This is a topic that I have been talking about a lot recently in the Athena Coaching monthly insights. Often we enter a career path not knowing where we are going to end up. Sometimes we don’t even know what our options are when we begin, or even, where our true passion lies.
But imagine if you knew the answers and could plan well in advance, picking up skills and developing your experience as you go.
Well you can!
Often called career by design, it is certainly possible that you can plot out a path that points you in a direction you wish to go and fulfils exactly what you enjoy. Here are some tips on how you can start to design your career.
What are you passionate about?
Your career options may have altered many times since you set foot in the workplace. You may have started out doing something different and merged onto your current path. However, there comes a time in the mid-stage of your career where you need to take a good look at where you are, what you are doing and decide whether this is truly the career for you.
Ask yourself: do you see it as a rewarding career option or is it purely just a job on the way to where you want to go?
Where do your passions lie?
Once you understand where you are regarding your career, you can make changes to ensure that you are working towards something you love doing. If you are fortunate to already be employed in a career you are passionate about, you can then look to develop your skills and make yourself an even more invaluable member of your team.
Ideas to enable you to follow your true career choice
- Seek out positions where you can pick up more skills and responsibilities. Stepping outside of your comfort zone is a great way to show your initiative. You might be surprised at what you learn about yourself along the way.
- Sign up for a course, whether it be on leadership or something else to expand your knowledge. It is never too late to learn.
- Find a mentor or coach who is working in your current desired role and learn from their wide scope of knowledge and experience. How did they get to their current position? Learning from someone’s mistakes is often easier than making your own.
- Try some volunteering. Sometimes the only way you can get the necessary experience is to volunteer for a non-profit group as the experience you seek may not be available with your current employee. Experience in any form can be helpful. Volunteering is a great way to help others as well as yourself.
Sometimes the paths we end up on aren’t the right ones for us. Acknowledging this situation is a huge part of moving forward.
Have you taken the time to think about where you are now and where you are heading? Think of your current situation as a crossroad; which choice would you make? Are you contributing things to a business or your life that you will be proud of in years to come?
It is so easy to get consumed by the day to day activities with family and financial responsibilities, that we don’t take the time to assess if we are even close to where we want to be.
Think of this as your reminder!
December is the perfect time to design your life and plan to live the life you love so if you are reading this then take the time and join my free online coaching program to Set Yourself Up For Success. By the end of the course you will have everything you need set in place to go in the direction of doing everything you love and are passionate about.
