When you're trying to get clear on what we want in your career and guidance for how to get there, what questions do you ask yourself?

If you are looking for something to change when it comes to your career but not confident about how to figure out what you really want to do, grab a piece of paper and a pen and set a timer for 5 min. (For real, only five minutes could clear up a lot, and writing is really good for your brain!)

1) Write down two times you were in flow. (Definition of flow: the mental state in which a person performing some activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity.)

Transport yourself back to that moment and write down as many details as possible. What were you doing, thinking, feeling, even tasting or smelling? Who was there? What was the purpose? Really get into it- go ahead and draw it if you want!

2) Think about the strengths you were using in this moment and write those down. (And quick note: strengths are different than skills or expertise. Strengths are more about how you do what you do- things like relationship building, synthesizing complex data, maximizing opportunities, clearly communicating, connecting ideas to action steps.)

These strengths that show up in flow are likely your superpowers- the unqiue way that you think and work. And as much as you can, you want to design what you do for a living around them.

And when you are more often in flow-mode, the more success and meaning you find in your job, which research shows are essential to overall happiness at work.

If you're looking for a career change but not confident on how to get there, hopefully this exericse gave you a bit more clarity. I'd also love to hear what you came up with!

And if it helped, check out Tablestakes, which is a program I've developed (in Beta) to help you figure out what you really want- in 5 min a day!- so you can be confident you’re on the right career path for you.

Think of it like a virtual coach who gives you daily exercises and time to think through what you want from your career. Would love to hear what you think!