What Can You Contribute?
What do you want to do in your new career and new job? Maybe it’s time to review all your options so you can better understand yourself and how you’ll feel good about what you’re doing in your new career. What is important to you with your work, what are you trying to accomplish, and whom or what are you trying to benefit?
In all cases people feel best about their work when it helps give their life meaning. If you ask successful elderly people what they feel best about in their work, they will invariably remember a contribution they made with or for others and their relationships with whom they worked. Almost never will they consider important having made a lot of money or having high status.
Some companies ask you, “What can you contribute to this company?” or “What can you contribute to the team?” And that’s a fair question. But as you change careers, you must also ask yourself, “What do I want to contribute? Who or what do I want to contribute to?”
We all contribute at work in a variety of ways. No two people have the same feelings about the contribution that they want their work to make. For some, helping those with whom they work directly will be their focus. For others, assisting in the mission of the enterprise may be the most important. Still others will experience satisfaction simply with what they are doing.
What is important to you with your work? Do you think in terms of what you can do to benefit your clients, customers, or something else? If you have not considered this in the past, do so now. You will be amazed how much better you will feel about yourself if you see yourself as benefiting others.
I wrote the book Career Change Guide to help you understand what you want to contribute – not just in your job, not just in your career, but in your life. The book helps you answer the question, “what can you contribute?” Get more ideas from this website, or buy the book on Amazon.
