Reaching Your Goals – What Changes Do You Need to Make?

It’s normal to want things but do things that prevent us from getting what we want.

I want to get more sleep, but I lie in bed playing with my iPhone long after I should be asleep. I want to be in better shape, but I find every reason not to work out. I want to do more local work, but I don’t pursue work in Denver. Who in Colorado wants to hire me to speak or do some training? Ok, back on track.

To have something different, we need to do something different, and that often means giving something up. Letting go of a habit or pattern is challenging. There’s a reason we do what we do. Our habits provide something – comfort, distraction, fun, etc. If you’ve ever done a ropes course or graduated to a more challenging ski run, you know you need to let go of what feels secure to get to the next level. And letting go can be scary and difficult. But if we don’t let go, we get stuck where we are.

Make a list of things you want that you don’t have now. Perhaps you want to:

• Learn a new skill or take on a new responsibility at work
• Buy a house
• Save more money
• Be in better shape
• Pursue a hobby

Then I’d ask, what do I need to give up (a.k.a. stop doing) to have what I want?

You need to do something differently, or you would already have what you want. Doing something differently could be as simple as telling someone who can help you get what you want. We often tell our coworkers and friends what we want from our job, but we don’t always tell the people who can help us get those things.

If you want a different job, tell someone in your organization who can help you get what you want. Then create a plan with actions you’ll take – milestones, dates, and measurable outcomes – and follow up until you attain your goal.

Lastly, accept when you can’t get what you want from a person or organization, grieve, and then make a big change. If you have consistently pursued a role in your organization and in two or three years haven’t moved toward that goal, chances are you won’t get that job at that company. It’s likely you need to leave.

Choosing to leave is often the most difficult decision to make. We work and work on a relationship or situation, and eventually realize, we will never get what we want. That’s a very hard pill to swallow. But if you’re certain you won’t get what you want, despite your efforts, move on.

Five Steps to Reaching Your Goals – Ask Yourself:

What do I want that I don’t have now?

What do I need to give up in order to have what I want?

Have I made a request of the person/people who can help me get what I want?

Can the person/people I’ve asked for help assist me, and do they want to do so?

With persistence and consistency, can I get what I want from this situation, or is it time to move on?

To have something different, we have to do something different.

You Create Your Career, No One Else.

If you work long enough you will have a boss who you don’t trust, like or respect. And your career will still grow. You will develop, succeed and move ahead. You have to. If you’re committed to your career, you have no choice.

Your career cannot be determined by the person for whom you work. If you put your success and satisfaction in someone else’s hands, you could be waiting a long time and be forever disappointed.

You may not like your boss, and it is well known that people leave managers not jobs. And there’s nothing wrong with that. I’ve quit jobs because my boss was a jerk and I didn’t want to work from him. And it was the right thing to do. But he didn’t drive my career nor my level of success. I still learned and grew and made more money. And you can too.

How to Create Your Career:

1) Find out who can impact your career. Your boss can most likely tell you this, regardless of what you think of him.

2) Find out what those people think about you by asking for feedback.

3) Only put in front of people what you want them to see. You can’t control what anyone thinks. But you can control what they see.

4) Get good at self promotion without appearing self inflated. Make sure the people who can impact your career know your team’s most recent accomplishment. Not your accomplishment, but your team’s. That will add and aspect of humility to self promotion.

5) Ensure you have a line of communication to your boss’s boss. Don’t leave it to your boss to promote you to others. That’s your job.

Don’t wait for people to promote you, give you opportunities, or mentor you. Create your career. You choose the path. It doesn’t choose you.