That one thing you won't do

I have been doing the same thing for the past 12 years. Well, not exactly the same but work of the same nature, you know what I mean.

Recently, one of my coworkers decided to quit her job and take some time off to figure out what she wants to do in the long run and what it is that she wants to achieve and how she wants to live her life. We sat very close to each other at work but we seldom see or chat with each other. It was until she told me that she is leaving that we had lunch together and chatted. (Sad, I know)

She has taken some time off last year to help out with a very stressful family situation and it was then she sees that she is not happy with work and being single at late thirties just shows the more for her that her life is not going towards the right direction. She was shocked to find out I got married last year and how I kept it so low key. Anyway, after her leave of absence from work, she decided to quit her job and make time to think about what it is that she really wants to do and that would make her happy. It turns out she has no clue and needed some guidance. So her friend introduced her to meet with a Career Counselor which she has to pay and gradually get to the point where she is clear of what it is she wants to do. She has so far only met with the counselor twice but she swears by it that the counselor is a natural genius in her field. She felt quiting her job was the best decision she ever made.

So I asked her how this Career Counseling works? She basically told me she has to answer a bunch of questions like "what is it that you love to do most, even without getting paid", "what is it that you can't stand working on", "what kind of work do you feel most comfortable with regardless of the pay..." etc. So it's basically a bunch of self-assessment questions if you ask me. Really nothing too special. But my coworker friend insisted that it was all those questions when asked systemically that helps her sorted things out. She just has to answer them honestly and the counselor will gather what it is that suits her most based on the discussions. It was the immediate reckoning and feedback she got from the counselor that reaffirms what she already knew subconsiously but had no way to retrieve it otherwise. So I guess as long as the goal of 'knowing yourself better' is met, it is worth going to see a career counselor. But for me, I probably will not go to one, especially now that I knew the whole approach.

So what is it that I like to do even without a paycheck? (learn Japanese, travel, go to cafes, read something...)
What is it that I just won't do regardless of a fat paycheck? (to be on the Fear Factor show, to perform surgeries, to have coffee/lunch/dinner with someone I dislike...)
What is it that I wish I could do but lacks the know-how? (sing, photography, tennis, comingle with a roomful of people ...)

So looks like it's saying I am a natural born loafer/loser?!

Anyway, these are just many of the questions we each need to go through to figure ourselves out, I guess.