- How do you imagine your perfect job to look like in 5, 10, 15 years? weather? What would you have to be doing to achieve this?
- If obstacles weren’t a factor, what would you be doing differently?
- What do you really enjoy doing in life? Can you do it apart from your job on a regular basis?
- Who inspires you? What admirable elements of his life or career can you translate into your own aspirations?
Create the vision…
You have to bring it all together in a concise statement of where you are headed and what you want to achieve in your work life. Experts advocate reaffirming this vision on a regular basis, to help keep him consciously and unconsciously on track and reinforce his ambitions.
Setting goals…
If the vision statement is the map, the goal statement represents the milestones. This is where most people fall down. Goal setting is what all the high achievers in life use, whether in sports, business, or on a personal level.
Describe these goals in broad terms: company culture, income, knowledge and experience, areas of responsibility, work-life balance, whatever your main “driver” is. If you define your goals as a succession of hierarchical job titles, you may miss out on amazing opportunities that come your way because you can’t recognize them for what they are.
Break them into smaller, more manageable parts right away. Wanting to run your own business three years from now is all well and good, but recognizing what you need to accomplish by ‘Year 1’ and breaking it down further into monthly/weekly goals makes it all more doable and less likely to completely overwhelm you.
Know that these are the drivers that will keep you motivated in both the short and long term. You can use them to clearly track your progress and allow you to take pride and recognition each time you get closer to your ultimate goal.
Keep them ‘SMART’: Specific, Measurable/Meaningful, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. Write them down and keep them positive and optimistic in nature. Prioritize your goals when you have more than one to accomplish in a given time, to avoid getting overwhelmed.
We have a final note…
Pay attention to your goals and how you are achieving them, too easily or with great difficulty? Do you need to make adjustments in view of what you have learned along the way?
Planning and achieving the career you’ve always wanted is possible when it’s tailored specifically to you, for you, and broken down into achievable goals along the way. What is there to lose? Why not make this your ‘Goal for today’?