How to Find Fulfillment in the Early-Career Stages

I have to admit that I deeply enjoy sharing the advice that I think I need for myself. There is so much beauty in this form of transparency because it makes it super clear that I’m right there along with you on this journey! I’m sharing my perspective as someone in the early stages of her career (Approaching one year in September). As I figure out what works and what doesn’t, along with what is truly important to me regarding career and personal values, I want to share my learnings in real-time!

Today we’re discussing ways to find fulfillment both at work and outside of it. The topic of fulfillment and self-actualization is crucial for recent grads and young professionals because the transition into the real world can be challenging!

 While we’re in undergrad, many of us build up this Vision of how we expect our post-grad life will look. We paint this mesmerizing, Sex And The City-esque picture of the next chapter of our lives only to be shocked when the reality doesn’t quite measure up!

Listen to “Ep 13: How to Find Fulfillment in life during the Early Career Stages” on Spreaker.

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It is essential to visualize the life you want for yourself and show up for it repeatedly. However, if the pandemic has taught us anything, we have to allow some room for flexibility. Being too rigid with our lives can put us in a tough spot when things don’t go according to plan.

One way to navigate this is by finding the things that truly bring us joy. Notice I did not say happiness. Joy is a deeply rooted state of being that connects us to our meaning and our purpose. We can always return to this state when life gets complicated because we have a solid foundation surpassing the surface level, something that no one can take away. Happiness, on the other hand, is based on external factors; it’s a reaction to our interactions with the world (which we can’t truly control)

So why should the distinction between happiness and joy matter to recent grads or young professionals in the first few years of their careers? Well, think about what I said earlier (Cue the Sex And The City rewind). Many of us had elaborate visions of our post-grad lives. Some of us had dreams of the job we wanted or the industry we wanted to enter, and these visions never materialized. Some of us landed what we considered to be the dream job and realized it wasn’t actually what we expected.

Suppose you’ve listened to episode 10 of Chroma Radio on creating an identity outside of work. In that case, you’ll know that I believe that we live in a society that preaches that we’re supposed to find fulfillment and a sense of self from our labor and what we’re able to produce. Knowing that this is the case, many people feel insecure and frustrated in their personal lives because they’re looking to their careers to be happy!

The goal is to establish a sense of identity that is entirely separate from your work. So let’s discuss how we can get started.

#1. Be realistic about where you stand at this stage of your career

There is so much beauty in optimism, but we can also find a sense of freedom in realism. For example, we can understand that we all have complete control over our choices in life and that we as individuals are responsible for everything that happens to us. Having this level of understanding means that there is a real possibility that we can end up in the role of our dreams if that something that we genuinely want. Though it may not happen right away, the point is that if this is something that we want for ourselves and we’re willing to implement the actions that it requires to get there, we can get there.

We also have to acknowledge that some job experiences that we will go through will be more complex than other ones. Some will be more stressful than others. But, if we commit, we will find a way through these experiences. Yes, this is frustrating to accept, and it might make us unhappy (not joyless). This frustration is precisely why we should focus on finding the little things that make us content outside of work and the validation that we can potentially receive from our accomplishments.

We should find ways to use our jobs or the setbacks that we face in the early career stages to fuel the creation of a life that we want to live. We should use our potential frustration as the push to find the things that we “can come home” to in a sense; the activities, people, or items that make us feel the most grounded.

#2. Cultivate a growth mindset surrounding your career status

The first job we have typically isn’t the sexiest unless we are part of the fortunate few. However, it’s important to remind ourselves that where we start does not have to be where we stay. Suppose you know that there is something else that you’re interested in, or could it have the potential to be interested in. In that case, you should talk to people, go to events, and commit to learning and connecting rather than limiting yourself by complaining.

It’s also essential that we can manage our current responsibilities before we start asking for new ones. Of course, we’re entitled to our desires, but we should manage what we currently have well before making demands. We aren’t required to be head over heels in love with what we’re doing. Still, we must be able to build up a list of advocates rather than adversaries. We want to get as many people in our corner as possible to speak in our favor if needed.

#3. Find a hobby

We’re currently existing in an age where social media is highly glamorizing entrepreneurship and consumerism. On the flip side, I think it’s essential to find an outlet of self-expression that you don’t feel pressured to monetize. Just the simple act of finding something that you think is fun (truth be told, you don’t even have to be good at it) can be so freeing!

For example, maybe you find drawing extraordinarily relaxing, but you can’t draw to save your life. It doesn’t matter! You don’t have to show anyone your work; use it as a medium of deescalating stress. If there’s something on your mind that you’ve always wanted to try, find a class! There are many options for beginners, whether online or in-person, to connect over a shared interest.

#4. Don’t compare yourself to other people

When you feel like you’re in a place where you don’t derive a lot of joy from what you’re doing, it can cause you to look to other people who you think are living the dream. It’s important to highlight the fact that this is all based on perception. Perhaps you’re looking toward influencers and travel bloggers or people who seem to work for a cause that they’re passionate about. In reality, we don’t know what’s going on behind closed doors. We don’t know what challenges or pressures people face, and we don’t have the complete picture. We all are (or should be) well aware of this by now, but social media is not reality. It’s a highly curated version of life that we shouldn’t feed into too much.

Suppose you come across someone who’s doing something that you think is interesting, rather than beating yourself up or wasting energy wishing that you could be them. Why not find ways to add those elements to your life? After all, Instagram isn’t a secret society.

Do you spend an excessive amount of time wishing you were a travel blogger? Why not take some photos the next time you go on a trip or to brunch with friends? Hey, if you want to vlog, I’m not going to stop you! When you take away the irrelevant measures of success like likes, comments, and even income, all that’s left is the fun.

#5. Give yourself time to do the things that you love uninterrupted

It’s super easy to commit to showing up for our jobs because we know that they occur during a designated time block each day. We show up at 9 o’clock and leave once 5 o’clock hits. But what do we do after those hours? We scroll on Instagram and TikTok, and we get lost in the rabbit hole of Netflix and YouTube videos. We replace our desires for something fascinating with mindless activities to distract us from the reality we’re trying to escape.

But what if I told you that how do you spend your free time is 100% your choice? Force yourself to make time for the things you’re interested in exploring. To have this extra time, it might mean getting up earlier. Hence, you have 3 to 4 hours to commit to a passion project or something that you’re interested in learning about or taking the time to read after work rather than binging a show. Regardless of what you do or when you do it, be sure that you’re creating the necessary space for yourself to breathe and be.

#6. Physically change your surroundings

Getting stuck in a routine can impact us negatively, primarily because it’s boring. I also think that it can lead you to a place where you feel as though there’s nothing else out there for you. Often, we find that once we make a physical change like shifting our surroundings, changing our routines, or taking time away from the thing that’s causing stress, we see that there is more out there for us to achieve.

Try taking a trip! You don’t have to fly eight hours across the ocean; you can get in your car or the train and head somewhere local to shift your perspective on life in a new environment. You can even do this on a smaller scale by rearranging your space, changing where you work, and reevaluating your routine.

We can create our sense of fulfillment. Happiness comes and goes and is entirely circumstantial. It all depends on our environment. But suppose you can find ways to remove yourself from situations that aren’t serving you and instead find ways to ground yourself in activities that bring you true contentment. In that case, you will see how much your attitude toward life will begin to shift.

After reading this post, I challenge you to start thinking about how you can do this in your own life! Think about some ways you can create space for yourself outside of the eight hours you’ve committed to for your job. Let me know how this goes! Leave a comment below to share your thoughts, and don’t forget to share this post using one of the buttons below.