Close your eyes and picture this. Your alarm clock goes off, forcing you to get up and start your day. You work out, and then again, maybe you don’t. You shower, get dressed, grab breakfast, and head to work. Your day is filled with office gossip, pre-scheduled meetings, and a long to-do list that you make your way through before heading home for the day. Once home, you rush to cook dinner and clean up, hoping to have just 15 minutes to yourself. You are exhausted, but when asked why your response is something like, “I have no idea what I did today” or “My day is just one big blur.”
Sounds familiar? Most of us navigate our careers using routines. Although I am a fan of routines and processes, they should be used to help streamline mundane tasks to allow you to be present in the moment. Since we have become accustomed to relying on routines, we now manage our careers in a fog. There is no plan, direction, or sense of who you are or what you want. We have become robots, going through the motions and wondering, "How did I get here."
When you manage your career this way, you are allowing your career to happen to you rather than for you. And there is a significant difference. Allowing your career to unfold unconsciously comes at a cost; that price tag is your power. Your power to control the direction of your career or any area of your life for that matter. You no longer have a say in what the outcome should be. Instead, you spend your days reacting to external events, most of which add little to no value for shaping the career you want.
When you manage your career this way, you will continue to be running on a loop. Why? Because what you give your attention to will expand. This is the fundamental principle of manifestation. Whether you believe in the law of attraction or not, it is a scientific law, much like gravity, and it always works. Translation, until you set your intentions and become intentional about what gets your focus, you will continue to see the same result. In this case, those results will be the career fog loop.
THE POWER OF INTENTIONS
What exactly is an intention? Intention is a word used often, and knowing that an intention is simply a goal is essential. It is the thing that you set out to do deliberately. Intentions shape your thoughts, choices, and behaviors. They set the tone for who and what gets your attention. Therefore, your intentions can determine your success in your career and in achieving the lifestyle you want.
Setting intentions is one of the most powerful tools to create positive change in your life. It allows you to take deliberate steps toward manifesting your desired outcome. Setting an intention can help you stay focused, motivated, and inspired and give you a sense of purpose and direction. Additionally, studies have shown that setting intentions is linked to increased happiness, productivity, and success. So, if you want to create positive changes in your career, don’t underestimate the power of setting intentions.
NAVIGATE YOUR CAREER INTENTIONALLY
For intentions to work, you must have clarity around what you want. Without a clear vision, knowing what you should give your attention to becomes impossible. You will find yourself being pulled in multiple directions with very little, if anything, to show for it. Having clarity around your intentions is vital to achieving your goals in life. One way to do this is to set clear objectives and break them down into achievable steps. Another way is to visualize what success looks like for you and then take the necessary action to make it a reality.
The most considerable hesitation I have come across when it comes to setting career goals is fear. A little voice tells us not to dream big for fear of being disappointed. We tell ourselves to play it safe and not take risks for fear of failing. We stop ourselves from going after that promotion or applying for that dream job, fearing not being good enough. We shrink ourselves and dim our lights in fear of not belonging.
You could continue to navigate your career in a fog, mindlessly going through your days and hoping for the best. Or you could decide to take back your power and navigate your career with a sense of purpose. You could dare to be bold, dream big, and create something extraordinary. To do this, start by asking yourself these questions:
What elements of your career bring you joy?
What about your career takes away from your peace?
What do you want to see instead?
If you could do ANYTHING and get paid for it, what would it be?
What do I want to do?
What do I need to do to make a successful career change?
Take your time and be honest with yourself. Once you have a clearer vision of what success means to you and what you want out of your career, you can start creating a plan to achieve your aspirations.
Making a career move can be risky and scary, but life is too precious to settle for anything less than the best. Instead of settling for mediocrity, why not strive to make the most out of life and take risks to create meaningful and lasting change? As the saying goes, life is made up of choices and chances, so why not make the most of them?
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