Forge Career Course
Forge Course Day 5: Rewriting Your Job Description and Telling Your Story
It’s time to answer the big question: What do you want to be known for?
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This is day five of a five-day course on finding what you’re meant to do. Read our introduction post, day one, day two, day three, and day four.
First, let’s take a pause. If you’ve made it this far, give yourself a stadium-level round of applause. You showed up and did the hard work of reflection and mapping out your pivot — all of which is a massive accomplishment. According to a Gallup study, 85% of employees have zero emotional attachment to their jobs. They’re either working to survive or biding their time before they leave. Sound familiar? If so, you’re laying the foundation to, in the words of a famous 1970s disco song, turn the beat around.
We’re not here to follow our passion, but to work with purpose. Cal Newport posits that the pursuit of passion doesn’t guarantee fulfillment and ignores many untapped talents and interests. Your self-discovery exercise examined the totality of your talents and career to define work that is imbued with purpose, performed with mastery, and with people who matter.
You started with your “why,” and now you have clarity on your evolved “what.” Before you get into how you make this happen with a plan, start simple with a new job description and story. Take ownership of your career by rewriting your narrative. To build your story, you start by asking yourself these questions.
- What am I called to do? Start with your “why.” Consider how your purpose affects your day-to-day life, all of your relationships, and the world in which we live. This frame is more powerful than having to discuss why you’re unhappy at work or want to leave your job. This elevates the conversation above the daily grind to show that you are strategic and focused on the big picture.
- What do I want to be known for? Even if the term “personal brand” makes you cringe, you have one. People have perceptions of you and the work you do. What perceptions require a shift? Sketch out a portrait of the “new you” — what features, characteristics, skills, abilities, mindsets, habits, and routines would you…
