There’s nothing like a little extra positivity in your life to make starting a New Year off by setting and reaching new goals seem more possible. While inspirational sentiments can help motivate you, they won’t be enough to sustain the energy, clarity of purpose and the distance across the next 365 days. So, what to do when we’ve reached a plateau and need/want new career goals?
Everyone knows there is little to no control over sweeping global events like a Pandemic but, there is still value in setting goals and working toward them. As social psychologist Heidi Grant states in a recent Harvard Business Review article, “to engage our motivational systems and direct our brain’s energy to the right actions (both consciously and below our awareness), we need to have a clear sense of where we are, where we’re going, and whether we’re closing the gap between the two at the right rate. Two unfortunate consequences of not establishing goals are we make bad choices and miss opportunities to act.”
Here are some helpful tips as you consider creating new career goals.
Focus on your ACTION! Surely there are lots of things we don’t control at the job that may have an impact on rising from our current role, but they don’t inhibit your ability to initiate some new tactic, call former clients, support a struggling colleague, or even provide assistance to the manager on an unrelated project.
Keep your eyes on the prize GROWTH! Think about your future - it’s how you want to improve, what you yearn to become and how you want to develop. What skills and abilities do you need to master?
Control work-life BALANCE! Life has its own ups and downs - you may be trying to achieve an unrealistic vision of work-life balance Take a time-out to either adjust your goals to handle personal/ family situations or can you develop some personal adjustments to accommodate your career goals.
Be brave and say YES! Be ready for the unexpected as you work toward your career goals and listen to opportunities even if they were not a prior consideration. Say yes and explore situations as you are a sum total of life’s experiences.
Big goals require small steps! Identify the small goals you need to master as you work to achieve your big goal. Do you need additional education, a certification or other expertise? Solidify what might be deterring your success.
Core values are sacred! We all have core values that we live by but there are times when we are tested and consider bending. It could be an opportunity that requires more travel, or situations that require a full relocation for the family - know where you need to draw the line so that the optimal family/work experience is doable without impacting your success.
These may feel like teasers - so feel free to reach out for a free 15-minute consultation. Contact us today.
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