Today, I have two BIG questions for you that could change the course of your career.
- How many more years do you expect to work before you retire? 5? 10? 20? More…?
- Do you LOVE what you do so much that you’re “enjoying the journey," and feel proud, fulfilled, and happy about the prospect of remaining in your field of work for the rest of your career?
The 3 Career Destiny ‘Shifts’
Because I’m going to give you three big ideas… three “shifts” that you can start to make immediately so you can change your career destiny and get on a path that you will LOVE for the rest of your career.Shift #1: Make The Hard Choices
I once heard a brilliant therapist and keynote speaker say that true fulfillment… true happiness… comes from the long, slow burn of the candle of fulfillment. This simple paradox of life is that making choices that provide an immediate return (aka instant gratification) lead to misery in the long run. Choices that are more difficult or painful at first lead to long term happiness. If you’re like me, I had never thought of my life or career like this before I heard it explained this way. Once I did, it just “clicked” as the obvious (yet hard to live by) truth. So, if you fell into your career because it paid well to start, or maybe you had a bunch of friends who worked there who pressured you into it… …And now you DREAD the idea of staying there for another year… Then consider what you choice you would have to make in order to love what you do for the rest of your career. It’s going to hurt at first when you make the change, but it’ll lead to lasting fulfillment.Shift #2: Find A Mission You Care About
One of the big reasons so many people are bored out of their mind at work is that they simply don’t care about what they do. Their work, and the work of their organization doesn’t matter to them. So, by simple logic, if you found a job that mattered to you with a company that did made the kind of impact in the world you care about… or did something that fascinates and intrigues you… You would be far more inspired in the workplace. Who knows… you might even wake up excited to go to work :). So take some time to find inspiration.Shift #3: Increase Your ‘Value’ To Increase Your Options
With the distractions everywhere in the world today, there are a few really simple ways to stand out and increase your ‘value’ to employers, so that you’re able to open more doors (and maybe even earn more). It all comes down to developing yourself personally and professionally through reading, courses, seminars, and self-discipline. Here are a few ways to increase your value (and your options):- Improve your focus, organization, and productivity skills. If you can be more efficient and productive than your co-workers (in less time), then you’re more valuable.
- Improve your verbal and written communication skills. Most people are poor communicators because they don’t realize that the person who controls the conversation, wins.
- Make sure you’re in integrity 100% of the time. The number of people who do exactly what they say they’re going to do… every single time… is small. Be one of them.
