3 Reasons Why Having Career Confidence Is The Ticket To A Happier Life
If you google “how to have a happier life,” you will find an endless list of habits to build, secrets to uncover, and rules to live by - all with the elusive promise of happiness. My take is this: your career confidence is the ticket to a happier life and I’m getting into three reasons why.
But first, what is career confidence?
Career confidence is knowing you have the skills, relationships, and ability to figure things out at work, even during the challenging times. It’s knowing you are earning an income doing something that is in alignment with your values (more on this below) and if you’re not, having the self-assurance you can pivot.
Okay, now onto the three reasons why career confidence is so important to your happiness.
1. You spend half of your life at work.
In the U.S., a full-time worker who begins their career at age 23 and retires at age 70 (with no career gaps) will have spent 47 years of their life at work.
This translates to a total of 97,760 hours.
That is over half of your living hours (if you’re lucky enough to live until you’re 90).
I’m going to say it again: Half of your life is spent at work. Gulp.
It’s safe to say that if you’re doubting the purpose of your career and living in a perpetual state of “why am I still working this job?!",” you’re not going to be very happy.
2. Your career is part of your identity.
Even if you are the queen of boundaries, it’s difficult to compartmentalize yourself. The career you, the home you, the social you, the relationship you, the Netflix ‘n Chill you, the volunteer you - they’re all you.
When someone asks “So, what do you do?” and you cringe because your career confidence is at an all time low and the last thing you want to talk about is your job, well, that’s a problem. (Side note: let’s all agree that a better question to ask is: “How are you spending your time these days?”)
When you feel depressed, angry, or unsatisfied, it could be because your career is not in alignment with your values.
The word “value” comes from the Latin word valere, which means “to be strong.” Our values fortify us. They shape our identity and how we see ourselves.
According to MindTools.com, “Your values are the things that you believe are important in the way you live and work. They (should) determine your priorities, and, deep down, they're probably the measures you use to tell if your life is turning out the way you want it to.”
Each one of us has a unique set of values. Even if you value the same thing as someone else, it can present itself very differently. For example, my value of “family” can mean something completely different than yours. Mine could mean the people (and animals) I’ve chosen to be in my life and yours could mean traditional blood-related family.
Values have three main components:
Worth - the value has meaning to you that you hold as important and see as a basis for fulfillment. You are willing to give something up for the sake of this value. For example, if you value waking up to write in the quiet, you will give up staying up late to ensure you’re awake in time.
A name - you can describe the value with a unique word or a phrase. For example, if you value laughing with friends, this could be called “shared laughter.”
Inspires an action - the value serves as a guide for decision making. For example, if you value seeing new places, you could choose to spend your weekends being a tourist in your own city. If you value your fitness, you’d be inclined to find a walking buddy.
How to discover what your values are.
Your career values and personal values are not separate from each other. Even if you feel like you’re one person at work and another person at home, you still have synced principles that guide you. They may be ranked in a very different order depending on your environment, but your values are likely similar.
For example, I highly value autonomy. In my career, I love being the boss and the ultimate decision maker. In my personal life, I like sharing the decision making with my partner - and I need to know my opinion matters.
The name I’ve given this value is “better together.” While we are two autonomous individuals, our unique strengths complement each other. We are better together.
To help you determine what your values are, you can ask yourself this series of questions:
When I’m feeling my happiest, what am I doing?
If someone really knew me, what would they say about me?
What kind of legacy do I want to leave?
What gives me strength?
Who is someone I admire and why?
What do I really dislike? (could be qualities or tasks)
As you dive into each question, phrases for values will emerge.
I encourage you to make up your own names for your values so you can remember and use them to inform your decisions.
There are also countless assessments out there, each with their own list of value words. If you use two or three of these self-discovery tools, you’ll begin to see patterns in your values.
To get a baseline, one of the assessments I took is this free work values test. After working your way through 140 questions (in about 5~ minutes), you will get a report that indicates how important you believe each of the fourteen fundamental work values is in comparison to the reference group.
