“How do you want to fill your days?”
Find your ideal job.
What is the “ideal job” for you?
It is a difficult question to answer, especially for a multipotentialite with many interests and creative pursuits.
We have a million things we enjoy doing.
But where do we start?
How do you pick a job to dedicate your time to?
Try answering this question:
“How do you want to fill your days?”
You can’t be a famous blogger or an author if you don’t like writing.
You can’t be a coach or a presenter if you can’t hold a conversation.
Freelancing isn’t the right path if you hate communicating with clients.
It’s so easy to focus on the outcome, the glory, the fame.
But if you don’t enjoy the journey that gets you there, it’s not the best career choice for you.
When people think of their ideal job, they focus on the outcome, not the daily habits required to get there.
To find a job that actually suits you, you need to identify what you’d be most excited about doing day-to-day and work backward into what that ideal job would be.
Here’s an exercise you can do:
Jot down the days (or moments in the day) that make you feel alive and describe what exactly happened that made them so enjoyable.
Pay attention to the smallest details.
It’s a great practical exercise that helped me figure out what brings me joy without having to force myself to think about it in one sitting.
I noticed that I’m the happiest when I work on something intellectually stimulating and meaningful to me (I can’t be doing something just because someone told me to). External rewards don’t work for creative people.
I am a self-directed person, who works best in my flow - the deep sense of engagement.
This is an indication that self-employment is my calling.
I love words and self-expression in any form. So I write.
I also discovered that I enjoy deal-making 😎
There's something about the ease and thrill of it that just comes naturally to me.
Ease is a sign of a flow. I need things to feel easy and flowy.
I’ve made some unconventional deals with businesses and media, that helped me grow my blogs quicker.
My ideal job(s)
I thrive in roles where I can express myself and flex my entrepreneurial spirit.
But I need several outlets for my creativity.
I have spent my career launching random side hustles (I wrote an article about why I decided to quit my vintage business this year) and watching them grow because I never put all my eggs in one basket.
When I have a variety of projects lined up, I feel my energy levels rise and the inspiration flows.
I enjoy the organic twists and turns my career is taking.
I can't think of anything worse than knowing exactly where I'll be in 5 years.
I thrive on uncertainty because what happens next is completely up to me.
It's empowering, a bit scary, and massively thrilling.
Right now I’m a writer on Substack/ making brand deals and selling media space at Lucky Attitude - the UK’s first Millennials and Gen Z blog.
How do you want to fill your days?
So next time you’re pining for a work-life that seems super sexy in terms of the outcomes.
Take a beat.
Think about what the average day would be like to create and maintain it, and what those daily habits would need to become.
Does the grind behind the glamour fit your vision of a good day? If not, it’s not meant for you.
Optimise your life for how you want to spend your days.
Don't just chase the endgame. Make your days count.