My career coaching clients tell me all the time, they want to define their passion and define it as specifically as possible so they can then go out there and find the right job. This idea makes sense right? We all want to know what our dream job is. I help them drill down as far as possible in order to figure this out, but what I’ve found over the years of doing this as a career coach is that you also need to know when to stop drilling.

Here’s a client example: My client Bob and I kept drilling down about what he would be excited about in a career. He basically wanted to own a small business that had a positive impact in people in some way. When you look at this statement, it’s pretty vague. We kept trying to figure out and what kind of business he wanted to own. One day I realized we needed to stop doing this; his passion was business and running a business, not necessarily about a certain type of business. Of course, there were certain businesses he said he didn’t want to run – like a sub shop, a dry cleaner, or a business that would harm people or the environment in some way. The point was, that he wanted to own and operate a small business and make it as successful as possible. That was what was fulfilling to him, not what kind of business he was running.

Keep this in mind when you’re trying to clarify your career direction. You have to narrow it down as far as possible, but you also have to know when to stop.