Past DinnerGuest Jane Friedman, an editor at Writer’s Digest, excerpted from Derek Sivers’ “Listen to my music, and let me know what I should do” in her post, “Read My Writing and Tell Me What To Do“.  The snip from Sivers (which I’ve condensed slightly) is relevant for those who are trying to figure out what to do with their lives.  Asking a confidant or a mentor is oftentimes like opening a can of worms.  What should you do with your life?  Well, as Sivers puts it:

The real answer is “it depends … ”

• What are your goals?
• What have you done so far? What’s worked? What hasn’t?
• What is your reaction to criticism or setbacks?
• Are you future-focused or present-focused?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• What are your habits? Are you growing or coasting?
• How do you measure success? Fame? Money? Emotional response?
• What’s your timeline? 1 year? 3 years? 30 years?
• … and 50 other questions that would make this article too long.

It’d take many hours of conversation to get enough information to responsibly tell someone what to do.

So true.  My hope is that the DinnerGrrls.org experience helps people answer, for themselves, all the questions above.  Fuelled with those answers, the path to career bliss just may become that much more obvious.