New Year, New Career Goals? Conquer your career goals with these five steps
Setting professional goals is essential to leveling up, as it forces you to take the necessary steps to build your career.
Professional goals are related to what you want to accomplish with your education and career. These goals are different from personal goals, generally more connected with your health, happiness, relationships, and well-being. Accomplishing them can require more focus, steps, and support.
If you are unsure where to start on achieving your professional goals, read on for five easy ways to conquer your career goals.
Write Them Down
The most important (and underrated) step to achieving your goals is writing them down. It may seem like an old-school technique, but it is super effective.
Writing down one's goal forces you to think critically about achieving each goal and helps to ensure each goal is clear and measurable.
Use the SMART methodology to structure and evaluate your goals. With clear, measurable, achievable goals, prioritizing your efforts at work becomes more effortless and purposeful.
Establish Your Why
Is it money? More education? A healthier work-life balance?
When setting goals, consider your why. Be sure to include everything that will motivate you. It can be a combination of things and not just one source of motivation.
Establishing and understanding your "why" will help you be more consistent in pursuing your goals. In addition, it will serve as your point of reference for all your actions and decisions from this moment on, allowing you to measure your progress and know when you have met your goals.
Work Backwards By Reverse Planning
When reverse planning you start with your end goal and then work your way backwards from there to develop a plan of action.
One thing that high achievers do is to visualize their success and reverse planning helps you do just that.
Reverse planning helps give you a clear visualization of what must be accomplished during each step in achieving your goals. It can also help prevent from taking on unnecessary projects and activities on.
Ask For Help - Find A Mentor/Career Coach/Therapist
Mentors, Career Coaches, and Therapists are invaluable to help you transition and take your professional career to the next level. Depending on your goal, you will need to seek out each for different reasons.
A mentor is an experienced advisor in your field that offers you guidance in your career. Usually sought out early in your career, mentors give you advice, share personal experiences, and help expand your network. However, unlike career coaches, therapists, or sponsors, mentors do not typically hold you accountable for decisions that affect your career.
To learn about the importance of reaching out for professional help and how each can help you get where you want to be in your career, check out Mentor, Coach, or Therapist - Who Can Help Me In My Career? And How?
Track Your Progress
Tracking and seeing your progress and success is a great motivator to conquer your goals. Also, tracking your goals, helps you to re-evaluate and assess your goals on a consistent basis. Goals are not static and what may have been important today can change tomorrow - especially with your career. Don't be afraid to change your goals when circumstances change. If you fall short of achieving your goals, check out this article steps to take when you do not achieve your goals.
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