Six Career Resolutions To Add To Your New Year's Resolution List
A significant part of our week is dedicated to work and our career. So it makes sense to take our development goals at work as seriously as we take our personal life goals. For many of us, our personal and professional lives are intertwined. Achieving meaningful career goals provides increased job satisfaction, higher self-esteem, and improved quality of your life.
This year take a strategic and active approach to manage your career and improve your odds of achieving success by setting career resolutions.
Unsure where to start? Adopt these six career resolutions to own your career in 2021. If you have been thinking about making a career change or improving your marketability, consider this your invitation to level up!
Learn A New Skill
To support your personal growth, it is essential to regularly set learning goals.
Is there an opportunity to strengthen or learn a new skill? Are you up to date on the latest technology tools and software? Take inventory of where you are and how you can improve and make the necessary steps to change that.
Find A Mentor Or Sponsor
As a Black woman or woman of color, it is essential to lean on your network to help guide you through all aspects of your career: new positions, becoming a manager, or transitioning into a new role or job.
A mentor is an experienced advisor in your field that offers you guidance in your career. A sponsor is one step up from a mentor - a sponsor expects you to be a high performer and will hold you accountable in your professional life more than a mentor.
Both mentors and sponsors are invaluable to help take your professional career to the next level. Learn how each can help you get where you want to be in your career by checking out Mentor, Coach, or Therapist - Who Can Help Me In My Career? And How?
Improve Work-Life Balance
Since shifting to remote work, are you struggling to find the balance between work and personal space? Have you always battled with work taking precedence over time with yourself, family, or friends?
Creating a healthy and balanced work-life relationship is critical to improving not only our physical, emotional, and mental well-being but it's also essential for our career.
Do not set aside your well-being for work. If you are unsure where to start to improve your work-life balance, check out Working From Home? Practice These 5 Habits To Stay Focused and 7 Self-Care Practices For Every Day of the Week.
Complain Only With Solutions
Complaining offers many immediate gratifications. When used as a coping mechanism, it can help us deal with unpleasant and unwanted circumstances.
However, when circumstances are continually out of your control, like during a pandemic or in a fast-paced work environment, complaining can sneakily leak negativity in your life, cause you to become angrier and more stressed, and prolong your pessimistic outlook and attitude. Complaining with the focus of resolving an issue or grievance will help you channel your needs into actionable actions. This is crucial for self-care and is directly tied to your growth as a professional.
This year, commit to complaining constructively to get solutions and avoid complaining to vent or as a coping mechanism.
Keep Resume Up To Date
In this day and time, you never know when your current position can change. It can be an unfortunate layoff or a new opportunity outside or within your company. Be prepared for the unexpected (or expected) opportunity by having your resume or CV updated and accurate.
Quit Code-Switching
Changing how you speak to be more palatable not only impacts your career, but can take a serious toll on your mental health. Code-switching can cause you not to be fully present and second guess or doubt yourself and your potential.
This year, commit to showing up as you! Demonstrate and embrace all of who you are so that other people can get used to it and so that you can learn to feel comfortable as yourself in all spaces.
Do you have any career resolutions this year? Which of the above resolutions can you add to your resolution list?
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