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Once a quarter, I take each team member to lunch to talk about "stuff". The discussion usually starts with work, but I always take the time to discuss career choices and growth in general. It sounds stuffy, but the conversation isn't about five year plans, or goals and objectives, its about digging. We do a little excavation, looking for that "one thing".

Now if you've seen City Slickers, you'll know I'm blatantly referencing Curly's response to Mitch's question about the meaning of life. I'm not sure you can boil the meaning of life into "one thing", but I do believe that you can trace your happiness in a career path to a singular defining theme.

There is a constant in the work we all choose to do, and that constant is what drives us to get up and go to work every day (and its not a paycheck, that's a cop-out). The trick is to do some honest soul searching and discover what that one constant is. For some its family, for others its making people laugh. For me, I enjoy creating things for other people to experience. The constant is always simple, and always strikes true as an answer to "Why do you do what you do?".

If you can discover that singular theme, then I would bet you can look back through your career path and clearly see how that theme ties together most of the job choices you've made. In my career you can see the choices from my degree as a film major, to creative services in radio, and ultimately web design/development, all tie into my constant: creating things for other people to experience and enjoy. More importantly, it can make the path forward a lot clearer.

Knowing that constant allows you to look at your career path with a broader lens. A broader view can allow you to see opportunities that may not be directly in front of you. It also allows you to look forward and see if your current job is still on your path, or if its time to move on. Always take a little time to question yourself:

• Are you still growing the knowledge or skill-set you need?
• Are you gaining the experience you need?
• Are you still happy?

Again, be honest. Be true to yourself and your constant. Its easy to get trapped by money or status, but veering away from your constant to chase the wrong opportunities will probably prove unsatisfying.

Today's world is unforgiving to those who don't own their own career path, so take charge.

Find that one thing.