One key idea to stay ahead in your career is to realise that your Career is much an internal force as much as it is external. Why is this really important?
Because if you believe that it is internal, then you know you have will have a high degree of control over it. If you believe it is external, then you will feel you have little control over your career and are highly susceptible to market forces.
In order to examine this theory in a little more detail lets we look at some of the influences:
- External forces: Market Conditions, Economy, Skill set, other people’s Perceptions, Recruitment agents, Companies recruiting, Unemployment Statistics, Skill Set.
- Internal forces: How we feel, how we perceive ourselves, Clarity of what we want, Passion, Motivation, Confidence, Skill Set, Self-Belief, Risk Appetite, Adaptability.
Whilst it is true that there are some external forces outside our control, the internal forces which we can control have a far greater influence. In order to think about this a little more, ask your-self this question – “Why is it that some people do well, despite operating in the same market conditions?”
The answer lies in their own personal clarity, motivation and self-belief. There are some people who have a very high level of determination such that nothing will stop them. Whilst there are unemployment statistics being quoted in the media, at the same time there are also examples of people who are doing really well.
A very good example of this is Obama. Despite all the odds and difficulties he had (and there were many! – for example coming from an ethnic minority, not born in the US, not brought up as part of the old ‘political network’), he still had the drive and determination and made it.
So ask your-self – how determined are you to succeed and make it big? Are you willing to do what it takes despite all odds? And the most important question of all… “How much do you believe in yourself?”
If you don’t believe in your-self and that you will succeed – you may as well give up now! My three stage R-I-D Coaching model is designed around this core principal. If you don’t have the right self-belief, then you are unlikely to succeed. Paul McKenna (Confidence Coach and NLP Practitioner) says, “If you don’t believe in your-self, why would you expect other people to believe in you?” It has to start with your-self.
When the external forces seem unfavourable, those who survive are those who are the most determined. They don’t let external market forces stop them. They simply see these as a challenge that they have to side-step or overcome. Their success depends on their ability to be flexible and to come up with creative and innovative solutions to the challenges. Their goal remains clear and they continue to have different action plans to go and achieve the goal.
By Career Coach, Meera Shah. For more details, visit www.meeracareercoaching.com