The road to success is not easy and it most definitely isn't a comfortable.
You are the only person that can move your career forward. It is not a simple task but the reward is the feeling of achievement and control. If you're not already the driver of your career, it's time to step up. To develop your career, you have to own it. Plus, imagine the potential within you that haven't yet tapped in to. The road to success is not easy and it most definitely isn't a comfortable.
Successful people are great navigators, make thoughtful decisions, take risks, and are comfortable with being uncomfortable. They are bold, self-aware, resilient, and they rely heavily on their intuition. If you're ready to be the driver of your career, you'll need to get your tools ready, practice self-awareness, be brave, establish a network of support, believe in your self, trust your gut and know your value. You need to know who you are and where you want to go. Most importantly, you have to be ready to accept the falls as defining moments, dust yourself off and move forward.
After feeling stuck in your career for a while, there is a point and time at which people give up, feel discouraged, become complacent and stop going for what they want. They lose their drive and live their life day to day, not liking their career, some even wait for some sort of miracle. Some put it in God's hands, with the expectation that God can carry you through the recruitment process. When and why we stop trying is not always clear but the end result is a lack of drive that is usually demonstrated by lack of energy or willpower. I've met many people who've said, "I've been in this job forever and I haven't moved. The first two questions that come to mind when I hear this is "why the hell have you been in this job forever" and "what have you done to create opportunities for yourself?"
Luck is a factor in success but we can't depend on it. For example, a "shoulder-tap" is one someone identifies you as the "perfect fit" and offers you the job are quite rare for many of us. This is especially true for Black, Indigenous and people of color. Moving your career forward involves finding a job you like, applying for it, and if you're screened in as a candidate, you're then invited to an interview for the position. You do well in the interview, you may just get the job. It's a real process, sometimes a long, sometimes complex but in most cases it is worth it to go through the full recruitment process rather than accepting a shoulder-tap. Throughout that process, you're going to need to practice your patience. You're also going to have to be ready to navigate through and around the barriers that are embedded in the recruitment process.
There are many systemic barriers and other factors that come in to play, like individuals that may stand in your way. But it will not serve you well to focus on the barriers, it is in your best interest to focus on the control that you actually have. For example, I do not have the power to remove systemic barriers or force leaders to see my value but I do have the power to identify the barriers and encourage the deletion of their existence. I can also choose to be selective in my job search with a focus on finding inclusive leaders who can see my value and appreciate the diversity I bring to the table. But until the barriers and biases disappear, I will have to let those with the real power focus on their work to removing the barrier. Until their work is done, I have to continue to navigate my career through and around those barriers using my drive and confidence.
We will all go through a phase where we will feel discouraged and will want to give up but you must not let it last. It's okay to feel lazy or to feel a little less motivated for a moment but there better be a time limit on this phase if you want to move your career forward. If you feel stuck, it's time to get up, dust yourself off, and start moving forward. Here are 5 things you can do to start moving your career forward today.
1. Your Career Toolbox
It's pretty simple, you will need three important tools in your career toolbox to support your career aspirations. Your brand, your elevator speech and a solid resume.
Brand
This who you are and who you are not and very clear. It is closely aligned with your reputation if take the time to work on it. It is where you ant to fit in, your niche area of expertise as indicated in the Five Tips to Branding Yourself. Listen to how people describe you when they introduce you. Make note of positive feedback you've received from clients, colleagues, and people you lead. I have been described as an inspirational and motivational leader who inspires you to believe in yourself and soar.
Elevator Speech
A 30 second pitch that tells people who you are as a professional and what you are known for. It's your unique brand message that outlines who you are and what you bring to the table. You can even through in a major achievement. You will need this pitch for opportunities where there is limited time with individuals you want to leave a lasting impression on. It is a quick advertisement of who you are and if it's done right, you won't be forgotten.
Resume
You are not serious about driving your career if you don't have a current resume that is ready for sharing. My advice is to refrain from reaching out for career chats or career coaching without a solid resume. There is endless amounts of information out there on resume writing and thousands of templates that can be easily found searching the web. Glassdoor walks you through the Perfect Resume with explanations of the various components and why they should be included. Do the research and with practice, you'll become the best resume writer you ever met. If you find it way too intimidating, you could also consider using a professional resume writer.
