Are you in a career that you dislike? Are you ready for a change? Would you transition into something else if you only knew what that something else was? Many of us stay in our careers longer than we want because we are unsure what we would do next. We tell ourselves that the answer will come to us someday. Then, we will make our move. But in the meantime, we stay where we are, stuck and unhappy. Your career will not get better until you make it better. If you want to find a career you love, you have to put the work in first. Yes, you may tell yourself that it this hard to do. But isn't staying in a career that is draining your energy and taking away from your quality of life harder? How Can You Discover What Your Ideal Career Is So You Can Move Forward? Follow These Easy Steps: 1. Write Down What You Like To Do List 5 things that you like or have liked about the careers you have been in. This simple exercise will give you insight and objectivity into what you would enjoy having in a future career. 2. Write Down What You Dislike To Do List 5 things that you dislike or have disliked about the careers you have been in. This exercise will tell you exactly what you do not want in your next position. 3. Create Your Ideal Job Use what you have learned to create your next career. What are you doing exactly? Are you running your own company or your own department? What products and services are you selling? Where are you based? Are your hours 9 to 5 or longer? Are you telecommuting? Are you working from home? Most people have a hard time creating their ideal job because they come up with all the excuses (and they are great excuses!) why they cannot make it work. Do not surrender to your excuses. 4. Research The Market Who can you talk to in the field you want to get into? What companies are doing what you know in your heart you should be doing next? What is not being offered in the market today that you know you could offer better than anyone else? Spend some time exploring the possibilities. Have fun, and take time to find what is truly you. 5. Create Your Plan When will you transition into your next career? Will you start while you are working full-time? Will you find part-time work so you can spend more time working on your new endeavor? Or, will you take the leap (as many people do), and start your new career full-time? Look at everything, your finances, your present standard of living, where you are living, etc. What can you pare down to have your dream career? It does not matter if you have your new career today, or 6 months from now. What matters is that you are taking steps to make it happen. 6. Find Reasons Why It Will Work There will always be reasons why having a career you love will not work. Just look at all of your past mistakes. Isn't that enough to keep you where you are today? But, how about the other side? The reasons why it will work; why it will turn out well. Leave the negativity behind! Focus on why you will succeed and watch that exact thing take place. 7. Reward Yourself For Moving Forward It is never easy looking at your career and deciding that something needs to change. Some changes come quickly, and some changes come slowly. Regardless of the pace you go, reward yourself for taking the strides you are taking. So what do you say? You only have one life to live so it might as well be one you love!