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Creating Change in Your Career
By Howard Sambol
Career Craft
Most people say that they want some things to change in their
lives. However, how many people are successful in actually bringing
about significant and lasting change? In this article, I will provide
you with the key principles and tools that allow you to bring about
the changes you desire.
What is it that you want most? A better, more satisfying job or
career? Increased income? More time to spend with your family,
to do the things you love and enjoy? Time to travel? Time to study
or learn something new, build a business of your own? Perhaps the
time for creative pursuits, doing what you really love? Whatever
your desires or goals are, there is a good chance statistically
that your dreams will not become a reality. The unfortunate truth
is that most people continue doing the same things in the same
way year after year hoping things will somehow change.
I am not saying these things to be negative or discouraging but
rather to take a realistic view as to what you need to do to create
desired changes in your life. To get a handle on this, let us take
a look at highly successful people who are achieving their desired
goals and living the life they want. What is it that these people
tend to do to achieve their goals?
First, they become absolutely clear about what they want. They
look closely at their desires and values. They create an aligned
sense of purpose with themselves. They create a consistency between
what they feel inside themselves and their concrete desired outcome.
They take the time to really FEEL emotionally connected to what
they want. Whether they realize it or not, they are creating an
inevitability about achieving success by virtue of the clarity
and commitment they have. Whether you know this now, you can learn
to create this kind of clarity and alignment for yourself.
Second, they create a timeframe in which they
want these goals to be achieved. They do not leave this to chance
saying "I
hope it happens by next Spring". Rather, they make a promise
to themselves as to when it will occur even if (and this is the
key) they don't initially know how they're going to do it.
Third, they create a plan which serves as a
roadmap. The plan also breaks down the result into small manageable
steps. As each step is completed, they feel a sense of accomplishment
and increased confidence which fuels their forward movement.
At Career Crafting, we call this the Confidence-Success Spiral.
I'm sure you've experienced this feeling of "being on a roll" at
some point in your life but did you know that you can create
this experience deliberately and intentionally?
Fourth, they start taking action. This may sound obvious at first,
but consider how many people mull over their ideas forever and
sometimes never actually get started. It is always the people who
can overcome inertia and take action that gets results. It is natural
to feel a little scared entering uncharted territory, but remember
that an object in motion is far easier to steer than something
standing still! Once you are moving, you can make adjustments.
Fifth, the successful person has some structure for the process.
Rather than approaching the journey in a haphazard or fragmented
way they work on their project at regular intervals like every
Saturday afternoon or Wednesday evening. There is some degree of
consistency in their actions. Otherwise, there is always the possibility
(even a likelihood) of getting distracted.
Sixth, they have support in their life. They do not pursue their
goals in a vacuum. There is at least someone they have to give
them feedback, encouragement and ideas, to keep them on track.
Sometimes this takes the form of coaching or working with a mentor.
In recent months, there have been a lot of articles in the media
about coaching and the impact it has had on people's lives. Coaching
does many things. It keeps you focused, productive and aware. It
provides the emotional support, an effective strategy and the tools
to generate the contacts, the marketing, the job offers and the
clients or customers for your product.
Seventh, to accomplish their goals, they use one or more toolkits
with a proven track record of results. The tools they choose will
depend on the goals and the nature of the tasks ahead. If their
desire is to change careers they would seek the best tools for
this task. Career Crafting is one such toolkit. There are also
toolkits for changing limiting beliefs and altering your perceptions
of yourself and the world around you. There are tools for mastering
the art of communication and presentation so your relationships
are more effective. Doors open. Opportunities are created but not
by accident.
Lastly, the successful person recognizes that
each goal or desire in life generates a process. This process
will be exhilarating at times and uncomfortable at other times.
The discomfort is the result of stretching or expanding and becoming
more of who you are, more of your full potential. Of course,
there is always the temptation to go away, to give up when the
going gets tough, or to just distract yourself with other tasks
that seem more critical, more urgent at the time. Perhaps you
say to yourself "I'll
get back to my project later when I have more time." Recognizing
your own patterns of self sabotage is the beginning of true mastery.
There are obstacles on every path. By accepting this you can learn
to use each obstacle or challenge as an opportunity to discover
something new, to harness a new resource. By seeing life and success
from this perspective, a context for learning is created which,
in and of itself, is a powerful and compelling motivator for change.
These eight steps to successful change occur every day for many
people. While many people give up quickly on their goals and dreams,
there are others that remain committed and tenacious. Of course
they fall off their bicycles from time to time because they take
risks. However, they get back on again. They are the type of people
we work with at Career Crafting.
Are you ready to discover what you truly love, what you really
want to do with your life? Are you ready to live your life purposefully
and passionately and experience the fulfillment you've always wanted?
Whenever you are, we are here to support you, to be your committed
partner in your journey. We've done this with thousands of people
over 20 years and we can do it with you too.
To get you started on your journey of change and fulfillment in
your life, I've created a series of provocative questions for you
to answer. I recommend that you answer the questions below as honestly
and completely as you can. Your answers will tell you where you
are and will also point to the next and most appropriate steps
for you.
EXERCISE: ARE YOU READY FOR A CHANGE?
Allow yourself sufficient time and space so you will not be interrupted
while engaged in this exercise. Answer the questions below as
completely and honestly as you can. Notice your feelings and
reactions as you answer the questions. Jot them down. After you
have answered all of the questions, write down any discoveries
you've had from doing this exercise. Then, save the questions
along with your answers and discoveries to your computer hard
disk for future reference. You will find that this exercise will
continue to be useful in different situations and projects.
1. What do you really want at this point in your life
2. What areas of your life would you like to change?
3. What are your most pressing concerns or fears about making these
changes?
4. What steps have you taken to create this change up until now?
5. How have these steps helped you?
6. What do you feel is still fundamentally missing?
7. What do you feel are the factors within yourself that might
be stopping you?
8. Do you have clearly defined goals? If so, what are they?
9. What is your timeframe for achieving your goals?
10. Would you say that you are ready to take action on what you
really want?
11. Do you have a strategy for creating the desired changes or
pursuing your goal?
12. If so, what is your strategy?
13. What is your plan for implementing changes?
14. Are you truly committed to creating these changes?
15. Are you willing to receive support from others in this process?
16. Do you feel you have the support you need to make your desired
changes?
17. Who do you consider most supportive of you in your change process?
18. Who in your life is not supportive of the changes you wish
to make?
19. What are your most frequent worries or fears about making the
changes you want?
20. How might you overcome them?
21. What tools will you utilize?
22. What resources (internal and external) do you have available
that you can use?
23. Are you willing to experience the process of change which may
include some discomfort?
24. How has the above article Creating Change influenced your view
of the change process?
25. What discoveries did you make as a result of reading the above
article and doing this exercise?
26. What actions will you now take to create the change you desire?
27. If you could have any kind of support in your life right now,
what would it be?
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