What's It Worth to You?

You would think that it would be easy for us to make decisions about what to do, when to do it, how to do it. But I've not found that to be easy if I haven't figured out the values involved in those choices.

Your personal values are what is important to you. Take choosing a career or job, for instance. Do you take anything that comes your way? Or do you look at how that job fits with your personal values. 

Let's say your family is important to you. You want a job that will enable you to meet the needs of your family. That means more than just wages to meet the property needs - housing, clothing, nutrition, etc. It also mean that you want a job that will give you quality time with your family so you can be a good parent or spouse.

What situations are important to you in your work? Do you want to work with people? with tools, with nature? Do you want to work indoors our outdoors? If you don't particularly like dealing with all kinds of people, you won't be happy in a service job that requires you to serve all kinds of people.

What do you want from your job beyond a paycheck? Autonomy? Prestige? Respect? Admiration? Appreciation? Gratitude? Power? These are just a few things you might get from certain kinds of jobs. If you don't know what is important to you, you could end up very unsatisfied with your job.

And what value do you put on any of the above options? Is one thing more important than another? And is that going to always be the case? How do you see your self and your life changing in ten years? Will you still want the same things? Or will some things become less or more important as you mature/age?

Are you looking for a ladder job or a bridge job? A ladder job is one that will have opportunities for you to gain advancement in it. A bridge job is one that will give you experience or contacts that will move you into another kind of work at about the same level. Both kinds of jobs have their pros and cons, depending on where you are at the moment.

So when you are making important life choices, like finding a job, it is vital that you know what is important to you. It can be true in choosing relationships, in buying a home, in deciding to go for more school or training. 

If you don't know what is important to you, you are not likely to get what will work best for you. And, afterall, that is what you want.