America's Half Truth

No doubt, at some point in your life you've been told: "you can be whatever you want". While this is technically true, it is practically false. While it is true that you can go into any line of work, not just any line of work will fit you.  I could have pursued being a proctologist or a tattoo artist, but I likely would have been unfulfilled and probably pretty bad at my job. How many people do you know who feel stuck at their job or have negative experiences at their job affecting the rest of their life?

In fact, there is a good chance that you have had a job or two that really didn't fit you well and your performance suffered. Maybe you disliked the work or the office environment, or your heart just wasn't in it. That's not a fun place to be.

Paradox of Choice

There has been interesting research done by Barry Schwartz, a psychologist, and his Paradox of Choice. It appears with so many choices, we can stagnate, in analysis paralysis. With the increasing amounts of choices, we often become stuck trying to determine what to choose. And when we choose, we tend to be less satisfied with the choice. When we choose to restrict our choices to those that fall within our design, we would likely be more excited about the choices and be more satisfied with the choice.

It's what's inside that counts

I have seen many college students flounder because of the difficulties of picking a major. I've talked to many middle-aged people who have regret about where they are in their career or what they are doing. Most of them chose areas of study or vocation, not based on their design, but on other external factors. If a small amount of time (compared to a lifetime of work) was devoted to understanding who they were (internal factors, design), it would save many painful hours and provide more fulfillment in the long run.

This is one of the saddest aspects of life in America today. We have more time than any other society before us but have chosen to spend our most valuable commodity doing work we don't love or find fulfilling. With a small investment in time, you could unlock an understanding of who you are and use it to make the best choice for you.

If you're unsure of how to capitalize on your innate strengths and preferences, consider Design Coaching.