With the sudden onset of uncertainty due to the Covid-19 global pandemic, maybe one of the lessons that we are learning is that some businesses and current workplaces may be highly exposed and vulnerable leaving you facing alternatives for alternate sources of income. And with these changing times, many people are also finding themselves hitting the 'reset' button and focusing on what's really important.
If you have always wanted to start your own business and follow your passions towards a dream job, now might be the best time to start planning and building your dream.
Here are 7 steps to help you get started:
1. Discover what you are passionate about
If you could do a complete reset and start with a blank slate, what would you love to do the most for your career if money was not an issue? Think about it. What have you always longed to do? What are you most passionate about? What gives you purpose, value, and a sense of being you?
Whatever your answer is, do that. Because when you are doing something you love it doesn't feel like work. It's true. When you are doing what you love most, your whole world lightens up and everything that once used to be 'noise' in your life doesn't seem so noisy after all. And life sometimes has the potential to lose all purpose if you don’t love what you do or spend your free time doing what you love.
If you need a little help coming up with ideas, create a vision board with anything that inspires and motivates you. These simple devices, also known as dream boards, can be one of the most useful visualization tools to help you build a vision of the career you want.
2. Set your goals
Get smart. There is a smart and simple way to set goals for yourself by using the SMART goal setting technique.
Here's a quick breakdown:
S – Specific: The goal is well defined and unique
M – Measurable: Your goal is something you can track overtime
A – Achievable: Your goal can be accomplished over a specific timeframe
R – Realistic: Your goal is something that is in your reach and the scope of possibility
T – Timely: Smart goals that can happen in a specific amount of time, such as 6 months, 1 year ...
Once you have your goals defined, it's time to think about how you can implement them.
3. Create a roadmap
You will need to think about all the things you need to do in order to create your new roadmap. Think about what it's going to take for you to reach your goal. Perhaps it is a credential or a class which is a work prerequisite, or maybe it's merely more business experience. Navigate your perceived obstacles and come up with your roadmap to overcome them - one by one.
4. Get organized & mono-task
Less is more. A way to ease yourself into gaining more structure into your life is to break down your daily tasks into bite-sized chunks so you can begin to methodically chip away at them. Rather than spending the majority of your days multi-tasking and possibly starting, but not finishing numerous tasks, mono-tasking allows you to micro-focus on specific tasks to better your odds of seeing each task through to completion. Many well-known research studies confirm that mono-tasking is the secret to getting things done.
If you are looking for inspiration, try The 5 Minute Reset to help you along the way and leverage the daily prompts to increase productivity while embracing your aspirations and inner peace!
5. Be accountable & invest in yourself
Your life is yours and only yours. The choices you make will always directly impact you and those around you. It’s time to stop waiting on something or someone else. The change you are looking for lives in you. So breathe inspiration into your life, and revitalize your soul. Spend time with your thoughts and reflect on your past, look forward to your future and where you want to go. Eat right, exercise, get plenty of sleep, put a smile on your face, and start following your true passions by getting into the clean beauty daily routine led by passion, purpose and positive intention. It’s time to invest in you and be accountable to yourself for the choices that you make.
6. Execute the plan
Once you've created that roadmap - what it is you actually want, how you are going to get it, and what you need to do, you need to follow through and execute. This is the hardest part. It's not uncommon for people to put all their time and effort into creating a plan and when the time comes to execute it all falls apart before reaching the goal. We either lose faith, lose hope, or come up with a million other reasons not to follow through. We stagnate and become unable to execute.
The most important aspect is the implementation of a strategy, it is vital to the achievement or failure of your goals and ultimately the success you achieve. If you want to achieve your goals then you need to learn how to implement your plans. Stop making excuses and get out there and achieve your success! It's up to you.
7. Grow your network
It may seem a bit harder to do now during a global pandemic, but in order to follow your passions and land your dream job, networking is a necessity.
Research shows that professional networks give rise to more job and business opportunities, wider and deeper expertise, enhanced innovation potential, and quicker growth and advancement. It also enhances the quality of work and increases employee satisfaction by establishing and maintaining professional relationships.
The easiest way to build your network is to start identifying those with common interests. According to Northwestern University’s Brian Uzzi, “Potential networks are not forged through casual interactions but through relatively high-stakes activities that connect you with diverse others,” he explains. (“How to Build Your Network” HBR, December 2005.) Networking is not only about sharing knowledge, but also acts as a way to establish mutually beneficial long-lasting relationships and more importantly, paving the way for new opportunities.
All posts are intended strictly for educational purposes. It is not intended to make any representations or warranties about the outcome of any product/service.
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