There are many different approaches to identifying your vocation. One approach is described in piece called 3 tips for following your successful style. Another is based on finding your vocational themes. Here are 3 steps you can take to explore this latter route.

1) You can recognise the vocational themes.

During the 1970s many people began taking a different approach towards shaping their careers. Previously they had tried to fit themselves into a traditional ‘job’ But many became interested in the approach outlined by pioneers such as Richard Bolles, Barrie Hopson, Mike Scally and William Bridges. These authors encouraged people to find recurring ‘themes’ and ‘transferable skills’ in their work. Different authors ‘grouped’ these themes in different ways. But essentially the topics covered the basic human activities, such as building, creating, problem-solving, etc. Here are some of these activities - but you can obviously add or combine various themes.

Vocational Themes

* Exploring - discovering, adventuring, navigating.

* Learning - studying, researching, understanding.

* Simplifying - crystallising, patterning, mapping,

* Educating - enabling, empowering, equipping.

* Encouraging - giving, helping, serving.

* Coaching - mentoring, facilitating, developing.

* Problem-solving - fixing, renovating, healing.

* Creating - designing, pioneering, inventing.

* Performing - entertaining, expressing, showing.

* Communicating - connecting, reporting, storytelling.

* Selling - trading, persuading, influencing.

* Building - making, doing, implementing.

* Protecting - preserving, upholding, enforcing.

* Leading - shaping, visioning, inspiring.

* Managing - planning, organising, co-ordinating.

* Achieving - delivering, finishing, succeeding.

2) You can clarify your vocational themes.

Looking at the themes, circle the words that ‘make your heart sing’. Here are two examples. One person circled: ‘Encouraging, enabling, coaching and communicating,’ plus he added: ‘writing’. Nowadays his main income comes from one-to-one coaching, but he also writes article for magazines. These provide people with practical tools they can use to improve their lives. Another person circled: “Pioneering, implementing and serving.” She now leads new projects for companies - mainly around improving customer service. The normal ‘project time’ is two years, which also includes educating her successor to take over the team.

Looking at the vocational themes, do three things. First, describe those that make your heart sing. Second, describe the specific activities in which you have expressed these themes in the past. Third, bearing these answers in mind, describe what you believe to be your vocational themes. Try completing the following sentences.

The vocational themes that make my heart sing are:

*

*

*

The activities in which I have expressed
these themes in the past have been:

*

*

*

Bearing this in mind, I believe my vocational themes are:

*

*

*

3) You can find the right vehicle for following your vocational themes.

Now comes the creative part. After finding your vocational themes, the key is to find – or create – the right vehicle for expressing these in your life and work. You may, for example, enjoy ‘creating, designing and succeeding’. But what is the specific activity in which you enjoy doing these things? You can follow these themes in many areas – such as painting, writing, building houses or whatever. Focus on the activities in which you feel in your element – you feel at ease and yet excel.

Sounds challenging? Perhaps, but most of the future jobs have not yet been invented. So we each face a choice: a) We can wait for the new ‘boxes’ to be drawn - then try to fit ourselves into these boxes: b) We can clarify our themes - then combine these to provide a product or service that potential sponsors want to buy: c) We can simply express these themes in our personal – rather than professional – lives. Whichever route you want to take, try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to find – or create – the right
vehicle for following my vocational themes in the future are:

*

*

*