Most of our personality traits, preferences for play, and individual interests are obvious to ourselves and the people in our lives from our earliest days. For many of us those traits, preferences, and interests are encouraged to blossom, inspiring and empowering us to fully explore and develop those skills and talents into a career.
For others though, it feels like the dream has been deferred, the spark has gone out, and any hope of bringing their plans to fruition is gone. It’s certainly not unusual to feel you’re going down a path you didn’t choose. To feel like you are making decisions because they were there in front of you or because you thought it was the responsible or right thing to do. However, you are never too old, too established, too successful, or too well-known to chase your dreams and choose a career that you will enjoy and feel empowered by. If you need evidence then look no further than rugby league star come NFL rookie, Jarryd Hayne.
Jarryd Hayne: Changing careers and countries mid-field
A highly-successful, superstar player in the National Rugby League (NRL), Jarryd Hayne had the talent, the skills, and a established career that youngsters idolized, teammates admired, and fans celebrated. On the outside, Hayne seemed to have it all ~ a young, handsome, gifted rugby league player at the top of his game while still just in his mid-20s. No one could have imagined that as much as he loved and excelled at rugby league, his lifelong career passion was in a different sport on the other side of the world. Jarryd Hayne had a dream to see if he could make it in the richest sport in the world, the American National Football League (NFL). With no prospects, contacts, job offers, or even experience playing a single game of gridiron he announced to the rugby league world that he was turning down a multi-million dollar contract with the Parramatta Eels and heading to the USA as a 26 year old NFL rookie to chase his dream. Despite a tsunami of disbelief and negativity, Hayne conquered his own fears and doubts and transformed them into the courage and optimism he needed to create the life he truly wanted to live. Just one year later, he is with the NFL as part of the five time Superbowl winning San Francisco 49ers organisation. He’s had his ups and downs in his rookie year but that only makes him more human and his decision more inspiring.
The courage to be fearless in the pursuit of changing careers
You don’t have to be a professional athlete to explore changing careers. Jarryd Hayne is simply a high profile and inspiring example of someone chasing their dreams. Whether you’re a student trying to decide which course of study you should pursue after school, a loving parent wanting to provide your child with the tools he/she needs to make great career choices, or an individual who has worked in one profession for years but knows down deep inside you were meant for something more, changing careers today has never been easier. Sure it’s great that you have held the same job for 15 years at the same office building; yes it’s wonderful that you have the all benefits that come along with devoting your life, energy, and creativity to that job. What’s not great and what’s not wonderful, however, is that you live for 5pm on Friday and you dread Sunday evenings. Your career shouldn’t define you, but it ought to be an enjoyable, uplifting, and engaging component of your life. If you get this wrong it can bring stress, low energy and low productivity into all aspects of your life. It’s that important, that our research shows you are three times more likely to be successful in a career that you enjoy.
A compass for the untrodden road ahead
One innovative predictive tool to help you choose a direction and a career best suited for your unique personality traits, preferences, and interests is Forsee. Although it only takes about 20 minutes, the simple process of dragging and dropping statements to rank how strongly you agree with them uses a powerful algorithm that is the equivalent to answering 2,500 standard multiple choice questions on other personality tests (that’s the equivalent of 1.5 days of testing!). It’s an easy, fun, and enlightening way to help you identify the careers you are most suitable for and to gain insights into your personality traits and behavioural patterns.
There are lots of inspirational individuals like Jarryd Hayne out there in the universe who are making mindful and purposeful decisions to create and sustain a life filled with wondrous moments and no regrets. When I think of the courage it would have taken for him to make that decision to try something unknown, I feel inspired and energised by his example. Maybe we should all try to be a bit more like Jarryd Hayne and chase our dreams.
Forsee is currently available to trial for free here.