Refreshing & Resetting My Career Goals.

Time for a career overhaul…

This post is a long time coming. It’s been nearly two years since I dramatically changed my job (like completely changed it up. From one career path to another). It was honestly the best decision of my career. I’ve never felt happier, I’m more challenged, more pushed.

It’s been hard work getting here. I had to work really hard to get into a position where I truly feel like kicking ass every day. Every now and then I have a wobble, but 4/5 days I feel really good about the work I’m producing. I did not get here by accident. In my last job, I had been working for about a year to moving careers. I was not happy in my previous place, a huge motivator to get my butt into gear.

And whilst many find it scary to think about refreshing your career goals, it’s 100% worth it in the long run. I’m not saying you’ve all got to quit your job today and change career directions. Like everything in life, it’s good to shake things up. It helps you to gain focus, get your head back into the game and find your right direction. You’re going to need to put some legwork in, but it’s totally worth it. Here are some little things you can do to refresh your career goals…

UNDERSTAND YOUR ZONE OF GENIUS.

A phrase I’ve picked up from Julie Solomon, that totally applies to your career. What’s the one thing you can do without thinking? What are your colleagues/ friends constantly coming to you about because they see you as an expert in it? Literally, go and ask them about it now. Everyone has one thing that people are just good at, your zone of genius. Once you know this, how can this be applied more to your job?

Once you have this, find a way to incorporate it more into your role. Speak to your manager, they may have a project that you didn’t know about that you can help on. You can work together in ensuring that you bring this more into your everyday role. It could be that you want to start a side hustle to channel this more. Whatever it is that you just know how to work, use it. Don’t let it go to waste.

BE PREPARED TO LEARN NEW THINGS.

If you’re completely changing career paths, you’ve got to be prepared to give your job knowledge a complete overhaul. For me, I went into an area that I’ve had no formal training prior to getting the job. I was given training when I first started, but I was also advised to read a few books and watch some webinars to build on this knowledge. To this day, I’m constantly plugging into podcasts, webinars and signing up for quick courses. All just to constantly improve my skills.

I’m not saying you’ve got to overpush yourself, but it’s no walk in the park changing your career. The benefits are 100% worth it, but you’re going to have to give it 110%, at least at the beginning. Use whatever resources you have to hand, it will make the journey so much easier. Trust me, you won’t regret giving up an evening or two to a webinar.

 

  

GET READY TO MAKE LISTS.

Ah, lists. One of my favourite things to do. They honestly help me to clear my mind and get myself focused. And when you want to refresh your career goals, I find lists are a huge part of the process. Whether it be mind-mapping your goals, a step-by-step of what you want to achieve within the year, getting it all onto paper helps to tunnel vision to exactly what you want.

With goals, be mindful of having a mixture of short, medium and long term goals. If you’re constantly aiming for the long term, you are not going to enjoy it when you finally get it. Small short term goals such as learning a new skill will give you the adrenaline rush you need to keep going for the long haul.

PRIORITISE YOUR HOME LIFE.

When you want to refresh your career goals, it can be easy to completely throw yourself into work. And whilst I do encourage you to work hard, it’s equally important to take time out for self-care. At the end of the day if you do not feel 100%, no matter what you aim for is not going to be your best work. It also won’t be worth it, because you’ll be too tired and exhausted to enjoy your riches. So for every late night studying or hustling, reward yourself with a night off. Binge on your favourite TV show, have a bath, or just go for a walk. Whatever you need to switch off and recharge.

 

SHOP THE POST.

Are you giving your career a refresh? How do you plan to acheive this?