Last night, I attended an industry event honoring one of my clients. It was energizing in a way I never thought I’d describe a night spent away from my family, with competitive platform reps, banquet chicken, and cash bars. But the live speeches! Standing ovations! Small talk and lingering goodbyes! I was in my professional happy place.

And then the icing on the cake: the honoree gave career advice that was so thought-provoking that I paused to physically take note.

She told the story of her winding career following an impromptu move to the bay area, applying to a job that she knew nothing about other than it “sounded like a good fit for a creative,” being rejected and then bumped by HR to a different role that sounded “pretty cool, too” to her 22 year old self, and then an illustrious career with long stints in the employment of a handful of globally-recognized brand names. She never chased a specific role or level or scope, but nevertheless accrued an amazing reputation (see: ballroom filled with adoring fans) for her work, her working style, and her impact in the community. She explained some of this by following her passions while remaining authentic to herself, but also by tapping directly into the people around her with the following questions:

1. What do you come to me for?
2. When have you seen me happiest?
3. What am I better at than my peers?

As someone who is a firm believer in the Strengths Finder philosophy, I found this suggestion useful, actionable, and very likely to yield illuminating results. Rather than feel that you need to all of the introspection alone, you can lean on the perspectives of people who can vouch more objectively for how you actually show up in terms of performance and strengths.

So there you have it. A new perspective on how to scope my next career moves, and the realization that I grossly underestimated the cost of a cash bar in a big city. Not bad for life lessons on a Thursday night.