If you've been thinking about starting a new career, you may be feeling confused as to where to start. You know you don't want to continue on your current path, but you don't exactly know what new path to take. One very important aspect of reinventing your career is knowing exactly who you are as a person and what you want, not just in your profession, but in your life as a whole. To help you get a grip on who the real “you” is when trying to start over career-wise, let's look at a few exercises you might consider.



Create a Skills/Interests List

One very simple way to start the process of reinvention – and essentially get to know “you” – is by creating a list that notes your skills and interests in relation to what you want career-wise. This list might include any and everything you can think of that relates to work, such as determining whether you work better in a team environment or alone; whether you'd prefer to have a manager who works closely with you, or one who assigns work then leaves you alone; and whether you like the idea of multi-tasking or focusing heavily on one project at a time.

Other factors that you might want to consider when determining how you would like to reinvent your career include thinking about how far from work you would like to live, whether the job offers flex time or sticks to a specific schedule, and how long lunches and breaks should be. Also, it's good to think about what specifically gets you excited about working. Is it the idea of organization, communicating, or initiating ideas and seeing them followed through? Of course you want to take a strong look at your strengths as well, to help you decide what type of career move might work best for you.

Get Feedback from Friends and Family

Another great way to go about reinventing your career – though it may seem a bit unorthodox – is getting feedback from your friends and family regarding what they see you doing. Oftentimes, we get caught in a rut and forget how to look outside of it. However, the people closest to us are always looking at how we can improve our lives, including the types of career we'd really be best suited for.

So if you're really serious about reinventing your career, it's a great idea to get your loved ones involved. Get their feedback on what they think you'd be good at based on their perceptions of your personality and strengths. You might be surprised by the number of great ideas they throw your way – especially if they lead you in a direction you'd dreamed of but never thought you could take on.

In addition to the above suggestions, you might try online self-assessment tests that have you plug in your interests and strengths, then make suggestions on your career options. You never know, between all of these assessment tools, you just might receive the information you need to make the slightest shift in your career that makes the greatest impact in your life.