In Step 3, we use powerful techniques to prioritize your definite career components. You will essentially boil down all of the job categories to just the most important and indispensable aspects of your career. The following is an example of the clarity that is possible at the end of this stage:

The main role I perform (based on my strongest talents) is to coach individuals to solve unpredictable creative problems by sorting through lots of information and distinguishing the most important elements.

My top five career components:

1. I have the freedom to be fully self-expressed – primarily in a verbal way,
2. I'm my own boss; I exercise my own creative choices,
3. I set my own hours, which may vary every day,
4. I play in the area of music, career or personal happiness, and
5. I work from home.

The purpose of my job is to empower people to be passionate and fully self-expressed in their work and play.

It is here that the self-help or traditional career counseling methods often fall short. Most people using those methods rarely get to the stage of filtering down to few enough and focused enough criteria, or they leave out aspects of their career that are truly important and impactful. But with the right tools and expert guidance, you will effectively narrow things down to the most fulfilling and nonnegotiable elements.