Monday, November 7, 2011

Getting Tough with Your Career

Recently while surfing for the perfect television show to fall asleep to, my wife happened upon a program where a group of single young women are forced to get tough with the reasons why they do not have the mate they so desperately crave. The program caught my attention because of the brash, in-your-face style the host used to get to the heart of what was holding the women back.

The idea of getting tough stuck with me because we often give ourselves a lot of leeway when it comes to careers. We make excuses for ourselves or choices that are safe instead of inspiring. When was the last time you were tough on your career? Assess how your career stacks up in the following areas:

Goals: Your professional goals provide a roadmap to a work life filled with satisfaction and fulfillment, and the momentum that goals create can propel your career to places that it has never been. What kind of goals are you creating for yourself?

Accomplishments: Similar to goals, how do you assess what you have accomplished at work? Have you simply done what is expected of you or what fits in your job description, or have you gone beyond that? What projects or teams have you contributed to, what have been your contributions, and how have those contributions made things better? Assess your accomplishments to determine their worth to your career, and adjust if necessary.

Relationships: In your career you likely have relationships with many people. What is the quality of those relationships, and which ones contribute to your career growth? Perhaps it is time to find a mentor to aid in your career growth.

It has been said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. By getting tough on your career, you can break patterns that simply aren't helpful and focus on areas that are going to get you to a place where you are most productive, satisfied, and fulfilled.

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