I was reading the book – “The School of Life”, under the section of “How to find fulfilling work” written by Roman Krznaric, there is an exercise called “The map of choices“ caught my eyes.
I spent about 20 minutes on it and gained some awesome insights, therefore sharing this exercise with all of you and hope you will enjoy it too!
This exercise is designed to enable you to reflect on where you have come from before you focus on where you are going.
You start by spending 10 minutes drawing a map of your career path so far. It can take any form- a zigzagging line, a branching tree or maybe a labyrinth. On this map you should indicate not only the jobs you have done but the different motivations and forces that have shaped your route. If a major career decision was influenced by the prospect of more money or status showdown your map – similarity if you were driven by your talents, passions or values. You should also add other factors that might have guided you, such as a role played by your educational choices, parental expectations, professional career advice or chance. Even if you have only ever held one job, try mapping out what drew you into it.
Having created you’re artwork, now spend another 10 minutes looking at it and thinking about these 3 questions
- What does your map review about your overall approach to your working life so far? There may be general patterns you can see, such as the way you never stay in the position for more than a couple of years, or that you seem to have fallen into most jobs rather than really choosing them.
- Which of the following motivations have you given greatest priority to in your career choices: money, status, respect, passions, talents or making a difference? (rank them from greatest to latest priority)
- Which two of the motivations mentioned above do you most want to shape your career choices in the future and why?
Imaginary lives:
Imaginary lives is the thought experiment adopted from two important career change thinkers Julia Cameron and John Williams, which aims to take your ideas a stage closer towards specific job options. It’s simple potentially powerful.
- Imagine 5 parallel universes in each of which you could have a whole year off to pursue absolutely any career your desire. Now think of 5 different jobs you might want to try out each of these universes.
Be bold in your thinking, have fun with your ideas and your multiple selves. Your 5 choices might be food photographer, member of parliament, tai chi instructor, a singer, social entrepreneur running a Youth Education project etc…
Now come back down to earth and look hard and your 5 choices, write down what is about them that attracts you there look at them again and think about this question:
- How does each career measure up against the two motivations in the previous activity that you choose to prioritise in the future?
If you decided, for instance, that you want a combination of making a difference and high status, check whether your five imaginary careers might provide them.The point is to help you think more deeply about exactly what you’re looking for in a career, the kind of experiences that you truly desire.
Hope you enjoyed this exercise 🙂