The fourteen values in this particular assessment are:
Work-life balance is having a clear delineation between work life and personal life.
Performance is the ability to distinguish yourself from others.
Prestige is wanting people to look up to you as someone who has thought leadership and expertise.
Autonomy is the ability to control your day and make decisions.
Financial reward is being compensated well and equitably for your effort and contributions.
Variety is having multiple things to work on at one time that gives your brain a challenge.
Altruism is the ability to help others.
Self-development is being able to learn and grow new skills and better lean into your strengths.
Influence is being in a position to make decisions and have the power to influence others.
Working conditions are having the “right” atmosphere for yourself to be successful.
Security is feeling taken care of and knowing what to expect.
Structure is knowing what you have to do and how to accomplish it.
Work relationships are about having a positive social atmosphere with the people around you. your colleagues and managers.
Creativity is about coming up with new ideas.
Before you take the assessment, I suggest reading through the short descriptions above and putting these 14 values in order. What do you come up with?
Career confidence is built by being in alignment with your values.
Having the language to describe what you value is a game changer. Think about it: if you value variety and you’re stuck doing the same thing every day, no wonder you feel bored. If you value financial security and you took a job at a start-up, no wonder you feel insecure. If you value structure and have none, no wonder you feel overwhelmed. If you value prestige and you never have an opportunity to voice your ideas, well, you get it…
On the flip side, knowing your values can set you up for exactly what to look for in your next opportunity. When you read a job description, you’ll know the kinds of words to look for. When you talk to a connection at the company or do the job interview, you’ll know what to listen for and ask about. When you write your resume and LinkedIn profile, you’ll know how to describe yourself so you attract the right types of recruiters.
3. Your ability to make an income directly impacts the options in your life.
Live to work or work to live? While it’s important to have value alignment in your career, work serves a major purpose - to provide an income so you can afford and have options in your life. This is the third reason why having career confidence is the ticket to a happier life.
The more career confidence you have, the more you will likely want to show up and contribute at work and in your industry.
The more you contribute at work, the more accomplishments you will have.The more accomplishments you have, the more career success you will have to talk about - and be recognized and rewarded for (if you talk about them and make sure people know about them!)
The more you earn (e.g. salary increases, promotions, autonomy, influence, vacation, relationships, visibility and access to power, etc.), the more options you have to build the kind of life you want to live.
Now, I’m not saying more money directly results in more happiness. In fact, according to MarketWatch.com, “Psychologists from Purdue University and the University of Virginia analyzed World Gallup Poll data from 1.7 million people in 164 countries, and cross-referenced their earnings and life satisfaction. Although the cost and standard of living varies across these countries, researchers came up with a bold conclusion: The ideal income for individuals is $95,000 a year for life satisfaction and $60,000 to $75,000 a year for emotional well-being. Families with children, of course, will need more.”
That said, the ability to build wealth is a powerful tool. It gives you options. It enables you to build a “quit fund,” giving you the ability to leave jobs, relationships, and situations that no longer serve you.
A higher income also gives you the opportunity to build your savings that you can use to start a business, fund a new venture, invest in real estate, the stock market, a sabbatical, or whatever else makes your heart sing.
Want to be happier in your life? Work on your career confidence.
If a happier life is appealing to you, close your eyes, take a deep breath and ask yourself if you are happy in your current career. Do you feel confident in how your career is going so far? To get started…
Sit down with a trusted friend and compare the values you have to how you currently spend the majority of your time at work.
My gut says you’ll immediately identify some shifts you can make. Focus on the things you can control. Maybe you talk to your boss about how to utilize your strengths more. Or you can prioritize something you really care about for an hour a week. Or make an effort to learn a new skill you’re curious about.
Jot these ideas down.
Now share your ideas with a friend or partner and ask them to keep you accountable in this shift. What will be your first step?
Having language to support and explain your values is the ticket in your quest to career confidence and life happiness.
When nearly half of our life is spent at work, it’s up to us to create, sustain and evolve into our most confident, happy working selves.
