12 ways to find yourself and be happy

1. Answer the main questions: "What do you like?" and "What can you do?"

An obvious truth in its simplicity, which is sometimes difficult to come to: to make life enjoyable, you need to do what you like. True, it is sometimes difficult to understand what this is. Several exercises can be done to determine your area of ​​interest and your strengths and weaknesses.

1. Write down everything you do throughout the day. In the evening, rate the pleasure of each item on a 10-point scale. Do this for a week. Then take a look at the results and choose the tasks that you like the most.
2. Ask friends and family to answer the questions: "What strengths do I have?", "What advice would you ask me for?" Where would I be useful? ”,“ What talents could I develop? ”,“ What strengths am I not using? ”. Try to interview as many people as possible to get the most objective portrait possible.
3. Write down on paper in two columns 20-30 things that you enjoy doing and the same number of tasks that you do well. Now find the matches between the columns.

2. Take a career guidance test

Figuring out what suits you best can be challenging, even if you have identified your interests and strengths. It is in such cases that career guidance tests come to the rescue.

There are two main methods: the Klimov test and the Holland test. The first helps to find a suitable field of activity. There may be five results: you will understand which type of work is more suitable for you (with people, with the outside world, with numbers or images, manual labor), and you will find out which professions to turn Attention.

Holland's technique is aimed at finding a personality type and, accordingly, a predisposition to certain activities. The test has six results. For example, a “social” person is more suited to work with people (and such areas as journalism), and an “enterprising” person is more suited to organizational work (for example, producing).

3. Dream

Think about what profession you dreamed of as a child, or think about what you would like to do now. Even if you have been working for more than 10 years, you should not assume that it is too late to change something.

If you haven't fantasized about any work, try another method. Think about what you would be doing if you didn't need to make money. Or ask yourself if you will regret at the end of your life that you did not do something, for example, did not make a film. If you have such fears, then you need to do everything to fulfill your dream. At least for the sake of ridding yourself of experiences in the future.

4. Drop your doubts

The main enemy on the path to success can be yourself. Rather, the attitudes that have stuck in your head. They prevent you from realizing your potential and taking advantage of opportunities, so you need to work on them.

For example, if you think, "This business will not make money," ask yourself: "Is anyone in the world already getting paid for this kind of work?" If the answer is yes, then you can.

Another interfering attitude is "I can't do that." In fact, you can learn a lot at any age by changing your profession at 30, 40 or even 50 years old. For example, one of the richest people in the world, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos worked in various roles on Wall Street until he was 30. And the world-famous chef Julia Child, until the age of 40, did not know how to cook at all and was engaged in journalism.

5. Be creative

First, creativity is beneficial.A functional connectivity analysis of the creative brain at rest: develops the brain, helps to find new solutions and fight stress. Spending your evenings painting or playing music is better than watching TV.

Second, you probably have hidden talent that can be turned into a favorite career and source of income. You will never know if you don't try. So take a chance and sign up for some creative pursuits: singing, drawing, dancing, acting. All this has a chance to learn, even if you are no longer a schoolboy.

6. Learn new

Read books, listen to podcasts, watch documentaries, lectures, or educational videos on YouTube about areas with which you are little familiar. Space, history, art, medicine - a person of the XXI century has access to content on any topic.

At least this will pump your erudition, give more topics for small talk, and come in handy in the future. And it is quite possible that something will seem so interesting to you that you will begin to study it deeper and find your calling.

7. Chat with people with an interesting profession

Meet representatives of new and interesting areas for you. You can find them among friends, on the Internet, or at some open lectures or forums. Find out what they do every day, which is literally what their job is.

Ask them what they like and what they don't like about the profession. This will help you understand how close she is to you, whether you can handle her and whether you should consider her as an option for yourself. For example, the profession of a TV presenter or actor from the outside may seem like a continuous holiday, although in fact it is quite costly both emotionally and physically. And if the minuses of some business do not scare you and you feel that you could do it, then move towards your dream.

8. Find a mentor

An experienced mentor will help you open up and give a start to your professional growth. The mentor can be your teacher, a more experienced colleague, boss, or a good worker in the professional field you want to get into. To choose such a person, first decide why you need him: you want to improve knowledge, understand what pitfalls are in the field of activity, or, in general, it is better to understand yourself.

Then make a list of potential mentors you know and ask if they are willing to help you. Do not ask the question head-on and try not to use the words "mentor" and "mentor": they can scare off a person who thinks this is a full-time job. Better say that you consider him a knowledgeable specialist and would be glad to hear from him. Offer to arrange a meeting over lunch. If the first goes well, do them regularly.

9. Give yourself permission to try something else

You don't need to hold on to work that you don't like to tears, for which you barely get up in the morning. Changing your routine or even your profession is scary, but it’s even more scary to waste your life on something you hate. You don't need to be afraid to look for yourself at any age. There are many successful examples of people who radically changed their professional activities.

But don’t take it off the shoulder and quit your job if this is your only source of income. First, try yourself in new areas in your free time as a freelancer.

10. Participate in contests

Professional contests are an opportunity to gain new knowledge, make useful contacts: this will definitely come in handy in your future career. And the winners of such competitions win internships in cool companies or money for professional development. And if you are already working, participation or a prize will be an important line on your resume. Great motivation and another step towards a happy life.

You can find competitions for students on the websites of universities or the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, and for young specialists - on portals dedicated to your specialty.

11. Learn

Learning skills and broadening your horizons are always beneficial. New knowledge can come in handy in everyday life, in a job that you already have, or become your new profession.

You can learn a skill, such as cooking or a foreign language, or a full-time specialty, such as a data analyst, web designer, or colorist. Study on your own using video tutorials on YouTube, go to classes with a tutor, sign up for offline or online courses - as you like, the main thing is not to forget about self-development.

12. Make the world a better place

If you enjoy helping others and you are very responsive to the problems of others, this may be your calling. Try social entrepreneurship - starting your own business that will help make the world a better place. For example, a project with affordable sports training, a canteen for the homeless, a company that makes equipment or gadgets for people with disabilities.

Social entrepreneurship includes any classic business, the owners of which donate a significant portion of their profits to social funds and charitable organizations. You can find money to implement your social startup on crowdfunding platforms, in venture funds, by receiving a grant or winning a competition.

If you are not ready to start your own business, volunteer. Find the center in your city that is closest to you: helping orphans, homeless animals, disabled people or other vulnerable groups.