Episode 265 | Watch on YouTube | Listen on Buzzsprout
What’s something you’d love to get paid to do, but you keep telling yourself it’s too late, too impractical, or just doesn’t fit the career you’ve built?
Maybe you have the salary. You have the title. People depend on you. And there’s still something you’d like to try, even if you aren’t sure what it is.
You can appreciate what you have and still wonder what else you could do. That question deserves some attention.
You can begin exploring work you love while keeping your job. A conversation or a small project can help you learn what another path might look like.
Two people found different paths
Trent went to work at Disney because that was what he wanted to do. He was still working within a company, but he found work that fulfilled him and helped him grow.
Brian opened his own company. His path took a different form.
One went to work for an organization. Another built an organization. Both moved toward work they wanted to do.
When I talk about building something that’s yours, that can include a path you choose into meaningful work. It could be a company. It could also be an opportunity within an organization.
So give yourself room to ask: What would I actually like to spend my time doing?
Notice what catches your attention
When someone describes their work, do you ever think, “I’d love to do that”? Perhaps it’s teaching, making something, solving a particular problem, or helping someone understand an idea.
You may not want that person’s whole job. There might be one part of the work that interests you.
Pay attention to what makes you want to learn more. Think about something you once enjoyed that has been crowded out by responsibilities. Is there an interest you keep returning to, even after you’ve dismissed it?
An interest doesn’t have to become your next career. But it might deserve a conversation, an experiment, or a little time.
Give your own questions some room
I enjoy being useful and solving problems. But I can spend a whole day responding to what other people need and never touch something I wanted to work on.
When that happens often enough, it can become hard to answer what I want to do. I haven’t given the question much time.
If that sounds familiar, set aside a little space this week. Write down what interests you without immediately deciding whether it could become your next source of income. Choose one possibility you’d like to learn more about.
Explore the actual work
Start by talking to someone who does it. Ask what a typical day looks like. What do they spend their time doing? What do they enjoy? What is difficult?
Then look for a small way to get closer to the work. Visit or observe. Volunteer, take a class, or try a project. You might even find an opportunity to do more of it within your current job.
The purpose is to learn whether you enjoy the actual work, beyond the idea of it.
You might discover that you enjoy it more than you expected. You might discover that only one part appeals to you. Either way, you’ve learned something useful without making a major career decision.
Choose one step this week
You don’t have to know where the whole path leads before taking the next step.
If you want a place to start, my free calling exercise can help you explore what you love, what you have to offer, and where those things might lead.
Download the free calling exercise at DaleCallahan.com/calling.
Choose one possibility and one step. Put that step on your calendar.
You got the salary. You got the title. Now build something that’s yours. That could be a company. It could be a path into work you’ve always wanted to do.
If this resonated, I share grounded insights like this each week in my LinkedIn newsletter
— focused on clarity, ownership, and taking control of your direction without hype.
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