Career Chase

This is my second article for career guide magazine

Today, we have to and must to do for ourselves that which in the previous decades was determined by our family upbringing, culture, tradition & values. Gone are the days of taking up responsibility of father’s family business, job security and a settled defined and routine life. Gone are the days of one life equals one career. Today we have to do everything on our own; we have to come up with our own system to seek meaning and make sense of our lives. The sooner we do it, the better. In my experience, every one of us will pass through this stage once in their life. How we deal with it and come out of it will determine the road ahead in our life – more meaningful with plenty of success.

I suggest the following steps to be followed properly with care and diligence to avoid facing such a scenario midway in one’s life thus also empowering one to deal & handle it better:-

1. There is no such thing as the good old days. Things are changing everyday. They are becoming more different and complex. There is no quick fix solution to a problem. New ways of understanding the roots of change have to be developed. We have to look for new forms of work and new approaches for self – help, and invent new services. We have to train ourselves and be ready for the future. The key to thriving in today’s world at any age is learning, unlearning and relearning. Learning “new tricks” is a continuous process for people who are open to new ideas and who welcome opportunities to grow and change. They engage in genuine self – renewal and growth; develop flexibility. One has to learn to be more independent and resourceful.

2. In today’s age there is no conclusive evidence that people who make the most money are happier or feel better about themselves. There is no direct correlation between career success, happiness, and high self-esteem with status, money, and upward mobility. Finding one’s meaning and mission may be the most critical step to happiness, however we define it. Mission, not money, motivates: Only purpose fights our fear of nothingness.

3. You are in charge of your career. No one is coming to rescue your career but you! If you are not in charge, no one is! If you don’t know what you want or need for your success, no one does. If you don’t have this wisdom, acquire it. This is what career planning is all about.

4. To assure career satisfaction, select your career based on what fits your individual skills, interests, motivations, and values, and balance these with projected opportunities. Never base a career selection solely on the anticipated job market. If it isn’t a match for you, success will be difficult for you to achieve and maintain, and you may never be able to value your success or translate it into high self-esteem.

5. Superior performance will be automatically recognized and rewarded. It holds true in the long run, but it also requires a lot of patience, persistence, determination, dedication, honesty and hard work. The final fruits of labor are sweet, but it takes time. Don’t seek instant gratification. Be willing to be disappointed once in a while. Don’t be disheartened if you feel that you did not get the praise or recognition you deserved. The best qualified people do not necessarily get the best jobs or the most money unless they have a keen awareness of how these things happen in their workplace.

6. The road to success is checkered with failures, false starts, and frequently grave mistakes. Addiction to perfectionism and fear of failure are deadly dictums to career success and creativity. If you spend most of your psychic energy concentrating on your weaknesses, you will neglect your strengths. You need to know your strengths – what you do well naturally – and focus on taking these skills to their highest level. The myth that successful people make no mistakes is highly incorrect. You will never learn, if you do not make mistakes.

7. Success in both personal and career life is a juggling act. To do this successfully we must identify, choose, and attend to our top priorities. Never sacrifice your private life for professional success for it may then not last long. There has to be an equal balance between both. That is the real challenge.

Conclusion: Understanding these above – mentioned points and reinforcing them time and again would enable the discerning reader to gain better control over one’s career.