3 Ways To Make The Most Of Your Choices To Boost Your Career

Zig Ziglar famously said,?“There are three Cs in life: choice, chance, and change. You must make a choice to take a chance, or your life will never change.”

It follows then that if you want to make professional progress, you need to make the most of your choices; here are three ways how:

1. Be aware that you always have a choice.

While it may seem obvious, the first step in harnessing the power of choice is to realize you have one.

So much of choice is linked to mindset. If you’re feeling trapped and unhappy in your current role, it’s easy to feel defeated, believe the world is out to get you, and you have little control. Even when things are going well in your career, it can be tempting to ride out that wave of familiarity, sticking to the status quo.

However, in both scenarios, you run the risk of slipping into passive victim mode, allowing things to happen to you and letting external forces dictate your professional destiny. But by shifting your mindset to one of proactivity where you understand you always have a choice, you’ll empower yourself to create your desired future.

2. Commit to making a choice.

Sometimes, even when you know you have a choice and the direction you want to go, you stall. You rationalize your behavior by telling yourself it isn’t the right time and you’ll get to it later, but sadly, “later” never comes.

Procrastination is rooted in fear—of failure, of success, or of not being perfect—and fear is a powerful emotion. We feel anxiety when we’re pushed to do things that make us uncomfortable, so naturally, we avoid them at all costs.

If you’re still unsure about making a choice, ask yourself if what you’re doing today is getting you closer to where you want to be tomorrow. Chances are, you already know the answer; the only way to bring about the change you want is to push through your fear.

When you commit to making a choice, you’re also committing to your growth.

3. Take action.

Congratulations, you’re aware that you have a choice and have committed to making it. The final step is to hold yourself accountable for that choice and finally take action.

Here’s the hard-to-hear truth: Good intentions mean nothing if they’re not backed up by execution. Action is the antidote to fear, stagnation, and passivity.

When you take action, you’re making the most of your choices, moving them from mere considerations to catalysts for growth. And the funny thing about action is that it begets more action. Once you start, you build momentum and are more inclined to keep it going. Taking action is empowering and contagious, fueling continued growth. Remember, if you want something you’ve never had, you have to do something you’ve never done.

When you’re aware that you always have a choice, commit to making that choice, and then take action, you’ll make the most of your choices to make career progress.

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