what made it so difficult to admit it and she said she thought people would look down on her for not having higher goals. She did not want to appear lazy or unmotivated.

I reframed this and instead focused on what doing this would give her. When I asked this question she poured out about 10 critical things that most people are looking for from their work. The only thing that was missing was the financial piece but that was not impossible to fix with this new direction. It was amazing how much better she felt. She realized that her own fulfillment, satisfaction, joy, success, and energy were far more important than what others thought of her goals. If she established them as her goals, then anything was possible; but, if she continued to work for what someone else thought was the “right path”, she was going to fall short all of the time.

Our job is one of the greatest opportunities we have to express our authentic self; but, in order to do that we have to be honest about what we want.

Exercise

Take out some fresh paper and create 4 columns. List all of the benefits you would like to receive from your job financially, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually. Put pen to paper without censoring, without judging and without letting anyone else’s ideas of what you should want crowd you. Being authentic means being honest with yourself about who you are and what you want.