Your career is an extension of who you are. But how do you know if you’re ready for change? Maybe you have an idea of a different career direction already and you’re not sure if you should go for it. Or perhaps you think its safer to stay as you are in this current climate. [...]
Category Archives: Career Advice
Why You Will Fail To Have A Great Career
STOP! WATCH! LISTEN!
I’m saying no more than treat yourself to a great 15 minutes of ironic humour… and on-the-spot messaging about having a great career. And, if it doesn’t tick just one of your “OMG-that’s-what-I-do boxes”, you can buy me lunch!
Here’s Larry Smith talking about why you’re going to fail to have a great career
Every Dog Has His Day
If there is one skill that makes a difference in life and work, it’s the skill of “doing it now”.
This is the antidote to procrastination – the skill of “doing it when…”
I am learning a lot about my strategies for “procrastination” through my sport – dog obedience championships. I have realised that in the context of competing, when I enable Harry to perform at his best he does so with fun, flair and positive attitude. It’s the most euphoric feeling ever to have that connection. Whether we win or not doesn’t matter.
Yet this activity brings out some of the most elaborate procrastination patterns in me. I fear that all the hard work and years of training that we have put in will not appear in the show ring…
“What if we’re not good enough…?” “What if we get it wrong…?” What if …? What if….? What…If?
So I put off the moment of truth for as long as possible.
Then I embark upon some truly bizarre preparation rituals and Harry loses interest!
The moment for action passes and all I have succeeded in doing is proving to myself that I can’t do it!
This makes it even easier to “put it off” the next time.
Think about it… How many things have you been intending to do but it still it remains on your To Do Another Day List. How many promises have you made to yourself?
I have learned a lot about myself through my sport. I have learned a lot about dogs! I can create the conditions to enable Harry to perform at his best or his worst. My behaviour influences whether he follows my lead (excuse the pun)…or not.
The problem is, that in sport, as in many situations in life, it’s not always up to us to choose the time to do our “winning” performance. And if we keep saving ourselves for the right moment -it may never come.
I’ve learned that in sport, as well as all aspects of work and life, it doesn’t matter if how we perform on the day is not our all singing, all dancing, shiny best ever, perfect performance. It’s more important to have started, and to continue than it is to perform only in that moment when we feel at our most confident.
To realise our career goals and personal aspirations we need to act. Commit to the stretch. Take the feedback. And keep on doing it. Starting right now.
As everyone knows deep down, every dog has his day! So have yours TODAY!
Like this:
The 5 Myths of Career Change
The world is changing
We are in a period of Renaissance.
Working men and women:
Are freeing themselves from tight boxes, and joyless job titles.
Are unleashing themselves from self-imposed straight jackets.
Are fleeing the 9-5 treadmill in droves for freedom and independence.
To change their lives – by finding their dream job, retraining, going on a big adventure, writing a book, starting a new business – all at once if it pleases them to do so.
These professionals:
- Can powerfully assist many others to achieve big, positive, business and personal goals.
- Can help each other through connection, collaboration, and partnership, to the benefit of all.
- Can advise, challenge, and grow the best leaders of tomorrow.
But the vast majority feel stuck in the same job, but more work, less pay; same industry but less growth, no challenges; same path fewer options. It’s entirely possible that you’ve trudged as far as you can go on this path and that the slog is just going to be more of the same. Possible.
But I don’t believe it
Why?
How To Change Career After Forty
One day, after 17 years and 6 months as a successful NHS Professional, I changed for ever. I went home at the end of a particularly enjoyable week, sat down in my lounge and finally changed my job.
And it happened in an instant. Although several years of procrastination, it took a milli-second to actually occur. The moment it did everything changed for good.
It changed. I changed. And the world around me changed. To be honest…it all happened frighteningly quick.
My career in the NHS took me to the cutting edge of medicine and closer to the top of the management tree than I had thought possible. A qualified nurse, a graduate in Public Sector Health Studies, a senior manager working with the world’s brightest professionals, leading experts in their field, managing hundreds of staff, on calls, £million budgets, and achieving government targets – it was a varied career, full of stress, excitement, learning, change, opportunity, and it was very worthwhile. I learned a lot about people and a lot about myself.
Even so it felt more like surviving than thriving.
