How to Establish and Reach Your Long-Term Career Goals

When we were kids, adults used to ask us all the time the enthusiastic question “what do you want to be when you grow up?”, which invited us to dream big every day and answer things like astronaut, ballerina, or mad scientist. But somewhere along the way we started to commit more to a suitable plan for ourselves, that might have been a ballerina for some, but for others looked like engineering, or teaching, which is great too, we change with time and adapt our goals to our new selves.?

Today, now that we have grown up, seems a little different to set goals that seem far away. As professionals, we might have our aspirations closed to our hearts, and move towards them as we can, or just go where life takes us. It can be scary to set such long-term goals as we used to when we were kids and had no other choice but to dream. As adults, we can do more than that to make them happen. Even though, somedays they can feel unreachable, or unrealistic, long-term goals are very important for our career development.

With that being said, we can get a little more into breaking down that fear so we can not only set those goals but reach them too…

Clear the path

When setting a long-term goal, we might feel intimidated, or ambiguous about what we want to achieve. So, clearing the way can be the place to start in order to establish goals that align with your true purpose. Ask yourself about the?things you don’t want , about the amount of time and energy you want to invest in this goal. Knowing the non-negotiables can help you narrow down the options. You might have the long-term goal of becoming a children’s book illustrator, but you don’t want to go back to an academy to learn how to illustrate, knowing this can help you get started on an independent learning path towards your goal.

Having a clear north can also mean being sure that you don’t want to go south. Putting away the unnecessary obstacles gives you a fresher perspective on what can you do and how you can proceed. Establishing a long-term goal shouldn’t be taken lightly, they are important. But they also shouldn’t be a big weight on our shoulders that gives us some sort of decision paralysis. It’s all about balance and priorities.

Create a solid base

For any long-term goal, we need a strong foundation. Once we have set the goal, we might struggle with how to get there, or where to start since it seems so far away. But there’s always something to be done in the basics. Maybe you don’t know yet how to become an illustrator, but skills like marketing or communication will be useful no matter how far or close you are to the goal.?

Feeling like you are standing on solid ground is going to make you feel safe to keep moving towards that big goal. Don’t hesitate to relearn or retrain yourself on what you already know, just?don’t stay in that comfort zone ?for long. Once you make a platform there is no other purpose to it than to jump to something higher.?

Be flexible

Times change, the world changes and so do we. Nothing is written in stone. Life will have its ups and downs, and the wind might take us in a direction that changes our vision, therefore our north. To make that dream happen we might have to dissect it down into smaller pieces,?smart goals ?are the ones that we achieve more efficiently. But if there’s a bump in the road, there is no need to panic, nor change paths. Sometimes we just need to stop thinking inside, or even outside the box and start thinking about what to do with the box.

Adaptation and resilience are vital when it comes to walking a long road. There will be obstacles, changes, and hardships, but it can be done, you can do it. You just need to be kind to yourself and?be flexible ?to navigate what might come your way, even if you are?in uncertain times .

Enjoy the process

At the end of the day, life is about the journey… Even the biggest tower started with one brick. The goal that today seems very far is going to be made of many little moments that you worked towards it, so you have to make those count. We think we own time, but in reality, now is all we have. Somedays, the best for your journey will be to?take a break to recharge , some other days, you might need to stay up late sketching your first illustration. Remember that motivation, sustainability, and mindful use of your energy are a big part of the process.?

Big goals tend to be scary, we might think?what if I can’t do it? What if I never get there? How am I going to achieve that??But the future is an everyday project that starts today. So, what are you waiting to dream big?

–?Laura Navarro