Alright, so you saw the title, ‘Monthly Career Horoscope Pisces: What’s Your December Look Like?’ Now, I ain’t one for crystal balls, and I certainly don’t claim to predict fortunes, but I gotta tell ya, December has always been a really big one for me. Not because of stars, but because it’s the time I always hit pause and really dig into what I’ve been doing, especially with my work. It’s when I pull out the old pen and paper and just start hashing things out, giving myself my own career “reading,” if you will.
I remember one specific December, quite a few years back now. I was just feeling… stuck. Not necessarily unhappy, but just like I was spinning my wheels, you know? Like I was putting in a lot of effort, but not really going anywhere new. That feeling really started gnawing at me around late November, and by the time December rolled around, it was a full-blown itch. I knew I couldn’t just keep doing the same old thing and expect different results. My gut was telling me it was time for a serious check-in.
So, I decided to treat that December like a personal career retreat, right from my kitchen table. First thing I did was clear out a whole afternoon. I grabbed my beat-up notebook – the one with all the random doodles and crossed-out ideas – and a fresh cup of coffee. I actually started by just writing down everything I’d done that year, work-wise. And I mean everything. Big projects, small tasks, even the stuff that felt like a waste of time. I didn’t filter anything, just dumped it all out onto the page. It filled up a good three pages.
Once I had that long, messy list, I went back through it. I started circling things with different colored pens. Green for stuff I genuinely enjoyed, felt good doing, or learned a lot from. Red for the tasks that drained me, felt like a chore, or seemed utterly pointless. Yellow for the things that were just… neutral, necessary but not exciting. It was a pretty colorful mess by the end, but man, it gave me a visual map of my year. I could literally see where my energy was going and where it wasn’t.
Next, I gave myself a set of questions, almost like a self-interview. Simple stuff, really, but powerful when you’re honest with yourself:
- What did I achieve that I’m actually proud of?
- What challenges did I face, and how did I tackle them? Did I handle them well?
- What new skills did I pick up, even accidentally?
- What conversations did I have that really sparked something in me?
- What felt like a waste of my precious time?
- If I could wave a magic wand, what would my ideal day at work look like?
- What’s one thing I’m afraid to try but secretly want to?
I didn’t rush through these. I’d write down my initial thoughts, then walk away, grab a snack, come back, and write some more. Sometimes I’d argue with myself on the page. It wasn’t about finding the “right” answers, but about getting a clear picture of what was truly going on inside my head and heart regarding my work.
What I realized from all that scribbling and soul-searching was pretty clear. A lot of my “red” tasks were tied to a specific type of work that, while it paid the bills, just didn’t light me up anymore. My “green” tasks? They often involved problem-solving, helping others learn, and creating new things, even small ones. It hit me like a ton of bricks: I needed to shift gears, to actively seek out more of the green and find ways to ditch or delegate the red.
So, what did I do? That very December, armed with my messy notes, I started acting. I didn’t quit my job or anything drastic. Instead:
- I began having more deliberate conversations with my manager, asking for opportunities that aligned with my “green” areas.
- I started carving out an hour each morning, before the real chaos began, to work on a small side project that tapped into those creative, problem-solving skills I enjoyed. It was just for me, at first.
- I actively looked for ways to automate or streamline some of those “red” tasks, even if it meant learning a new little trick or two.
- I reached out to a couple of folks I admired, just for a quick chat, to hear about their paths and how they navigated their own career challenges. No big asks, just listening.
That one December, that intense period of self-reflection and then putting those discoveries into action, completely changed the trajectory of my next few years. That small side project eventually grew into something more significant, opening doors I never expected. The conversations with my manager led to new responsibilities that were far more fulfilling. It wasn’t a sudden, magical transformation, but a gradual, deliberate shift that started with a simple notebook and an honest look at my professional self during that quiet, reflective month.
