5 minute read. 

In every person’s life, there comes a time when you need to take the ‘professional leap of faith’. Perhaps because you hate your job or because you are pivoting and looking to grow in a new industry. Regardless, moving towards a new position is exciting yet intimidating. If you are considering a change in our career, this week we are breaking down the four quadrants of work and how you can find a job that you love and are good at. 
 
As always, you can listen here or read on to see some of the highlights from our discussion. 
 
 
What Are the Four Quadrants of Work?  
 
The four quadrants consider your skill and enjoyment level of the tasks that you complete daily at work. They indicate the type of role that corresponds with the description. It is our goal to always be working within the first quadrant. Here is the breakdown.
 
1st Ideal Job: You're great at it and you love to do it
2nd Dead End Job: You're great at it but you dislike doing it
3rd Hobby: You're bad at it but you love to do it
4th Torture: You're bad at it and you dislike doing it
 
If you reflect on your past jobs, you will notice you have probably been in one or more of these quadrants before. For me, I recognized my first job as a cashier would have placed me in 4th quadrant. Josh recognized his job as a baker at Tim Horton’s landed him in the 2nd quadrant. 
 
Neither of these positions was one that we wanted to pursue a career with. None the less, it was a true reminder that our career is one of only a few things that we really get to decide on so it’s important that we find align ourselves with the one we love and are skilled in.
 
How Do You Find Your Perfect Job? 
 
At times throughout your career, you may find yourself no longer loving what you do. To move back to the right quadrant, follow these 7 steps. 
 
1. Make Two Lists 
 
Start with a list of the things that inspire you. Things that you enjoy doing, participating in or that your good at. This list should be very mundane yet specific. For example, if you love making decadent lattes, write that down. 
 
The second list to prepare will include all the things you enjoy with your current job. 
 
What you are looking for here are the overlaps. For example, I was able to identify that editing videos fall into my first list and my second. That tells me that I need to find a job that pays me to edit videos. 
 
Starting with a personal reflection of your activities such as illustrated in this example will give you a clear idea of what your perfect job might include. 
 
2. Eliminate Money from The Equation 
 
Obviously, money is important and a requirement for our lifestyle but when it comes to a career, it shouldn’t be your deciding factor. So many people find themselves in quadrant 2 or 4 because their pay was a deciding factor. 
 
If you want a job that provides you with both happiness and money, you need to find a job you would literally do for free. We volunteer for free because we feel helpful and personally rewarded. Why shouldn’t we apply this same logic to our paid jobs? 
 
3. Take A Trip 
 
If it is feasible, this is the tip that I would recommend the most. Coming from my experience, I know the significance of taking a few weeks off. Both Josh and I have taken a few months off at a time to clear our minds and remove ourselves from the day to day grind. 
 
Whether it be a few weeks or months removing yourself from your environment can feel like a complete restart. It allows you with the necessary downtime to reflect on what is important to you and your goals. 
Once you touch back down to your regular life, you will have a much clearer vision.

4. Be Realistic and Work Twice as Hard 

6. Understand You Don’t Know Everything 

 
Nothing in this world was meant to stay the same, therefore you must be prepared for change. Something you might be comfortable with will end up being something you need to learn all over again. Everything from tasks to job protocols and the process will change. View these changes as learning opportunities to branch out from what you already know. 
 
If you believe you’d be able to do your job better with more education or guidance, look for online classes or professional coaching. These are future opportunities to leverage your knowledge and experience. 
 
7. Be Patient 
 
Get in the right mindset and realize that things take time. Your dream job will not manifest itself one random afternoon. You need to take the time to reflect on who you are and what your professional goals are. Work and look for opportunities that will lead you to the job that you love and are specifically good at. 
 
I think the biggest take away for me is that I am always updating my resume in the back of my mind. Each job should teach you more about the fields that you are already good at. New jobs and tasks should offer you new skills. Enjoy the journey. Finding your perfect job will not only fulfill your professional goals but also your personal ones as well.

That was it for this week’s podcast. Just as a reminder, our weekly podcast comes out every Tuesday on Podbean, Youtube, Google Podcast, Spotify, and Apple Podcast. As always you can email me at trish@knowledgebroker.ca with your comments and ideas. 

 
Our job at Knowledge Broker is to cultivate an open source of information. Knowledge is power and creates experts and understanding. Do you want power? Connect with us here on our website or on social media at “@knowledgebrkr”.
 

“My knowledge becomes your asset and my hard work is your vehicle to success.”
 
JOSHUA CAMPBELL (@knowledgebrkr)
Real Estate Broker
Coldwell Banker The Real Estate Centre, Brokerage
www.KnowledgeBroker.ca
249 Avenue Road • Newmarket, ON L3Y 1N8
Phone 289.231.0001