I remember going into college knowing exactly which profession I wanted to pursue. I knew without a doubt that I wanted to be a pharmacist. I worked at a local pharmacy through high school and loved every aspect of the job. I was fully prepared to chase this goal in my life and, to be honest, wanted a job that would guarantee a well-paying salary. (If you’re reading this, you’ll probably realize that I, indeed, am not a pharmacist. Just stay with me.)

On the flip side of the coin, I had so many friends going into college undecided on their major. At 18 years old, how are you supposed to know what you want to do for the rest of your life? With over a year of college courses under my belt, I learned that my passions more aligned with business and leadership. I realized that it’s alright if we don’t have it all figured out from the start.

No matter where you find yourself in life, finding your best characteristics and learning to monetize those qualities can be a daunting task. You may find yourself holding a degree and 9-5 job, but your heart is being tugged into another direction. You could be that college student worried about making the right choices for your career path that you feel you’ll be stuck to for the rest of your life. I am here to give you permission to be flexible with your life (and sanity, for that matter).

So how exactly do you determine what is right for you? How do you make that dream job possible? How can you make money doing what you’re truly passionate about? I’m going to walk you through some questions that can help you pinpoint which direction to go.

What do you enjoy doing?

Take a moment and pretend that you’re looking at a picture of your life. What does this person look like? What does she enjoy doing? Where does she spend most of her time? Is she happy with the way she spends her time? Could she be more productive with the way she uses her time? Is she burned out from pouring from an empty cup? Use those questions to pivot into finding your qualities.

Are you creative? What line of work are you good at? Are you passionate about home decor and design? Web design? Fashion combinations? Do you have a plethora of “mom advice?” Think of allllll the things people Google every day. Someone is looking for the knowledge that you have! I recently solicited advice for information about diet and exercise for weight-loss. I don’t have a clue where to begin, but there are others out there that know all about how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. What are you most knowledgable about that you could explain to someone without having to prepare?

What does your past say about your future?

From the time I started driving on my own, I had a part time job. I have worked in retail settings with the public and I have also worked in businsess-to-business settings with privately owned companies. Both settings allowed me the opportunity to learn more about how to interact with the different types of customers. These jobs in high school and college were huge experiences that shaped me into the business owner that I am today.

If you’ve worked for someone before, I am sure there have been situations in your job that you saw that you could have handled differently or performed more effectively. How can you use those specific experiences to provide for your potential audience?

Find a Mentor

You can create a successful business without reinventing the wheel. You don’t have to start without any recourses and you don’t have to take the task alone! One of the most important things you can do is to find a mentor that can support you with seasoned experience and advice. This could be meeting with someone personally, reading books from an author that is an expert in your area of interest, following podcasts, or taking online courses or coaching.

What do your friends and family think you’re good at?

Since we’ve been talking about college, do you remember on the first day of school when teacher would make the class stand up one-by-one, introduce yourself, and make you say and interesting fact about yourself? THE WORST! Counting down the people between me and the desks between the person speaking, all I could think was, “there is nothing interesting about me!”

So, rather than reliving that terrible experience, ask your biggest fans! (After all, they will be the ones supporting you behind the scenes!) Ask your friends and family to give you three words that describe you. Then ask them what qualities they see if your life and what they believe are your best abilities. Use those affirmations to expand on your business journey.

Follow a path that brings you joy

This is not to say there won’t be challenges, disappointments, or pitfalls along the way, but find a path that brings you overall joy. If you’re looking to pursue your own business, it’s possible that it’s because you’re not finding joy in your current situation. While I enjoyed my office job after college, I realized that I would have a hard time feeling like I was working at my full potential and find joy for years to come. It took time for me to take a leap of faith and depend on our young, growing business that did not provide a stable, consistent income. In the end, I recognized that being an entrepreneur was the path that brought me the most joy by allowing me to take pride in my work, spend time with my family, and (eventually) provide a better income for us.

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