Now
is a good time to reflect on the past year and recognize your successful and
not so successful moments. Many people experienced a frustrating year, and
they find comfort and understanding in blaming their frustrations on changed
external circumstances.
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Your true source of frustration is not that your circumstances have
changed, but that your ways of thinking have NOT changed. You develop
thinking patterns to deal with a particular set of circumstances. When those
circumstances change, and they always do, then your thinking patterns are no
longer effective.
What old ideas have held you back? Some examples: "If I work hard, I
will get a raise and a promotion." Or, "If I speak to enough
recruiters, and I have the right skills, I will get a good job."
Think about how these ideas have fell apart this year, and recognize that
clinging to them has been a real source of frustration. Instead of waiting
for that raise or promotion to come to you, how can you build an innovative
and compelling case for one? If you are searching for a job, instead of
waiting for your industry to improve, what are new pathways for your skills?
Your possibilities are endless, but your old ideas are your biggest
liability.
So How Can You Turn Old Ideas Into New Ones? Follow These Steps:
1. Acknowledge That You Do Not Know Everything.
Telling yourself that you know everything necessary to improve your
career is a big mistake. No ones knows everything. The more you believe you
do, the longer you will stay where you are. Acknowledging that you don't
know everything is not a sign of weakness. It a sign of strength that comes
from a strong individual that has the courage to tackle an old idea head on.
2. Eliminate Your Old Ideas.
Everyone has beliefs they have formed over a lifetime. Many of your ideas
have served you well. But if you are stuck, and are looking for a solution,
a change of attitude may be your answer. List the old ideas that are
standing in your way. Begin to think about ways to eliminate them.
3. Try Something Again.
Letting go of old ideas may be new to you, so start with something that
is familiar. Sign up for seminar or class you haven't signed up for yet
because you have been telling yourself that you don't have the time. Read
the career book you've been telling yourself you don't need to read because
you already know the information. Most of what you need to know you already
know. Trying something again let's you re-use the information in a different
way, so you can get what you want.
4. Come Up With New Ideas.
If you are no longer defined by your old ideas, then you are free to
create new ideas. You will have the opportunity to become the person you
have always wanted to be. You will be free to think the way you have always
wanted to think. Who do you admire? What are some of their ideas? Make these
ideas your own or create new ones. Since you've created your old ideas, you
can create new ones. You have just been granted a clean slate. Use it to
make a fresh start.
5. Confront Your Fears.
Have your old ideas created a comfortable space for fear? Does the fear
that casually lingers in your old ideas stand in your way? Reclaim the space
that you have created for your fear. Accept that fear does not go away on
it's own. You overcome fear by confronting it. You get past fear by going
thorough it. If you are afraid to pick up the phone or send an e-mail to
someone who can help your career, find the courage. You can do it, I know
you can.
6. Develop A Plan.
Write down what you want and then give yourself a deadline for achieving
it. Goals are reached one step and one day at a time. If you are not taking
action, you are not moving forward. Open your calendar and put down when you
will do what. If you don't have a plan, you will not be successful. Your
plan is the pathway to your future.
7. Get Support.
People frequently do not ask for help with their career because they are
embarrassed or ashamed of their present situation. Even though they say
their career difficulty is not their fault, inside they believe they are to
blame. It's very difficult to obtain a new perspective alone. So, why
continue to try? There are plenty of people who want to help you. Now is the
time to take them up on it.
Hire the coach, counselor, or career mentor you really want to work with.
Why should you go through the hard work and effort alone? Isn't it harder
spending the majority of your time worrying about a career that isn't
working anymore by yourself?
So what do you say? You only have one life to live so it might as well be
a life you love!
-- Deborah Brown-Volkman
is the President of Surpass Your Dreams, a career and mentor coaching
company that has been delivering a message of motivation, success, and
personal fulfillment since 1998. To learn more visit: http://www.surpassyourdreams.com,
or call (516) 432-2440.
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