Career Purpose Reflection Exercises

When was the last time you asked yourself: ‘What’s really working and what isn’t?’ Most professionals don’t. They keep moving from one task to the next, mistaking busyness for progress. But here’s the truth I’ve seen in 10+ years of coaching: 👉 Your career doesn’t stall because of lack of effort. 👉 It stalls because of lack of reflection. That’s why I use a structured self-reflection framework every week and I teach my clients to do the same. 🟢 My Reflection Framework 1. Core Purpose Questions (Weekly) ✔ Am I still excited about my end goal? ✔ What did I do this week that moved me closer? ✔ Which activities pulled me away? 2. Growth & Learning Check (Bi-weekly) ✔ What new skills am I building? ✔ Have I challenged my assumptions lately? ✔ Who can I learn from right now? 3. Action & Adjustment (Monthly) ✔ Are my daily habits supporting my vision? ✔ What’s working well that I should double down on? ✔ What’s one thing I need to stop doing? 4. Impact & Connection (Quarterly) ✔ How am I helping others while pursuing my goals? ✔ Who are the key people supporting me? ✔ Which relationships need more attention? 5. Vision Alignment (Every 6 Months) ✔ Does my current path still excite me? ✔ Have my priorities changed? ✔ Do I need to adjust my timeline? I keep these questions in my phone’s notes app. Every week, I revisit them. Every month, I review patterns. Every quarter, I reset my focus. And over the last 3 years, this single habit has helped me: ✨ Stay aligned with my vision ✨ Catch blind spots early ✨ Celebrate progress (even the small wins) ✨ Avoid drifting when things got busy 👉 So, when was the last time you asked yourself the hard questions? P.S. If you want more updated insights, practical strategies, and frameworks like this to stay aligned and accelerate your career. 👉 Join my Career Spotlight Group (link in comments). #Goal #PersonalGrowth #Clarity

Elite performers don't stumble into their next chapter — they design, engineer, and execute their way to it. After guiding hundreds through career transitions, I've developed a framework that transforms fuzzy potential into decisive action. I used it for myself, and now I share it with others going through their own transitions: 1️⃣ 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲𝘀 Start with identity, not job titles: - What archetypes do you currently embody? (engineer, connector, wife) - What archetypes do you aspire to? (thought leader, founder, mother) This reveals underlying motivations that job descriptions can't capture. 2️⃣ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝘅 Rate each aspirational archetype on three dimensions using a 1-5 scale: ✅ Excitement 5: Energized just thinking about it 3: Neutral or ambivalent 1: Bored or unmotivated ✅ Difficulty 5: Already embodying this identity 3: Unclear what changes would be needed 1: Requires major life pivot ✅ Impact 5: Aligns with life's calling 3: Moderately aligned 1: Potentially negative impact 3️⃣ 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Analyze what emerges: - Which paths get you most excited? These reveal intrinsic motivations. - Which paths seem most accessible? These offer immediate next steps. - Which paths align with your values? These reveal deeper purpose. Look for relationships: - Which paths are complementary and reinforce each other? - Which paths are sequential where one leads to another? - Which paths are concurrent and can be pursued simultaneously? 4️⃣ 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗛𝘆𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲𝘀 A lot of people get stuck in reflection, journaling, and hypothesizing. 📊 Enough thinking. Time to get real data by rapidly testing hypotheses: 1. Conversations with people living your target archetypes 2. Relevant resources (books, podcasts) 3. Low-risk experiments to try these identities A client tested his "investor" archetype by joining an angel group with minimal commitment — revealing he missed the team dynamics from previous work. I used to think I wanted to do BizOps -- and then discovered legal and accounting are energy-draining for me. Now I delegate those tasks away! 5️⃣ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 Career reflection isn't one-and-done: 1. Form initial hypotheses 2. Test with small experiments 3. Gather observations 4. Refine understanding 5. Gradually increase commitment as clarity emerges 👇 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 What separates exceptional careers from good ones isn't just talent—it's deliberate reflection and strategic choices. This framework isn't about finding the "perfect" next step but creating alignment between who you are, who you want to become, and your desired impact. With this clarity, your search becomes less about chasing opportunities and more about recognizing ones that truly fit. Take thirty minutes today to begin this reflection—your future self will thank you.

