Is It Time For Your Annual Career Check-Up?
Posted by: Anne Angerman in Career, tags: CareerAs a professional career coach, I’ve learned that a lot of people don’t consider their career plans as often as they should. Why not take a few minutes to look back on the past year and gain some perspective on what you’ve learned and accomplished? Conducting a personal annual career review is a wonderful career coaching exercise provided that you look at the big picture. Your annual career check-up should touch on issues close to you and how you really want to live your life, and it should also include the creation of a plan for next year.
During your personal annual career review, ask yourself eight questions:
1. With my job: How happy have I been?
2. How have I been with my personal life? Happy?
3. How I have been with what I do for myself? Happy?
4. Did I do something regularly that expresses my most strongly held values?
5. What one thing about my job would I change if could?
6. What do I wish was there that I left out of my life?
7. Who is a person whose life I admire?
8. What should your career game plan look like for the next year?
A good goal has a positive end. It should be something you want, not something you hate or think you should do. “I am going to exercise more” is one of those goals that sounds nice, but will undoubtedly end up on the back shelf. Instead set goals like: “I am going to find some kind of exercise that I enjoy. I will walk three times a week for 30 minutes.”
You should find a good strategy. Move toward something enjoyable, fulfilling, productive, and rewarding. What in your life do you find especially fulfilling? What that you do makes you lose all sense of time? In your life, increase what you have found meaningful for a significant positive benefit for you, and for the people around you.
A good strategy should move you away from people and things you find unfulfilling, meaningless, unproductive, or unrewarding. Who do you hate talking on the phone with and what do you not enjoy doing? What feels like a waste of time in your day? If you give yourself a sense of internal control over what happens to you in your life, you will learn to decrease what you find unrewarding.
While change is difficult, you *can* make your goals a reality and lead the life you desire. Remember to take baby steps toward your goals, and don’t hesitate to contact a professional career coach for guidance and support. Hiring a career coach is a smart investment - we can help you decide what is most important and work with you to achieve your goals.
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