Here we are, on the cusp of a new year and you’re wondering what resolutions are in order.
With Christmas and rich desserts a fond memory, you might be tempted to make one of those resolutions joining a gym to lose a few (or a lot) of pounds. Healthy eating and active lifestyles are certainly worthy goals, however, there may be a goal that covers more territory and has a greater impact on your life.
Sadly, I work with a fair number of clients who invest time and money in exploring career goals but have no real strategy in place for accomplishing them. Hoping something will happen isn’t a strategy, it’s preplanned failure. So if your goal is a promotion or a new job, planning is essential.
A recent reading of Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers, reveals that an investment of 10,000 hours’ practice time is required to become an expert at anything. That would tend to eliminate overnight successes.
If you want to be successful at accounting, sales, graphic design, operations or change management, you need to be looking for opportunities to learn and grow. Understand that not all learning and growth takes place in academia. A 2- or 4-year degree is a good beginning, however, you can also elevate skills, confidence and scope of influence beyond the workplace through hobbies, special interests and volunteer work.
Finding a way to use the talents and strengths you are endowed with contributes much to self-confidence, economic benefit and qualify of life. No one can accurately predict the future, but by making the most of every growth opportunity you have now, you can position yourself for emerging careers—some of which haven’t even been defined yet—as they come available.
Ellie Vargo, MRW, CCMC
ev@noteworthyresume.com