Seven Ways to Find Personal Fulfillment and Career Satisfaction

You will be happier in life if you can find personal and career fulfillment, but this can sometimes be challenging. The author provides some tips for ways to look for a more fulfilling career in the government.

Finding personal and career fulfillment is a goal of every federal government employee. These goals can be easier to dream about than to actually achieve, however. Often, they are connected: Career fulfillment directly affects personal life satisfaction and vice versa.

Learning how to find self-worth and happiness in your professional and personal life doesn’t have to be a mystery. Here’s how to strike a work/life balance and ensure the success of both.

Love Your Work

There is plenty of research to support the fact that people who do what they love and enjoy their jobs are intrinsically happier and more productive than those stuck at jobs they dislike. This doesn’t mean you have to be pursuing your lifelong passion, but you should at least be content with your position and purpose in the workforce.

Federal government employees have a lot to be happy about, between having jobs that save lives and ones that are integral to the success of America as a whole. There are jobs for virtually every interest within the government, from data security to environmental protection. Finding a job in government that makes you happy typically isn’t hard, if you know where to look.

Don’t Forget About Job Benefits

Often, we can trace job dissatisfaction back to certain aspects of the job we wish were better. It may be schedule flexibility, pay scale, ability to move up, or more-comprehensive benefits. Federal government employees enjoy a plethora of benefits, including family-friendly schedule flexibility, childcare resources, health insurance, retirement programs, and free or discounted education opportunities. Remembering you have these and utilizing them to the greatest extent possible can help mitigate potential job dissatisfaction.

Adjust Your Perspective

When it comes to finding fulfillment in your personal and work life, perspective is everything. If you feel negative about your life and lack the motivation to get things accomplished or make changes, you’ll never find the fulfillment you seek. A positive attitude can put a new spin on things, enabling you to see your life in a different light. If you have trouble changing your perspective and getting out of your professional or personal slump, it may be time to switch your tasks.

Make a Career Change

If you’re feeling dissatisfied with your job, it could be a sign that your job isn’t challenging or interesting enough to you. It’s easy for federal government employees to get comfortable in their positions and fail to seek changes even when they begin to feel stagnant. One of the benefits of working for the federal government is that there are always new and exciting job opportunities.

Don’t let fear of change trap you in a job that isn’t enough for you. Seek out new opportunities, return to school to further your education, or apply for jobs that will be more fulfilling. There are always new job opportunities out there, if you take the time to look and ask questions.

Create New Goals

Goals are what drive us to become better people and better employees. If you can’t remember the last time you were working toward a real goal, this could be the reason you don’t feel fulfilled. Accomplishing a set goal gives you a feeling of success and achievement, at work and at home. Create new goals for yourself every day, and work toward them methodically until you can check them off your list. Include goals for workouts, healthy eating, communication, relationships, work projects … anything you want. The important part is to have goals and work toward them every day.

Find a Work/Life Balance

This is the most important tip for improving your personal and career life at the same time. If you have family and friends you want to spend more time with or a hobby you want to dedicate time to, work can easily get in the way. When this happens, you can begin to resent your job and feel trapped, leading to work and home life unhappiness.

In the 21st century, there are many ways around working a typical 9-to-5 schedule. Ask your manager to consider a flexible schedule option, telecommuting, or better vacation packages. If your current job doesn’t offer ways for you to work more flexibly, consider changing careers and working at a ski resort or doing something else you love. This may sound drastic, but your work/life balance should be a priority. Finding the balance that’s ideal for you can significantly improve the way you feel about your job and your life.

Never Give Up

No matter which method you choose to find fulfillment in your personal and career life, don’t give up until you succeed. If one thing doesn’t work for you, try another until you find what it is that makes you happy. It is possible to have the best of both worlds, especially within the federal government, where opportunities are endless. Be your best self, personally and professionally, with the right tools.

About the Author

Jason Kay is a professional resume writer and regular contributor to KSADoctor.com, a professional federal resume service and repository of sample KSA statements.