Linda Lupatkin, Career Counselor, Coach and Consultant

I once Googled “What should I do with my life?” That’s a question that many of us struggle with. I know at times I’ve envied people who have always had a goal. At the age of five they decided what they wanted to do with their lives like become a fireman, a lawyer, a doctor and then spend the rest of their lives pursuing that goal.

But for others it’s a lifelong pursuit,  “it’s a journey grasshopper”.

Answering this question requires both introspection and pragmatism. Introspection to determine what it is that makes you happy, what you enjoy. Pragmatism to identify the skills and strengths you have from both your personal and professional life that can be used to help you achieve the career that will bring you joy.

As in most things in life, there is more than one approach to answer this question. First you can sit down and make a list, or in this case two lists. The first would be your introspection list; on this list you would write down everything that you enjoy doing. The second list would be the practical, pragmatic list where you write down the strengths and skill sets you have that can help you pursue the first list, your joy list.

If you’re not a list maker and you truly don’t know what brings you joy, then it’s a matter of getting out in the world and exposing yourself to new things, new people and new opportunities. That’s when you open yourself up to achieve that “a-ha” moment, when you identify your passion and find what makes your pulse race.

Once you’ve determined what brings you joy and what you’d like to pursue, then you need to decide who you want to do it for, identify those companies and industries and they become your target audience. With this audience in mind, you then blend your two lists into your marketing message, the message that you will weave through your resume, cover letters and even in your conversation when people ask you about yourself.

You would think the “What should I do with my life?” question is one people would only ask early in their careers. But that’s not necessarily the case. It’s that question that drove me to become a television news producer, a lawyer and now a career coach. It’s a question I’ve coached clients on in the beginning, the middle and even the latter part of their careers and it’s a question that you should ask yourself as you go forward to pursue your own wealth and happiness.

-Linda