Take Summer Vacation to Unwind & Unlock Your Life Purpose

You just turned in your exams, you're on summer vacation and the last thing you want to think about is unlocking your life purpose, whatever that means anyway. You want to be left in peace ALL summer - away from deadlines, nagging parents and pain-in-the-@$$ professors.

 

But what if I told you that the key to helping unlock your life purpose entailed little more than lying out on a blanket under the hot summer sun? You pack a little imagination, an open mind and a long-forgotten thing called a pen and some paper. Yeah, that means no laptops, cell phones, PDAs, IM's or BFF's. Game?

All you have to do is spend some quality time with yourself - time to daydream, assess your goals, and write out your likes and dislikes. Ultimately, you will take one giant leap toward defining and finding your personal definition of a happy, successful and purpose-driven life.

What makes me tick?

"Students need time to ask themselves, 'What are my dreams? What do I want?'" says Robin Ryan, a nationally respected career counselor and author of numerous career-advancing books, including "Soaring On Your Strengths", "60 Seconds & You're Hired" and "What to Do With the Rest of Your Life." Ryan advises that students sit down with a piece of paper and a pen to do this task. "Write out what you like," says Ryan. "Don't type it out on the computer. When we're on the computer our minds edit as we type and we're deflecting things out."

Start by writing out your likes and dislikes and then try to imagine what kind of life would make you most happy. Ask your friends, relatives and teachers, "What do you think I'm good at?"

Students affiliated with Campus Calm report that career worry tops their list of stressors. College is expensive and many of you are worried about picking the right major and then deciding after that you don't like the career you've chosen.

Instead of agonizing over finding the "right" major and the "perfect" career, what if you instead focus on building your passions and transferable skills? That way you will be marketable no matter what career you end up in ten years down the road.

According to Ryan, students should work on developing the following transferable skills that will serve you your entire working life and beyond:

• oral presentation & public speaking skills

• customer service skills

• teamwork skills

• time management skills

• writing & communication skills

• research skills

"Hot job, hot careers, what other people tell you is never going to be as important as what you find interesting and what you enjoy," says Ryan.

If you start off in a career that you don't like, change. Ryan advises to keep your doors open and recognize that the process should be fun. "Putting a lot of pressure on yourself is damaging, like when you say, 'I have to make $50,000 a year as soon as I get out of college because everyone else is,'" says Ryan. Instead, say, "I have to have a good job with a boss who will be a mentor to me and help me learn the ropes."

If you're looking for ways to jumpstart your career search, give the following tips a try:

5 steps to summer sun & career exploration

• Hop online and do some career research. Ryan advises that students find the association for whatever profession you're interested in. "The professional association is most likely to have accurate information," says Ryan.

• Get a summer job or an internship. According to Ryan, any summer work experience is good experience, even a McJob. "A summer job teaches you basic skills like showing up on time, teamwork, responsibility and serving others," says Ryan. "It also shows an employer down the line that you have ambition and you have a track record that you will show up for work. Generation Y is really bad at showing up for work and all the employers know it."

• Visit your school's career center. Summer is often a great time to visit your campus career center. For one thing, it's easier for commuters to find a parking spot in the summer and it's much easier to get an appointment with a career counselor. My career counselor was practically my life coach through college and the year after I graduated. Seven years out of college, I still utilize my college's career center.

If you need help with career exploration, a majority of college career centers offer interactive interest assessment tests. You can use these tests to help you learn more about your personality type and what it means for your studies and your career. Colleges use many forms of interest assessment tests to help students - look for names like the Strong Interest Inventory, Discover, Focus II, Sigi or others. Some of these tests are available online but they could cost up to $150 to purchase. Save yourself some cash and drop by your career center and talk with a counselor one-on-one.

• Read. Check out books like What Color Is Your Parachute? or What To Do With The Rest Of Your Life.

• Talk to strangers - and everyone else you happen across. Ask them about their careers and learn more about their lives. Never stop learning. For students who are shy and are afraid to approach professionals and ask about their careers, Ryan suggests that they ask family members for help. She also suggests that students join a professional organization and network that way.

It's summer - remember to relax!

Don't worry so much about having THE plan for life. According to the Department of Labor, we average five to seven career changes and eleven job changes throughout our lives. "We are constantly evolving and creating new kinds of jobs," says Ryan. "Jobs that didn't exist before. Being a life long learner will advance your career and keep you marketable your entire life and you won't miss interesting opportunities either."

Enjoy your journey through high school and college and let the possibilities unfold. Now it's summer so stop worrying and go have some fun!

Maria Pascucci is the Founder and President of Campus Calm – the award-winning online-community for today’s stressed-out students, and their parents and educators: www.campuscalm.com. Maria is also the President of The International Campus Calm University Association: www.campuscalmu.com.