How to Find a New "Career" Using Your Inner Child.

Post by iVillage Australia.

When I saw the wonderful video from iVillage Australia, I was reminded of the advice given us so many times in the past; you need to get in touch with your inner child.  This little boy hears music somewhere inside his head and heart that most of us would not even understand. He was born that way. I have often quoted Popeye's piece of wisdom when he said, "I yam what I yam." I honestly believe he was right on the money. We all are born with a love for something...but how do we turn that love into an vocation or avocation? Given the fact that working is a requirement to survive, finding that perfect niche is the trick.

I have always wondered what I would have done if I had been given the choices beyond being a teacher. I popped out of the womb being teacher-like but being in the classroom did not make me happy for very long.  Once I had figured it out, I was ready to do something different. I could not be a secretary. I used to tell people that the trouble was I need a secretary to keep my life in order. I have a creative and scattered mind that can get things a little muddled.

So today I went to a career quiz website and took the test. I wondered what my inner child was really up to. The question was "What would you most like to do?" Not what I am trained to do or what I have experience in but what do I like to do. It was very interesting because I was so tempted to check those things I can do and actually have a talent for. It turns out that while I can do a lot of things, those skills can also move over to an area that would give me great satisfaction and make me happy day after day.

The quiz had some very unusual options but I just didn't over think it. I liked the idea of shearing sheep and laying out a building before it was built. I wanted to do the interior design in an office building. I thought painting cars might be fun but then I also chose counseling for stressed employees as a possibility. I also thought that editing and writing was interesting.

Was there any commonality between all of these. I think there was. And that goes back to my inner child. As a child, I did not like being bossed but did like bossing. I did not want other people to copy my ideas and I loved beautiful things right from the beginning. I remember disliking clothes my mother chose because I thought they were not beautiful. I thought it didn't matter if I was cold...but when I had my own choice I chose practical shoes and warm coats.

My father's workshop called my name so many times. The idea of building something totally original fascinated me. I loved to be outside and even sat against the back of our Oregon house in the winter sun to read even when the temperature was very cold. My desk bulletin board in college was decorated with pictures from magazines of flowers and interiors. I began writing a book when I was about 10...it was about naughty children and a slamming screen door.

So I like to be my own boss. I love to be creative. I want to see the outdoors and let light into my life. I scored very high on creativeness on the quiz. But the quiz also revealed a practical side that I don't acknowledge very often. In the end I would choose to be in interior design or architecture if I could start over with my life. But now I will read and write and study (interior design?) and continue to do what I love on a daily basis...create a beautiful home for my husband and I.

What does your inner child tell you?

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