Written by: Anna Krzysztoszek, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
As a coach, I experience two main kinds of starting points related to planning a dream career. The first is when my coaches struggle to define their passions and the second is when my coaches have an overflow of passions and interests. Here are some tips and tricks for creating more clarity in the early stage of designing your career plan, whether you feel no inspiration at all or one idea is bursting after another.
1. It Is A Process & Learning Through Experience
Next to visions, dreams, discussions with friends, and similar also, collecting experiences related to your possible dream career is hugely important. Many coaches of mine studied something for years just to realize after graduating that their vision of how the job looks is far away from how the job is lived. Planning upfront for every detail related to your future dream job just in your headspace does not make much sense as it might be too detached from reality. Find activity groups on LinkedIn, Facebook, etc., for professionals of your interest to have a glimpse at their struggles, questions, topics, and challenges they are facing in real life. Learn from them, discuss with them, dive into their world and collect experiences related to your future dream job before investing in specific professional courses or studies.
2. Continuous Mindfulness & Planning Activities (Not Results)
It is much less stressful to plan activities than results. What does it exactly mean, you will ask. As mentioned above, we learn through cognitive analysis but also experiences. It is difficult, less productive, and more stressful to expect to make up a whole new, detailed career plan in advance only through analysis of things and possible scenarios in your headspace. Better include some time for research and brainstorming in your planning. This way, you avoid being too critical and judgmental about yourself in case you will feel like readjusting your initial, detailed career plan. It is better to start with a general plan or vision and make it more specific on the way than try to define upfront a very detailed career plan. The long-term goal is usually to do something which is fulfilling, in line with your talents, creates value-added for yourself and others, and generates income we are happy with – all this can be a complex and stressful undertaking. Mindfulness, reflectiveness, and attention are your besties here and the results of such an attitude are precious inspirations for further details you can add to your initial, general vision of your dream career.
3. Personality Tests Are Not A Verdict & Demand On The Labor Market
Your feelings matter. In other words, personality tests are help and a source of possible inspiration, not a verdict. You might have many talents other people admire you for, but they might not be a source of joy for you. Cross-check your best possible, joy-bringing scenarios with the current labor market demand. Does the average salary meet your expectation? Are there growth possibilities available within this specific job profile? Are you happy with the answers to these and similar questions?
4. Reframing Failure & Lessons Learned
In case of obstacles and challenges, do not blame yourself. Try to make a learning experience out of it as Edison, who said he did not fail in inventing the lightbulb at the beginning of his research, he just discovered 10.000 ways how not to construct it. Deconstruct the failure to make a foundation of future success out of it. I do not know any entrepreneur who did not experience any challenging moments, failures, and doubts. It is a part of every human experience. The worst thing is not to fail but to close your eyes to the learning experience coming with it, as future gems might be hidden underneath.
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Anna Krzysztoszek, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Anna Krzysztoszek has more than 20 years of international experience in business - from large corporations to start-ups. She is the owner of Green Butterfly - Coaching & Recruiting. The completion of the German and Dutch studies, her pedagogical education, the certificate of a Psychological Advisor and various business degrees, such as Master of Business Administration (MBA), reflect Anna's main focus and passion: combining her economical expertise with the always present interest in people and the art of making the best of our lives. This especially applies to professional matters - after all, we spend a third of our life at our workplace.
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