Wednesday, January 12, 2022

Amp up Your Career

Whether you want to make a bold career move into a new field, or move forward in your current field, there are a few things you can do to improve your prospects.

Guide Magazine

Are you letting fear prevent you from becoming more successful at work? Is your inner voice blocking you needlessly? Are you taking advantage of workplace relationships, training, and incentives available to you, or are you stuck in your comfort zone? If you want more from your work and career, don’t hold yourself back.

10 Tips to Take Your Career to the Next Level

1. Talk back to your inner critic. You might think that being hard on yourself is a good thing, but excessive self-criticism decreases your motivation and increases procrastination. You are afraid to fail so you avoid trying. Give your unhelpful inner critic a name so you can separate yourself from it. When your inner critic starts to browbeat you, assess your thoughts and try to break those thought patterns.

2. Confront your fear. Rather than stewing in a cloud of fear, name exactly what you are afraid of, and then consider how this fear may be overblown and is holding you back. Switch your what ifs from bad to good. Instead of what if I fail, think what if I succeed?

3. Be open to new ideas. Curiosity allows you to explore new ideas and relationships. This can help you expand your career horizons.

4. Be okay with failing sometimes. Mistakes can present learning opportunities if you let them. And most failures are not catastrophic. You can learn and move on. Remember, doing nothing is still a decision. If you do nothing, your career will stagnate and you will fall behind the market.

5. Build relationships. You might be an introvert, but relationships are key to succeeding in your current job or pivoting to a new one. Make a conscious effort to meet new people and build on your current relationships. Find mentors or trusted advisors who you can talk to and learn from.

6. Invest in you. Take the time to learn new things. You might think that you don’t have time, but we all make time for things we prioritize. Look at how you spend your time, and try to give yourself time to increase your knowledge and skills. Make sure to take advantage of company-provided training programs.

7. Stretch your comfort zone. You can’t grow if you don’t try new things. Do something that scares you—ask for more responsibility or learn a new skill. It’s the only way to progress.

8. Be willing to pivot. Be willing to move slightly off the traditional career path so that you can learn new skills that are complementary to your desired future job.

9. Set goals, including small ones. Develop a plan to achieve them and set deadlines. After achieving the goal or reaching the deadline, assess. What went well and what could you improve on?

10. Expand your definition of success. You need to strive for and acknowledge small wins, not just the big ones. Overcoming a specific fear is a win. Taking that first step in reaching a goal is a win. Building a new relationship is a win. As you acknowledge and celebrate these wins, you begin to shift your mindset from all-or-nothing thinking and are more able to overcome fear and move forward.

Sources: forbes.com, Harvard Business Review, themuse.com

Amp up Your Career

10 Tips to Take Your Career to the Next Level

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