Three things you can do right now to change your game and take control of the results
One thing I’ve noticed over the years that I have been coaching is the number of people who are hesitant or not proactive in building their careers.
What do I mean by that??
I mean, they are hesitant to put their hands up for roles and take the chance on a career change they want in fear of not ticking all the boxes. Instead, they allow their careers to happen by chance. Right place, right time.
If you want to build the career of your dreams, you need to change the game you’re playing. It’s time to create a strategy. Here's how!
Reflect:?
Successful sportspeople and their coaches know you can’t move forward until you know exactly where you are in the game. That’s why they spend so much time reviewing their game plan and performance before they prepare for the next match. It should be no different for any of us who have a goal in mind.
The process of self-assessment is a vital part of defining your way forward. It’s a process that builds skills you’re going to use all your life. It reinforces the mindset which tells you that you can improve, learn more and develop new skills. In other words, it reminds you that you can change; you’re not limited by your current situation or abilities. It also builds up your resilience because you learn to reflect on strategies and techniques you’ve used in the past, and choose how to apply them to your new challenges or directions.
Reflection prepares you for the future.
Plan: Set some goals
Have you ever noticed what happens to your mindset when you set goals? The answer is clear. It gives you an amazing power to achieve.
If you just think about your goals, you are activating the emotional side of your brain, but if you write them down, you’re activating the logical side. You are getting the whole brain working for you.
All the information that enters your brain comes in through a section called the Reticular Activating System, or RAS for short. It sorts through the millions of bits of data the brain receives every minute and works out what is important and what is not.
This area at the back of your brain helps determine what you will focus on. It switches your attention when something useful comes in. For example, the summer is hot, so you start thinking it might be a good idea to buy an air conditioner. Now, from within the blur of TV ads each night, you will suddenly start to notice those with air conditioners on sale. That’s your RAS in action.
To make the RAS produce the best results, you need to tell it what is important to you. That’s what you do when you start visualising and writing down your goals. In his book, “Getting things Done,” David Allen talks about the power of goals and says, “Even your physiology will respond to an image in your head as if it were reality.”
By setting your goals and starting to plan your way there, you’re telling your brain what’s important. The RAS will do the rest. As it sorts through the data coming in, it will pull out anything that might help you reach your goal. Ideas, tools, possibilities, people… Your goal is a real vision – a reality.
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What the brain is doing is helping you achieve your goals. You don’t have to have the answers at your fingertips. “How” isn’t important when you are starting out. It’s the direction that matters. The RAS will help you by pointing out opportunities ahead.
Now you will understand why there is so much emphasis on goal setting. It gives you a clarity of focus which helps your brain respond as if your vision is already real, and the RAS starts bringing your attention to the things that will help you get there.
Every day, make a point of looking at your goals and plans. You will be surprised at how well the RAS works to bring to your attention anything that might help or impact on them.
If you haven’t started working out where you want to go, you won’t get there.
I know I’ve said it before, but I can’t emphasise enough the importance of setting goals. If you haven’t done it, set aside some time to think about where you want to head. Research has shown that you are 42% more likely to achieve your goals simply by writing them down.
Once you have written them down, it’s time to work on your game plan.?
Remember you’re designing a strategy, and it most likely won’t take you instantly to your goal.?
It’s a process – a journey. Be patient. You are planning the best way to position yourself to take a step closer to your goals.
Get ready and take massive, committed action:?
Big goals need big actions if you want to reach them. You can’t be hesitant. You can’t wait for a ‘better time.’ If you want to build the career you really want, you need to commit to taking massive action every day. Yes, you’ll be afraid sometimes, and yes, you won’t always succeed. Becoming used to learning from your failures will be part of the journey, so be prepared for it.
Taking action and being committed to it means growing every day, and while it won’t be easy, it will be worth it. When you own your goals and your strategies, they start to drive you. They are very compelling.
The ultimate reward after all the work is successfully achieving the career you’ve aimed for. Believe me; the feeling of success you feel as you reach each step along the way is a powerful motivator to keep you going. There’s nothing quite as exciting as winning a position you worked for, rather than one which happened to come your way.
Planning your career strategy isn’t easy, but it IS exciting. If you need some help with your planning, send me a message. Executive Coaching, Leadership Programs and Workshop spaces are now available for 2024!