By Kent Johnson



Do you have a clear idea of what your career goals are, and exactly what you expect from your new job or career? Do you have a sharp mental picture of what you’ll have and how you’ll feel when you achieve your career objectives? As a career coach, one of the primary functions I have is to help the client determine and clarify their focus in this regard.... 

And part of the problem with focus is that it can change often - especially when you’re in the process of career discovery. You may think you know what your ideal career or job is, and a week later your think in an entirely different direction. This is all right – you want to consider as many options as possible – and getting locked into one career path before carefully considering all your possibilities is how people get stuck in the wrong career in the first place. 

A problem arises, however, when people get into what I call the “kid in a candy store” mentality. This is where the client skips from one career field to the next, almost on a daily basis. Everything looks good to them. Everything is exactly what they’ve always wanted. But they can’t make up their mind on anything, and they never settle on a new career path. Eventually they simply give up on the idea altogether, and play it safe by staying in their current job or profession.

To avoid this, you need to learn how to clarify your focus down to narrowly-defined objectives. Here are some questions you can ask yourself in order to illuminate and clarify your focus:


What are your intentions? 

Intentions are merely an expression of your innermost desires, the things that grab your soul and tug at your heartstrings. Intentions define the purpose of your life. They go beyond money and prestige to the objectives that have real meaning to you, the things that give you inner satisfaction and fulfillment. Intentions are what cause high-paying executives to leave the corporate world to become teachers, or build houses for the homeless, or start their own non-profit organizations.


What are your most important objectives?

Objectives are more concrete than intentions. Objectives define exactly what you desire out of your next career. This can be a higher income, a more flexible work schedule, more authority or input into your work, more opportunities for advancement, etc. This is your game plan for exactly what you want and how you plan to get it.


Do you have a supportive environment?

One critical element for a successful career change is your surrounding environment. If your family and friends don’t support your new career aspirations, this can become a major obstacle to success. Changing careers–-especially in mid-life–-can be unsettling on many levels, and if your spouse or partner are not on board, it can make for a tense and anxious process. And if your close friends are skeptical or unsupportive, it can undermine the confidence that you’ll need in order to make the change work.
So if the people in your life aren’t on board, get them on board, or at least at a point where they support your plans without being critical.


Do you have a “Learning Plan?”

Once you’ve defined your intentions and objectives, you’ll need to write out a learning plan. Every new objective and intention will involve learning something new. Some people contemplating a career change jump before they think, and they assume–-incorrectly-–that they already know what they need to know. A learning plan is simply a way of determining the things that you’ll need to learn in order to make your career transition successful. Once you know that, then you can decide on what resources or further education will required to meet your objectives.


So ask yourself these key questions. Clarify your intentions and objectives, surround yourself with supportive people, define what you need to learn, and get started on making your dream career a reality!

 

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