10 Practical Career Decisions You Can Make in 2013

By Daisy Wright.

As you welcome 2013, are there things you are holding onto that you should have let go in 2012? Are there people, situations, or ideas that you need to let go of in order to embrace all the opportunities awaiting you this year? If you have identified something or some people holding you back, it’s time to let go and forge full steam ahead. Here are ten career decisions you could make that will move you forward this year:

1. Let go of ‘I should have, could’ve, can’t, won’t, what ifs, and buts’.  You may have missed out on opportunities because you were second guessing yourself, but they are gone and there is nothing you can about them now. Instead, focus on “I can and I will”.
2. Let go of the negative people around you. You can spot them easily – the ones who always seem to have a ‘doom-and-gloom-glass-half-empty’ syndrome. This may not be easy as sometimes the cynics among us include people near and dear to us. But, if you would like to start the New Year on a positive footing, you will have to make the decision to reduce or minimize the time spent with pessimists, and embrace those who see obstacles as opportunities. It was Winston Churchill who remarked that “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”
   Surround yourself with optimists.
3. Let go of the activities that are not leading you towards goal achievement. Question yourself: “Is what I am currently doing leading me towards where I want to go?” If the answer is “No”, then it’s time to let go!
4. Let go of your doubts and failures and appreciate your gifts.  Refrain from comparing your abilities with those of others and stop dwelling on your failures. You have a unique gift that you were endowed with. Recognize and use this gift so you can become better today than you were yesterday.
5. Stretch yourself beyond your comfort zone. Get off the comfort zone couch and make room to experience something new and refreshing! Your comfort zone is the circle of people you are comfortable interacting with. If you continue to live in that ‘easy chair’ circle, you are not giving yourself an opportunity to expand your horizons.
6. Evaluate your network. Take an inventory of the people in your network and make sure it includes people whose strengths are your weaknesses. You will be able to learn from these individuals and fill in your skill gaps. Leadership coach, John Maxwell notes in his book, 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth, that “It’s hard to improve when you have no one but yourself to follow.”
7. Create a vision for your life or career. Visualize what your career or your life should look like by the end of 2013. What do you want to accomplish? Is it time to invest in yourself by enrolling in an online course? Is it time to invest in a coach who will guide, encourage, support and hold you accountable to attaining your goal(s)?
8. Engage in a self-reflection exercise. Spend some time to answer the following questions: Who am I? What or who do I need to let go of in order to move forward? Where do I see myself in the next 12 months? What is it that I am good at that I would like to continue doing? How can I begin to reshape my destiny? Tony Robbins once said, “It’s in your moments of decisions that your destiny is shaped”. Are you ready to shape or reshape your destiny? If the answer is “Yes”, what small step could you take today to propel you forward?
9. Take ownership of your career. Are you feeling like you are a prisoner in your job? Do you feel like you are suffocating? You can become the person you want to be; you can get the promotion you so desperately need, but the responsibility is on you. It’s time to take ownership for your own professional development. It’s time to believe in yourself and your capabilities, then learn how to articulate your value to your next employer. Re-read #7 above.
10. Get rid of the ANTs in your head. Psychiatrist Daniel G. Amen refers to these ANTs as those Automatic Negative Thoughts that fill our heads most of the time…the thoughts we engage in day-after-day with ourselves that hold us down instead of moving us forward. Replace those thoughts with something positive and uplifting. Choose your thoughts carefully because your thoughts manifest themselves as things later on.

Having read the above, are you ready to let go of what’s not serving you and commit to a fresh in 2013? If you are, then let’s talk, or share your thoughts below.

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PS: Image courtesy of 25dip.com