Career Exploration

:: Quick Career Advice

1. Do You Have a Personal Vision for Your Life?

Dear Ann: One of my New Year’s Resolutions is to get my career in gear, but I’m not sure where to begin? Any ideas?

Begin by taking stock and determine what you want to change. The following quiz may highlight some of the key areas to target. Before taking any definitive steps, it’s best to consider all the aspects that go into getting a Personal Vision for your future.*

A clear Personal Vision has been shown repeatedly in research to be the most important factor in finding success and fulfillment in life. A Personal Vision is an articulated, detailed description of how you want to live your life—your whole life, not just your work life. It needs to be based on realistic information about who you are, what you do and don’t do well and what you want to accomplish.

1. Am I using my real talents in what I do?

DON'T KNOW or NO		SOMETIMES		YES
1	2	3	4	5

2. Does what I do reflect my real values?

DON'T KNOW or NO		SOMETIMES		YES
1	2	3	4	5

3. Does my interpersonal style help me?

DON'T KNOW or NO		SOMETIMES		YES
1	2	3	4	5

4. Does what I do hold any real interest or fascination for me?

DON'T KNOW or NO		SOMETIMES		YES
1	2	3	4	5

5. Do I have life goals? Am I moving toward them?

DON'T KNOW or NO		SOMETIMES		YES
1	2	3	4	5

6. Does what I'm doing fit me now, at my career stage?

DON'T KNOW or NO		SOMETIMES		YES
1	2	3	4	5

7. Am I making use of all I have learned in life?

DON'T KNOW or NO		SOMETIMES		YES
1	2	3	4	5

8. Do I have a Personal Vision for the next ten years?

DON'T KNOW or NO		SOMETIMES		YES
1	2	3	4	5

Any answer of three or below on any of these scales may indicate an area that you should pay attention to when figuring out a resolution that works for you.:

If you score:

36-40 -- You have most of the pieces in place that go into a Personal Vision for yourself and probably experience confidence about your direction in life.

28-35 -- You have the major elements of a Personal Vision, but you can probably help yourself a great deal by refining it, and getting real definition on aspects of it that may not be as clear to you.

20-27 -- You have some elements of Personal Vision, but not others, Pay attention to your lowest scores on the scales above. Try to define these particular areas clearly for yourself.

19 or less -- Start with you lowest score on the scales above and work to define and clarify your knowledge of it for yourself. You should carry this work out over several weeks or months until you have a very clear picture of how that area fits into your overall plans or vision for your career. Then go on to the next level. Over time, by putting in a consistent effort, you can start to create the elements of the most powerful career tool we are aware of -- a Personal Vision.

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