What's the Ideal Career for Reflectors?

This is a bit of a trick question, since Reflectors are such chameleons that we can literally do any job at all. When someone is asking this question though, more than likely they're looking for answers around what Reflectors are designed to do for work.

The answer might surprise you.

Human Design doesn't differentiate between work you get paid for and other things you do throughout life.

Check Out Your Cross of Incarnation

Your Cross of Incarnation is a great place to look for clues about what your life purpose is, and then it's time for you to do some soul-searching around whether you'll pursue something like this as a business/career path or something outside of the job sphere. Ideally it would be both and I'll show you why that's the most likely avenue.

Your Cross of Incarnation speaks to your purpose and it can be applied to how you interact in your relationships, family life, career, hobbies, health and wellness, and so on. It just takes some creative insights to apply your purpose to these life areas. After all, despite all the hype about "work-life balance", has anyone ever been able to fully detach work from the rest of their life? I doubt it!

My Cross of Incarnation for example, is the Left Angle Cross of Incarnation, which is all about being able to see cycles and patterns of the past, then anticipating how things will play out in the future. When I look back on every job I've had, I always gravitated towards strategic roles that would allow me to oversee and analyze projects, teams, and even the organization as a whole to figure out what's not working and why. Not only did I flex my Reflector muscles in these roles, I was also able to apply my purpose…even if the subject matter didn't make my heart sing.

Sandra Bullock is one of the most famous Reflectors out there, and the fact that she's an actor makes total sense for a Reflector. She literally gets to be someone new every time she works on a film. Talk about a chameleon!

So when you explore the types of work that are best suited for you, keep in mind your Cross of Incarnation but don't lose sight of what you as a Reflector need to thrive.

The "Where", "How", and "Who"

I would argue that HOW you work is likely going to be much more important than what you do for work.

Being the chameleons of Human Design, Reflectors are masters at fitting into whatever role is needed and making the whole team better in the process. While this is a really great quality in an employee, it's still important to make sure the role itself sits well with you.

Does it give you flexibility to work when your energy allows? Some people misinterpret this flexibility and assume it has to be a work from home situation or freelance work you can do in 2-hour chunks whenever you feel like it. Those are great options but they're not the only ones.

Having flexibility in how you work is more about mixing up your work day so you're not pumping out reports for 10 hours straight. It might look like having some meetings scattered between your more intense focused work time, and having space to think through ideas in a quiet spot.

The physical location of where you work and the people you'll be surrounded by are going to be big factors in how you show up.

Let's start with the location. Here we're talking about:
 

• Geography- How do you feel about the part of town your work space is located in? Do you love or hate getting there? Is it in the middle of an industrial area without a single tree nearby?
• Structure type- Cinderblock building with no natural light or an airy office with nice views of outside?
• Personal workspace- Is it an open concept work environment where you'll be surrounded by your colleagues all day or are there ways for you to have quiet, uninterrupted time to focus?

None of these things are better or worse than the other. It totally depends on what sits well with you and your needs, so it's worth considering each factor to see how the job stacks up in terms of its suitability for you at this time.

One common concern around the idea job is how to know what kind of people or workspace you'll be dealing with. Yes, this can be tough if you're apply for jobs and have never set foot in your prospective work place so be prepared to do some extra homework.

If possible, you could:

• Visit the office
• Chat with someone who works there or see if you know anyone who can put you in touch with someone who has worked there before
• Do some online research. If you scope out the company on LinkedIn you'll get a feel for what the people are like. Do they post about how great the company is or highlight awards and achievements? That's a pretty good sign!

Reflectors are designed to go with the flow and show up each day with curiosity about what's to come. This is definitely easier said than done, especially when it comes to what you do for work since it's such a big part of your life.

Using your Cross of Incarnation to understand your purpose can be a great start in terms of what you'd like to be working on. And going through the extra steps to make sure the work environment is a good match will also be helpful.

Finally, be sure to make any work-related decisions using your strategy and authority. This means waiting at least one full lunar cycle before you commit to a new job opportunity.

If you haven't read it already, check out my blog post on Waiting for 28 Days.