By Debra LeClair Psy.D.
When you’re not where you really want to be in regard to living a career path that is truly fulfilling, there is a good deal of evidence that talks about the need to start with the end in mind and work backward. Another way to state it is to determine your goals, write them down and then plot a course to achieve them. Or you may gravitate towards spiritual philosophies that start with gaining clarity on what you want to experience in your life, releasing that vision out to the Universe and allowing it to then unfold for you. The bottom line to these approaches stems from the birth of an intention and having that intention move to the forefront of your consciousness. This is powerful because it shifts perception of what is possible which then changes behavior and that then transforms reality.
Another crucial piece towards achieving your career goals is to examine your self-image. The success you achieve is directly connected to how you see yourself. This also links back to putting out intentions because if you don’t believe yourself to possess what it takes to live your goals, your thoughts are likely to unconsciously form opposing intentions, ones that will sabotage and cause you to inevitably fall short of your original visions. Once that happens, the negatives of your self-image are then reinforced. The reason your psyche operates this way is because when there is a great misalignment between your self-picture and your goal, you inevitably are pushed right out of your comfort zone.
So what can you do to turn this around? Become extremely aware of your strengths. List them out and revisit that list frequently. The idea is to raise the volume on what you’re good at to quiet the doubts and counter the sabotaging anxiety.
Speaking of awareness, another area you can look at is your “To Do List”. Ask yourself: “Is putting energy into this activity really bringing me closer to my career goals? Going through the process moves you into alignment as your daily tasks become better matched to getting you to what you really want.
Relatedly, another powerful way to move towards your goals is to ask if your daily tasks include activities that reinforce your strengths. In other words, are you living out of where you experience yourself as having mastery and thus, a strong and positive self-image? The flipside of this is a bit tricky. Do you also work on the areas needed to gain more competence to move forward in achieving your vision? This is challenging because if we’re not good at something, we don’t like to do it as it can color the overall perception of ourselves in a negative manner. The secret here is to break these types of experiences down into the tiniest of baby steps in order to assure an experience of success. Again the more you can bring victories into your realm of everyday experience, the more it will build momentum and carry you forth into your most fulfilling career path yet.
Debra LeClair Psy.D. is a life/executive coach, corporate trainer and psychologist who partners with organizations and individuals to make positive and sustainable change. She helps those seeking career satisfaction, enhanced communication skills and improved team/individual performance. She owns Full Spectrum Wellness LLC, a holistic health and learning center www.fullspectrumwellness.com, 603-296-0830 x2 and co-owns Platinum Principle Training & Development LLC, www.platinumprinciple.com, which specializes in interpersonal effectiveness training for organizations.
