Direction Determines Desire

I aim to live guided by my values, what I hold most dear to heart. These values include the need for strong social bonds with family and friends, social conscientiousness, freedom of expression and speech, creativity and ingenuity, knowledge and wisdom. A number of life choices can thus fulfill some of these criteria. In this way, oftentimes it is the direction of choice you pick that determines what you actually desire for, since what you truly desire is rather more abstract.

Take for instance the choice of career - one that often is made within a period of months, during a time of mental, physical, and social development, with limited information, and biased advisors. Everything comes together to ensure your choice of career is as short-sighted and uninformed as possible. Nonetheless, a good proportion of people who have a choice of career will study, graduate, then practice in their chosen career and end up quite satisfied. A greater proportion of people have second thoughts and choose to change their career.

The problem is that often times the career choice is not necessarily the goal one should seek. Many of the values one holds dear can be fulfilling in many career paths; of course unfortunately this may not be easily the case - for instance, investment banking and social conscientiousness, or nursing and adventure. It is possible to shoehorn your values into these careers but this can feel sub-optimal.

However, consider carefully the career change if there are options in your career to live out your values that one has not fully explored, and perhaps instead consider a career pivot, with one foot remaining still and the other moving. Taking the practice of law for instance. Creativity and ingenuity can come through the work of innovation policy and legal entrepreneurship. Freedom of expression and speech could be parlayed into legal journalism. Adventure could be parlayed into international law. Or the practice of medicine. Focused problem solving could be found in anaesthetics or neurology. Creativity could be found in contributing to assistive and other medical technology, running clinical trials, in public health and policy. Take the practice of computer science. Social conscientiousness could come from innovative development to disrupt industries.

Upon settling on this career pivot, one may sense in actual fact a deep desire to pursue this new direction. It certainly feels like a refreshing path and better yet, utilises the skills and knowledge garnered through practicing the field. It is the most optimal direction to take, and desire reflects this as one intuitively knows this is true.

If you cannot see a fulfilling path, indeed the best option may very well be to cut loose and live your life holistically, integrating as best as possible your life's work with your life's values. Often times though we just haven't thought about it deeply enough, and the want to escape a dead career and rethink can be ephemeral and cost dearly in both time and money when instead it may have simply been burnout and one needed a rest and refocusing of their life's values and work.