Taking Control of Your Professional Destiny
The trajectory of your career is not a one-way street. Even if you are someone who has known what they want to do, where they want to work, and who they want to work for since you were a kid, that does not mean that you must stay married to that idea forever, or even for one day for that matter. It is a fact that we spend most of the years of our lives, at work, so when you think about the grand scheme of things, spending time inside a career, or a company, that does not line up with the type of life you want to lead for any length of time is not going to be in your best interest overall. Below are a few easy suggestions to consider when you are at a crossroads and have decided that you want to put yourself back in the drivers’ seat of your career and take control of your destiny.
Do Your Research
Whether you think you might want to change gears completely or simply pivot within the industry you are already working, do your research. Especially if you are feeling unfulfilled and that is what brought you to this place, dedicating time to researching potential job markets, companies, and industries is your best defense against this dissatisfaction happening again. For example, you may not wake up one day and think to yourself, long-haul trucking really checks off all the boxes for me as far as what I want from a job, but through research you can be led to that conclusion methodically and efficiently.
Some questions, to which the answers might lead to a job such as long-haul trucking that are not terribly obvious are things like, do I thrive in independent work environments? Do I enjoy the open road and its scenery? Will a non-traditional schedule suit my life outside of work? One of the biggest steps towards taking control of your professional destiny is being open to any and every possibility even if it is not something you might have ever predicted you would enjoy or do.
Be Honest with Yourself
If you cannot be honest with yourself then you are never going to feel fully in control. Regarding your professional aspirations this honesty relates to being able to look at your life overall and find a job that suits both your immediate and long-term goals. For example, perhaps you are in a stage of life where you have decided you want to buy your first home, and you need to save for a down payment to make that dream a reality. This might lead you towards a job that earns you a higher paycheck but requires sacrifice on your personal time due to a longer commute than you would ideally want. Here is where honest is the best policy. If your honest goal is to earn more money, you need to say that, and accept the sacrifices that you might have to make in one area to be able to nurture another.
Balance Your Dreams and Your Actions
Your dream career is likely not just going to fall out of the sky and into your lap, you will need to take some ownership over what it takes to make this happen for yourself. Manifesting has become a popular process for inviting the universe to show you its plan for your life. This approach is not wrong, but it is also not always immediate. Co-creation is an ideal that combines the knowledge that the universe holds the ultimate plan, but you need to work together to uncover it. You can create the career of your dreams easily if you allow yourself to find balance between dreaming dreams and taking action.