Tag: design your dream career

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3 Surefire Ways to Arrive at Your Dream Career

Remember the days of heading out on vacation with the large road atlas spread across the dashboard? There was no other way to arrive at your destination. You were lost unless it was a path you had memorized in your head. So how can you expect to arrive at your dream career without a plan as well?

My dad would spend time before our trips reviewing the map and handwriting out directions on a piece of paper. Then he would refer to them often throughout the trip. Depending on time, sometimes we would take the fast route. Other times, we opted for the scenic route. Either way, without those directions, we were lost.

So why do you take something so important and impactful as your career and not do the same thing? Expecting to arrive at your “final destination” without a plan doesn’t sound like a logical plan to me. Much like planning out a vacation, we need to plan out our life roadmap. And a key part of our life is our career. The following three steps are the ones I guide my clients through during the motivation phase of my Design Your Dream Career program.

Step 1 – Explore the Possibilities

The first step is to let your imagination go. Explore all the possibilities available to you. Get past conventional wisdom.

Before writing your possibilities down, take some time to get your mind clear. Visualize the future self you want to see.

Next, create four lists or a mind map with four areas: three months, one year, three years, and your lifetime. Set a timer for five minutes and write down all you want to accomplish regarding your career. Think of this as your wish list for your ideal career path.

Don’t get caught up being realistic or feeling like you have to justify what you are desiring. Write it all down. Ask yourself, if I can be anything, do anything or have anything, what would it be? Studies will tell you that if you write down your dreams, your odds increase by 42% of them actually happening.

Embrace and enjoy this step. How do you want to feel and who do you want to be when you arrive at your dream career? All the obstacles are out of the way. Dream of a future of limitless possibilities.

Step 2 – Prioritize the Key Steps

Now that you are feeling energized and excited for your future, your next step is to establish a plan to arrive at your dream career. This step involves going back to your first step and reviewing all the items you wrote under each area.

Set a timer for one minute. Choose one item in each area that would have the most positive impact on your dream career. Circle those four items in each area. These are your goals. When you are done, you should have one goal you want to accomplish in the next three months. One in the next year, one three years from now, and one that is a lifetime goal.

The lifetime goal might be around an age you want to retire. It might also be  around a monetary level you need to reach to feel comfortable even thinking about retirement. If you are over 40 and have yet to plan out (or dream about) when you want to retire, you are not setting yourself up for success.

Step 3 – Details, Details, Details…

Step three involves getting detailed around each of the goals you have established for yourself in step two. Much like you did in step one, create a mind map, or list, for each goal. List all the items you feel it would take to achieve this goal.

The more detailed you can be here the better. Add specific due dates for each task. Indicate how much, how many, or by when if applicable. Number  the tasks in the order they must be completed, if applicable. And then write these due dates in your calendar. Accountability is key. A weekly check-in is ideal allowing you to adjust accordingly.

Don’t forget to think about what you might need to stay motivated to accomplish this goal. Are there sub-tasks that you can check off along the way to complete the goal? Likely so. Creating sub-tasks allows you to feel a sense of accomplishment and motivation to keep going!

READY?

You’ve mastered the process of identifying your goals, now what do you do? We are down to the last seven weeks of 2020. A new year is right around the corner and many of you are likely starting to craft some lofty goals for 2021. Are you looking to grow your current career? Do you want to explore what else is out there? Are you open to new opportunities but not sure how to get started?

Having a coach, or accountability partner, is key at this stage of the game. If you don’t have someone ensuring you are making headway and accomplishing what you said you wanted to, you will likely stall a bit. Weekly check-ins help hold you accountable. They allow for time to reflect on what worked and what didn’t work. Two minds are way better than one.

So, where do you want to be in six months? What do you want to create in 2021? Reach out and schedule a call. I would love to connect and share more with you about my Design Your Dream Career program. It is for anyone who wants more in their career. Let’s create your roadmap and plan how you will get there. By doing so, you will automatically set yourself up for success!

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Design Your DREAM Career – A FREE Exercise

What Makes You Unique?

How many interviews have you been a part of that start with the tell us a little bit about yourself question? I wish instead they would start with what makes you unique.

After all, that is what they are going to remember – your superpowers and key differentiators. This is what will give you an edge and stand out from the crowd.

To help you answer this routine question, I invite you to take some time for a little self-discovery. In stage one of my 5 stages to Design Your Dream Career, we look at your mindset. We spend time narrowing down your values, assessing your energy, and digging into your personal brand. Think of your personal brand as how you want people to remember you. What is your legacy? Your legacy is what makes you unique.

To help you gain awareness in your uniqueness, I have five areas for you to simmer and journal on.

List your strengths

Start with some self-awareness here and make a list for yourself. A quick google search will lead you to various pages that share lists to choose from. It is also a good idea to ask your family, friends, or colleagues what strengths they admire most in you. See what words continuously come up. Think back on the projects you worked on. What strengths did you bring to the group or activity? Were you the leader or did you like being part of the group? Did you bring energy to the group and keep everyone involved? Examples of strengths include honesty, flexibility, determination, persistence, creativity, discipline, dedication, versatility, patience, and respectfulness.

Now add in your skills

Do you have certain skills you like using more than others? Are any of these a unique skillset? What about combining various skills together? For example, I was a graphic design and I had a marketing background. I also enjoyed writing. Those skills separately were attractive but combining them made me even more valuable. Having emotional intelligence is very critical these days for many employers. Are you able to recognize and manage your emotions and the emotions of others? Examples of skills would include communication (written and verbal), management and leadership, organizational, active listening, technical competency, critical thinking and problem solving, teamwork and collaboration, and professionalism.

Make a list of your interests

Are there topics you enjoy talking or reading about? What area do you want to shine a light on? Maybe you enjoy writing on a certain topic. Sift through your social feeds and note where you feel pulled to stop and either read or watch what has been shared. It is around health or personal development? To help you think deeper here, consider noting your interests in the eight different areas of life. Those are family, fun & enjoyment, spirituality, finances, health, personal development, career, and relationships.

Write your story

I had a coach one-time hand me a piece of graph paper and told me to write down a timeline of my life. Sounded simple until I started it. I found myself wanting to dig into things I had forgotten even more. I was calling my parents asking them about important dates and life events. Once I could see the big picture of my life, so many pieces of the puzzle made sense. Try this and don’t forget to add in your career. Once you have done that look back and see if there are any big themes that come up? Where did you excel and why did it perhaps stop?

What is your expertise

Make a list of the roles and projects you have worked on. What stands out of the ordinary? If there was a particular area, what made you so good? Are you learning anything new? Have you spent time qualifying for a certain profession? Are you investing in on-line learning to further develop your skill set? Remember here to think of yourself outside or work as well. Did you plan a large family reunion? It may not be work related, but I would guess you had to be very detailed, sensitive to various age groups in attendance, and responsible when handling the finances. All those traits and qualities are ones you possess at work and in life.

When you represent what makes you unique – your experiences, your insights, your story – you draw an audience for your unique voice. Once you begin to connect these aspects, you define what sets you apart. Remember, no one has lived your life or had the career you have. Own your superpowers.

If you read this and want to know more, or would like assistance in narrowing down your superpowers, let’s hop on a call and chat. I would love to share with you more about my 5 stages to Design Your Dream Career program. (Use code SAVE400 to get $400 off your package!) It is never too late to begin again.