What motivates us to want to switch jobs or careers? Generally there’s a feeling of wanting to get a since of satisfaction out of our daily work.  I do know some people who get their satisfaction from their compensation;  however for a lot of us that isn’t enough.  We want to spend what will end up being the majority of our time here on this planet doing work that we enjoy, feeling as though we are making a positive contribution.

So what brings us this satisfaction and how do we know when we’ve found our life’s work. I just recently got to a point in my career where I love what I do. I receive a great since of satisfaction from the work I am doing. I also know that I am having a positive impact on the lives of others, which for me is important.

I recently I had a discussion with a woman who felt like she did not mesh well with the kinds of people that were in her field. She felt like the augmentative nature of her work did not match the laid back culture she was used to back on the West Coast.  She is currently on a quest to find work that is satisfying and matches her core values.

These kinds of conversations always make me wonder about what it is within us that finally make us want to that take that plunge within to discover our true life’s work. My turning point came in my mid-twenties, while I was still working in legal recruiting. I was hit with a feeling that I had more to give and that my talents were not being fully utilized. I wasn’t even sure if I even really knew what my talents were at that point, however it started me on a 2 year journey of self-discovery that ended with me receiving my masters in transpersonal psychology and transformation coaching certification.

I believe that a combination of things add to us feeling satisfied with our job. I think an important one is compensation, feeling as though we are being paid what we’re worth, however I don’t think that it is the most important thing. I also believe that knowing that what we do is important and of service to the greater good can be satisfying. Feeling that we are good at what we do, having an area of expertise can also be deeply gratifying. It really can mean a lot of things for different people. We will all measure it differently however the majority of us will agree that feeling satisfied with our careers is an important factor in our lives.

I know first-hand that career goals and dreams will change as we grow. I think it is a continuous process to go within and take a look at our careers and make sure that they align with our core values and the vision we have for our lives. Although career satisfaction can mean a lot of different things to different people, I think that we can all agree that it is an important factor and something that we should all strive to achieve.