Asking Yourself These Seven Questions Lead to a Better Next Career Step.

One of the more honest and helpful conversations I listened to in the career space lately comes from the Find Your Dream Job podcast with guest Dalan Vanterpool. He offers five deceptively simple questions for people who feel stuck: what do you believe, what problem do you want to solve, who do you want to serve, how do you want to deliver that solution, and how do you want to live.

Simple on the surface, but not easy if you take them seriously. At Career Gems, we like this framing because it moves you away from the paralyzing question - “What do I do with my life?” - and toward something more grounded: “What is my most valuable, meaningful, and practical next step?” That shift alone tends to lower the temperature and increase the odds you’ll actually do something about it.

Start with what you believe. This can be tough because it might look different than the polished version you’d put on LinkedIn. Go a few levels deeper into stuff that actually drives your decisions (and sometimes quietly limits them). This could take the form of, “I believe people are basically good.” Or maybe you believe something more specific, perhaps tied to a macro events or the economy like: “I believe everyone should have access to affordable housing.” Keep digging until you reach something you know without a doubt to be true.

You might also run into some limiting beliefs (hint: they don’t appear as limiting beliefs). These might be something like,

• “I need a passion before I can choose a path”

• “Networking is fake and not for me”

• “I’m not qualified for roles like that”

• “I just need to work harder and things will improve”

• “I don’t have enough experience to pivot – and it’s too late to start over”

• “Once I land the right job, I’ll feel better”

  
  

Next, move to the problem-solving question: not a vague interest, but something you’d be willing to think about, talk about, and work on when no one’s watching. This is where most people miss. They chase roles instead of problems. Reverse that – if you believe X, what is a problem or major challenge you would find purpose in helping to solve that will keep you in line with your beliefs and values?

From there, get specific about who you want to serve. “People” isn’t an answer. Which people? What do they need? In what context? Really, we’re trying to aim for a niche here: “I want to help medical patients overcome financial instability after a major surgery.”

Then pressure-test how you want to show up: full-time role, side project, writing, building, advising. There are more ways to contribute than a job description suggests. And finally, be honest about how you want to live. Not in theory -I n logistics. Compensation, location, flexibility, energy.

Work-life balance is essentially a myth, so think about what tradeoffs you’re willing to make in order to keep your beliefs and values intact and tackle your intended problem/challenge statement. We should note that tradeoffs – like accepting longer work hours for an assurance of being more integrated with your intended audience - are not a failure of planning; they’re the point.

We’d add two more questions that tend to separate thinking from doing. First: how will you know if you’ve been successful? Most people never define this, which makes it very easy to feel behind all the time.

Second: how will you celebrate progress- and who comes with you? Careers built in isolation are usually brittle. The goal isn’t to answer all seven questions perfectly. It’s to answer them well enough to act. And it’s OK if things come out of order – progress is rarely linear. In a world full of instant answers and polished advice, the real edge is still the same: pausing long enough to think clearly, and then moving before you feel completely ready.