(and it doesn’t have to be a promotion)
Here’s two things you can do to make your next career step a successful one (and it’s not necessarily going for the big promotion!).
This is our second post created specifically to answer a question raised by Womanifest followers. We are looking forward to seeing you all at the Womanifest event in July at our session in the Careers tent – where we will be covering topics just like this one to help you get un-stuck in your career.
There is an easy exercise you can do that will help you figure out the main driving forces behind your own definition of success…
Are you your own worst enemy?
What does progress in your work look like to you?
Do you assume it has to mean a promotion? A bigger team? More responsibility? Being ‘strategic’?
We can be our own worse enemies sometimes, criticizing ourselves for not achieving (or not even wanting) the next big thing. We can even blame society or the ‘unwritten rules’ on the pressure we feel to find success and happiness in always moving upwards to more.
The good news is that our next step can easily bring us this success and happiness. It is well within our reach and our control. We just have to do 2 things
- Understand the things in your life and work that make you feel valued and happy.
- AND build your own definition of success based on those things which you can feel proud of.
Step 1: Understand what makes us feel valued and happy.
Every single one of us is different, so why do we believe that one narrow definition of success will work for us all? If you think of it, doesn’t that sound crazy? Impossible?
It makes much more sense to create our own, personal definition of success which can help to guide us on that next step and which will have a much higher chance of making us feel fulfilled and happy.
There is an easy exercise you can do that will help you figure out the main driving forces behind your own definition. Try to answer these questions honestly
- What part of your role or your working life makes you smile at the moment? What helps to get you up in the morning and feel good about going to work?
- What do you wish you could do more of at work?
- Rate the following areas in priority list in terms of how you want to spend your money and time, 1 being the most important and 5 being the least. Make these honest and close to your heart, not what you think you ‘should’ prioritise:
- Money
- Family
- Friends
- Hobbies or things you do for fun
- Health
When I work with my clients, we spend time really digging into these questions, so that we don’t just take the first answer that pops up and I suggest that you do the same. If you’d like some help, just message me.
Step 2: Build your own definition of success.
The answers from Step 1 should give you an idea into what drives you or lights you up, an area where you should put more energy and a way to prioritise your time and money so that you can find a balance that works for you.
To help make this practical, let’s create a statement that you can say to yourself;
My next career move needs to see me doing/going/seeing/making (insert the answer 1), so that I can do more of or get better at (insert answer 2), while still making sure that I have time and money for (insert the top answer of question 3).
This is your success story. This will help guide you to your next step.
Perhaps it is to be offered the promotion which takes you to the big office, with the international travel and the strategic role in decision making.
Perhaps is also to have a stable local job working with people who make you laugh which finishes every day in time for you to spend time and energy with your children or improving at a hobby.
Both are equally important, valid and valuable… and most importantly, both are suited to different people.
Nothing is for ever
A thought to leave you with is around permanence. While it is undeniably true to state that each of us is different, it is also equally as true to state that nothing stays the same for ever.
A decision or a direction that you take for your next career step only has to be right for you, for now. The only reality you can influence is what is within touching distance at this moment within the life situation that you find yourself in at this point. If your plan or your success statement has to change every 6 months as your life changes, then that’s fine.
In fact, I would urge you to check back in with this statement every year to see if it needs a tweak, even if you think nothing has changed.
At the very least, doing this will re-connect you to your own version of success and give you the confidence to be clear and proud of your next career decision.
Driven by you!
To wrap up; your career success is defined and driven by you.
By understanding what you enjoy, what you want to do more of and where your priorities lie, you can find a career that can help you to thrive.
The ‘traditional’ definitions of success very rarely suit anyone, as every single person and situation is different, so don’t use them as a stick to beat yourself with, just create your own.
This is just the sort of discussion and exercises that we’ll be doing at Womanifest.
If you’d like to come along and see us click here to go to the information page.
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