Get your resume ready and if you already have a resume and it doesn't seem to be working for you, update it, enhance it, take it to the next level. Your resume is an essential tool if you are hoping to advance your career.
2. Ongoing self-evaluation
I believe ongoing self-evaluation is significant to building your drive and motivation. You have to ask yourself why you're not motivated. Remember, you can't be successful if your not driven to succeed. No motion means no promotion. Taking responsibility for your career is owning your career. This involves ongoing self-evaluation and self-awareness. How are you presenting yourself? Is there negative self talk hampering your ability to drive your career forward? Have you been making connections with the right people? Have you asked someone who you trust, for real feedback? How do you handle feedback?
3. Set Goals and Establish a Plan
Setting goals gives you something to work towards and something to look forward to. Life becomes interesting when you have goals, especially when you take them seriously and how well you stick to them. The sense of achievement you feel when you reach your goals motivates you to set and achieve more goals. Achieving your goals also confirms that you have the ability to do anything that you put your mind to.
Tip: A good trick to setting goals is to work back from the desired outcome all the way to the first required step. For example, if your goal is to become a lawyer, the next step working backwards is what is the step you need to achieve right before becoming a lawyer - an opportunity to practice. It helps you to create a critical path to where you want to go. Work your plan right back to where you are now and you'll be able to set key milestones that will connect you to the finish line.
4. Establish a Passion Project
A Passion Project is what I would describe as a side gig that invigorates you, something you get real satisfaction from. In some cases, it even provides additional income. It's a know fact that the ideal career is the one where you do what you love. But the reality for most of us is that we're going to have to do the job that keeps the roof over our head and food in our mouths.
This has led me to believe that the key to my career is to work to live, not live to work. For example, there are many people I know with jobs that they kind of like doing but not love. However, after work they use their income to enjoy their lives and to do the things they love doing. They spend their off work hours as life and sports coaches, bloggers/vloggers, travel agents, running marathons, jewelers, and some are even circus members. They work to enjoy the life they live after work.
As long as your day job pays you what it should and gives you a sense of belonging, it can be used to help you enjoy other aspects of your life. Your job does not have to be where your passion lies but it can help you live out your passion.
5. Be Confident
Losing your drive does not have to be permanent. You can get it back. There are things you can do to boost your drive and get you further down the road of success. Confidence is something that you are, something that you exude and most importantly, you can fake it till you make it. Exuding confidence does not necessarily mean that you feel 100% but it does make it seem like you do. Confidence is a quality that recruiters are looking for in candidates. They want to believe that you can do the job and it is your job to make them believe it. The phrase I use to describe it is "chest out"! Speak assertively about your achievements and they will sound even more progressive than they actually were. Humans feed off of peoples confidence so if you want the job, speak about your achievements as if they were inventions of the greatest things.
6. Be Brave
This is when you have to tell yourself that you just don't have any time to be scared. Bob Marley said, "My fear is my only courage". You're in the drivers seat of your career. Imagine if you're driving a car and every time you feel nervous, you pump the breaks? You will not get anywhere. You have to continue to move forward through your fears. Use your fear to ignite and energize you.
I am definitely not an expert on anxiety and fear but here's the approach that has worked for me. Being scared or nervous is a decision, a choice you make right before you do something uncomfortable. There's a moment when you literally tell yourself, "I'm nervous". That's when your armpits and palms start sweating, you feel like you're going to be sick, and you wish you could run away. I believe you can control this feeling, you can control your fear. I also believe that you can stop the anxiety if you catch it as soon as you start to feel it happen. I'm referring to the exact point in time when you tell yourself, "I'm not nervous" and make yourself believe it.
Right before I'm about to deliver a key note speech or run a consultation session, I tell myself, "I know I'm ready for this moment". I've prepared and I've practiced. Tip: Practice makes perfect and lack of preparation and practice results in failure. I know that I have done the necessary work so I can walk in to a room and tell myself, "I'm ready to tell these people what I know that they need to know". I'm about to walk out there and show them.
It is on you to drive your career and yes, it takes a lot of work but putting the work is the only way you will be successful. To stay driven and motivated, you're going to have to practice self-awareness, be brave, be confident, and make the effort to know yourself. Remember establishing a plan and setting goals will help you stay focused. Go forth and conquer, face your fears, go against your norm and take chances. If you fall, pick yourself up, dust yourself off and remember, do what works for YOU!
Until next time...
Wendy
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