Purpose Check: The 3-3-3 Alignment Method In the rush of daily demands, it's easy to lose sight of our deeper purpose. Today, I'm sharing a simple but powerful exercise I use with my leadership clients to bridge the gap between daily actions and long-term vision. I call it the 3-3-3 Method: 3 Minutes: Start your day by writing down your core purpose in one sentence. (Mine is "Empowering others to discover and act on their highest potential.") 3 Questions: Before each major task, pause and ask: ✔️ How does this align with my purpose? ✔️ Who will this impact beyond myself? ✔️ What would change if I approached this with purpose-driven intention? 3 Actions: End your day by identifying three moments where you lived your purpose, no matter how small. A purposeful conversation with a team member counts just as much as a major project milestone. The magic isn't in perfect execution—it's in the consistent reminder that every action can serve a greater purpose. Try this for one week. You might be surprised how this simple practice transforms your leadership impact. What's your one-sentence purpose? Share below and inspire others to find theirs. #PurposeDrivenLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment #IntentionalLiving #Leadership

Many amazingly talented PMMs make wrong career decisions because they believe what works for someone else will work for them - whether it’s chasing a prestigious company, a higher salary, or a fancy title. But here’s the thing: what works for others might not work for you. In fact, focusing on extrinsic motivators or what “looks” good is, in my experience, one of the biggest sources of unhappiness. I’ve made those mistakes in my career too. Every time I went against what I truly value, I regretted it. Over time, I developed a system to help me make better career decisions. One exercise in particular has been a game-changer: the balanced wheel (inspired by the balanced life wheel). Here’s how it works: ✅ Draw a circle and divide it into 8 slices. ✅ Label each slice with areas of your work life that matter most to you—things that truly reflect your values. Be honest with yourself! ✅ Rate your satisfaction with your most recent full-time job for each area on a scale from 0–10 (0 = the center, 10 = the edge). ✅ Connect the ratings to create your “wheel.” Now, take a step back. How bumpy is your wheel? What patterns stand out? This exercise is helpful for evaluating both your current role and future opportunities. To take it a step further, you can create a weighting system to assess jobs more objectively - I’ve built a decision matrix based on this. If you want a copy, send me a DM! After coaching over 200 clients through this process, the three most important values people highlight (and often rate the lowest) are: 🧑 A great manager: People quit managers, not jobs. 🧠 Learning potential: Growth keeps you engaged and excited. 📈 Company stability: No one wants to be stuck on a sinking ship. If you’re feeling uncertain about your role or career, I highly recommend giving this exercise a try - it’s been transformative for so many people. Let me know what you think! #career #productmarketing #growth #coaching #tech

I love helping people at mid-career craft the next stage of their career to harvest their experience and create better alignment with their strengths, values, interests, and work and life goals going forward. If you're feeling that you'd like to transition, optimize, or simply continue in your current career path with greater success and satisfaction, here are five great questions from Rebecca M. Knight for you to reflect on: 1️⃣ 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐰? Imagine the disappointment you might feel in the future if you don’t take certain actions today, and use that as a motivating force. Consider subjects you’d like to learn about, habits you’d like to build, experiences you’d like to try, and places you’d like to go now, before it’s too late. 2️⃣ 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐈 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞? Reflecting on your career to date and thinking about the next stage, consider: What excites you? What are you curious about? What impact do you want to have? Who do you want to serve and how? 3️⃣ 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐈 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐝? Reflect on the skills and knowledge you’ve acquired thus far in your career, and consider how you might use them to fulfill your purpose, values, and priorities. 4️⃣ 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞? As someone who has redesigned my career to suit my preferred lifestyle, I am especially fond of using this line of inquiry with my coachees. Try envisioning a typical day in your ideal future. Consider how you want to spend your time, who you want to interact with, and what you want to do outside of work. 5️⃣ 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞-𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐬 𝐚𝐦 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 — 𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞? This is a question that many people began asking themselves in earnest during the pandemic. The key is to give careful consideration to your values and priorities, and to make conscious, intentional decisions about the compromises you’re willing to make. It is possible to do this reflection in a systematic way on your own. However, if you find yourself feeling stuck, working with a career coach can be a very good investment at mid-career. #careeradvice #careercoaching

A client came to me wanting to make a career change but wasn’t sure where to start. It’s a common spot to be in, especially if you’ve spent years working in one area. You might think, “I should just stick to what I know, right?” Not necessarily… In an earlier post, I talked about the importance of reflecting on “Why” you want to make a change. That’s the starting point. Assuming you’ve done that, what’s next? If your goal is to find purpose and direction in your career, then you should reflect on questions prompted by the Japanese concept of “Ikigai”. 🔹 What do you love to do? 🔹 What are you good at? 🔹What does the world need? 🔹What can you be paid for? Your answers might change over time as you grow and as the world changes too. I’d add a couple more questions to think about: 🔹What are your circumstances? (e.g., financial needs, family needs)  🔹What are your values? (i.e., your non-negotiables) It’s useful to check in with yourself on these questions now and then because your answers will evolve over time. This approach has guided me in making four career pivots. And I loved all of them. Each one helped me discover new passions, develop new skills, and uncover new opportunities. Exploring these questions is like using a compass in your career journey. What questions have helped guide you to leading a fulfilling career and life?