Setting Career Goals – How our thinking affects our action
Many of you know of my weight loss journey, and despite numerous set backs I succeeded in losing 10 ½ stone in weight. But, as with so many others, I put weight back on. It drifted up and then I lost a few pounds but the overall direction was up and by May this year I’d gained just over 2 stone.
This may not be a career goal, but when I was morbidly obese it did affect my career. I often think when I didn’t get a consultancy assignment that my excess weight played a part. People make judgements over peoples size, and whilst I was never slow and lazy, they may have thought that.
I’ve now taken myself in hand. Lost over a stone (18 pounds today) and I’m well on my way to regaining my ‘fighting weight’, I wrote about this on my Fat 2 Fantastic blog.
Of course I have now changed what I eat, and stopped the treats – ½ bottle of wine because I’ve had a hard day, a magnum or two because I’m worth it, chocolates and ice cream at the cinema …
But it’s also what goes on in my head. And although as a psychologist I know about the effect of our thinking on behavior that doesn’t mean that I do what I know and to achieve a career goal we need to use all our resources.
Let’s see how what I’ve learned and I’m doing can help you.
What career goal do you want to achieve?
Whether it is to get a new job, manage the stress of your current job, achieve a good pass mark in a course, find the time to learn something new – we need to have a goal in mind.
So what is it that you want to achieve?
Do you have a long term career goal that could take a long time or is it something you could achieve in just a few weeks such as deciding which course you could start in September to achieve a career goal.
You know a goal has to be SMARTER, to be specific, measurable, acceptable, realistic, time bound, exciting and recorded. So the first step is to be very clear on what it is that you do want. What is your career goal?
But this can be a bit of a dry exercise, you have probably tried this so many times … this time I want you to really visualize the goal you want to achieve.
Visualize your career goal
I want you to make this goal vivid … to see yourself successful in what you want to achieve.
For some people it can help to create an image of this career goal, to see you successfully achieving your career goal or whatever you want to achieve. You may like to start gathering images of what you want, how you will look, and the changes it will make in your life.
Create a picture of where you are now, and what will happen if you don’t change
The second step is to think about where we are now, and the more you can visualize this image the better.
I’d previously lost weight and gone from 22 ½ stone to 16 stone, but then regained and reached 18 stone 13, that was when I said ‘enough’ and I had a very clear picture of my future, probably in a wheel chair with weight related illnesses and certainly an early death. This image helped me to reach my weight loss goal.
If you are unhappy in your job, what will life be like if you don’t make a change and achieve your career goal?
What impact will this have on your life, your relationships, your health?
Make this image very vivid, it helps to then think back to this future state of you don’t make a change to help achieve a career goal.
The more vivid the picture the easier you will find moving away from the now.
Now is the time to set the SMARTER goal
And you will find it much easier as you are clearer on the now and the future.
So this is todays task.
Are you up for it?
Are you going to take action?
This is also going out to nearly 3,000 people on my newsletter list.
Are you happy in your job? Is there something you would like to change?
I want to be helpful, and I’d like to get a discussion going on my FaceBook page.
https://www.facebook.com/amazingpeopleUK
So as you take action let us know and get the support of others.
And if you get stuck or have a question, let me know via FaceBook (or on this blog if you don’t have a Facebook account)
What resources will help you achieve your career goal?
We have our inner resources, we also have a network of family and friends.
We then have the wider network of other people in this Amazing People community. So if you get stuck or have a question, let me know via FaceBook (or my blog if you don’t have a Facebook account)
Take action to achieve your career goal
Step 1 – Be very clear on what you want to achieve. (FUTURE CAREER GOAL)
Step 2 – Paint a vivid picture of what life is like now. (CURRENT REALITY)
Step 3 – identify some steps that you need to take to get you from your current reality to your future career goal. (BRIDGING THE GAP)
There is a lot more I can share, but I’ll wait and post that in a couple of days.
Enjoy the process and I look forward to your comments on FaceBook. Let’s get a discussion going.
Brought to you by Denise Taylor, award winning career coach with Amazing People and author of 7 books including How To Get A Job In A Recession, and Now You’ve Been Shortlisted. Meet me on FaceBook at – https://www.facebook.com/amazingpeopleUK and let’s talk about your career goals in life.
