Are you still looking for your dream job? Do you go to work each day to a job you enjoy but you feel like you could be doing more?

If your career has stalled or not going in the direction you’d hoped, it’s time you asked yourself “why?”.

There are many reasons why you might not be doing what you really want to do but until you stop and take stock of your situation, you won’t know which is holding you back.

Comfort

This is one of the most common reasons for a stalled career yet it’s one we rarely consider. When you’re in the same job for a while it becomes comfortable. You know it well, you do it well and it’s safe and easy, but safe and easy won’t take you where you want to go.

When you’re comfortable, you don’t feel the need to change, so you’re missing a key stimulus in your career. Usually people only change when they want to achieve something or escape from it. If you know you should move on in your career, but you’re feeling comfortable, start doing small things to take you out of your comfort zone. Some ways you can do this is by;

• Putting your hand up for a challenge.
• Participating in some training.
• Volunteering your help in an area that will help boost your skills.

Fear

Building a career is not for the faint-hearted. It takes courage to take the next step; to take a risk that you might fail at something. Fear holds many people back from their ideal career. If fear is your enemy, work on changing your mindset. Failing can be good for you. It’s a learning experience, but it also exposes you to new situations where you may discover more about yourself and your own abilities.

Making a career change or finding a new job might fill you with fear, but as Susan Jeffers says, “Feel the fear and do it anyway.” Take a chance. It could very well take you a step closer to your ideal career.

Looking for more ways to build your courage. Take a look at my video below on ways you can overcome fear and build your confidence.

No specialisation

It’s fantastic to be highly skilled and very capable, but what are you known for?

Careers are made on reputations. You might be known as the handy person who can do it all, but that’s not enough for a real career. The higher you go; the more specialisation is often required. You will be expected to have acquired skills in a specific area. What is your main area of interest in your job? What would you like to be known for? Will that take you closer to achieving the perfect career for you?

Identify the skills you have and those you need to boost, and become known for those. That’s a big step closer to winning your next job.

Lack of vision

Here’s the big question.

Do you know where you want to go?

It’s great to have a dream. Perhaps you want to be an CEO of a non-profit group, but do you know how to get there?

There’s a huge difference between having a dream and having a vision. A dream is an abstract fantasy, while a vision is crystal clear. You can see your destination, and that makes it much easier to work out a path to get there.

If you have the feeling there’s a better career out there for you, stop and take the time to become specific with it.

• What will you be doing?
• Who will you be working with?
• What type of organisation might it be?
• What culture would you thrive in?
• Which group in society might you be helping?

Get some details down and start seeing a clear road ahead.

If you need help to clearly articulate your goals, or to start moving away from a job that pleases others, towards a job that pleases you, download our whitepaper on “The Curse Of Capability.” It’s free and it’s packed full of ideas and strategies you can use to get your career going the right way.