Do you ever have moments of self-doubt? Are there times when you really don’t know what you’re doing with your career or why? If you’re honest with yourself, you’ll admit to these moments of question.

How do you know you’re on the right track? Here are a few suggestions:

Trust yourself.
If we can’t learn to trust ourselves, how can we learn to trust the outer world? Although I have my moments of self-doubt, I have to trust my own instinct that I’m on the right career path. I occasionally ask others close to me for their observations regarding my direction.

Do what you enjoy.
I spend more moments loving what I do than questioning why I do what I do. Planning, dreaming, and putting my goals into action are a few important factors in driving my spirit. Being an entrepreneur and being my own boss literally has me racing out of bed on most mornings. What has you charging out of the gates in the morning?

Ask yourself this question: Am I helping others?
At the end of the day, if you’re not helping others, you’re headed in the wrong direction. Not to worry, you won’t get very far if you’re not providing a service that others want or need. Help humanity and help yourself.

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There are many things that can cause your career to take a turn for the worse or create a temporary glitch in your aspirations for glory.

Here are a few pitfalls to avoid:

1. Being too modest: Speak up! If you are the best…say it and flaunt it! Nobody gets ahead in life by hiding what they’re good at doing. Use caution, don’t be one of those annoying narcissistic people. Modesty is a very fine line to walk and be aware of cultural considerations. You should flaunt your greatness when you’re in a job interview, speaking with a potential client, or in any other position where it’s vital that you display your brains and experience

Knock ‘em Dead has all sorts of tips for acing job interviews.

2. Being a buck passer: Don’t you hate the people who always try to push their work on you? Not a lot has changed since those group projects in high school. Always do your portion of the work. Simply follow the oh-so Golden Rule we should all supposedly be living by and TAKE RESPONSIBILITY.

Check out this great blog post on Handling and Managing Annoying Coworkers!

3. Tunnel Vision: I don’t enjoy working with people who can’t see beyond their small imagination and I always strive hard to see the bigger picture. Look outside the box because tunnel vision cripples companies and holds back growth. Remove your blinders and replace with a wide angle lense!

This is a great article about thinking outside the box in business.

The grass always appears to be greener on the other side of the fence (or ocean, as the case may be). As great as the system outwardly appears to be in Holland, there is always a downside (or so they say). Here are a few not so great things about the nearly all-inclusive system:

Job security: While job security is good, the downside is that it’s extremely difficult to fire someone not doing their job. It takes months to get them out of the office because you have to build a case and compensate them heavily. For every year they’ve been working for the company, you have to give them one month salary.

Entrepreneurship: There are fewer entrepreneurs because of job security. With such an all-inclusive system, there are few incentives to break out on your own. People tend to stay in the same job year after year because they are reluctant to leave the benefits behind.

Stress: The Dutch claim it’s way higher than in the US. Of course, this is all relative and would completely depend upon your job and employer. In Holland, it’s all about efficiency. They work 8-5 but every moment has to be highly effective. There’s less room for socializing than in the average office in the US. What?! No water cooler gossip? * gasp *

Money: They pay A LOT of taxes (see tax benefits in previous posts). Here’s the scale:

Above 54,000 euros = 52% of your salary in taxes.
18,000 to 54,000 euros = 42%.
0-18,000 euros = 33.6% taxes.

Jealous? Or not?

Before opening your own business or making a career move, it’s important to think about the lifestyle you desire. Here are a few things to consider before making a life altering career decision:

1. Think about your personal rhythm. Are you a morning person or are you a night person? I occasionally speak with entrepreneurs who admit they never thought about their schedule before opening their business. Oops. If you’re not a morning person, opening that bagel shop you always dreamed of might not be such a hot idea once you give it more thought. Sure, someday you might be able to hand off the 3am mornings to hired help, but will you be able to handle these hours for the first few years? How bad do you want it?

2. Think about your tastes and hobbies. Example: Are you a surfer or a quilter? As a surfer, it’s important to have a flexible schedule that allows you to run to the beach at the first whisper of huge swells. More importantly, surfing is a day light sport. Quilting on the other hand, can be done wherever and whenever. You might not mind being tied down to a single location day after day as long as you have your needles and yarn. Does traveling on a regular basis make you happy or the occasional three-day getaway?

These are just a few of the things you should consider when thinking about a career move or considering your own small business. Although these may seem like microscopic and unimportant details, they aren’t. Your personal rhythm as well as your tastes and hobbies are VERY IMPORTANT aspects of who you are as a person.

It’s not enough to only fill your wallet, a career must feed your soul.

Feeling stuck in your job? Do you have a dream job but wish you could test out the career before making a life-altering decision?  Vocation Vacations is here to help, ladies! Even the most secure Diva Moguls could use a Vocation Vacation.

What is a Vocation Vacation? It’s experiencing another career for several days. It’s giving you a taste of your dream job. It’s deciding whether or not you want to make a life-altering career and lifestyle change. This Vocation Vacations is perfect for Diva Moguls who don’t have a lot of extra time on their hands.

From Alpaca Rancher to Sword Maker to Wine Bar Owner, Vocation Vacations has every career you can and can’t imagine.

Let’s pretend I was thinking about being a Cheese Maker for a living. Well, I can sign up with Vocation Vacations to work at Beecher’s Cheese in Seattle, WA for a day of one-on-one mentoring and learn everything from pasteurizing to aging cheese. The price for this day runs just over $500, a small price to pay to sample your dream career.

Perhaps Vocation Vacations sound cheesy, but they are lot cheaper than making the wrong career decision!

Check out their website and see if anything catches your eye.