When you first set foot on the career ladder, you have high expectations. You believe that the first step will lead to a second and you’ll eventually make your way to a position of power and authority. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen. In fact, it is a rare soul who makes his way to the top of an organization through dedication and sheer grit. Most people float horizontally for vast swathes of time, and ambition falls by the wayside.
If you’re not progressing in your career, take a look at the following ideas for giving it a kick up the backside.
Adopt A “Dream Big” Mindset
Sometimes you can become a prisoner of your routine. You believe that just because you’re living in a particular way right now, that is your life.
But as we’ve seen in 2020, things can change on a dime. One minute you’re employed, and then next, a killer virus comes along and scuppers your finances in a way you never predicted.
Dreaming big is just a byword for the ability to see opportunities. It’s a mental habit you can use to get yourself out of a rut and take advantage of circumstances when you can. You don’t have to be grandiose or unrealistic – just appreciative of chances for success when they come along.
Start A Career In A Trade
Just because you got a bachelor’s degree in economics doesn’t mean you have to spend your life working in offices as a financial analyst. Nothing is stopping you from doing something radically different with your hands and making a success of it.
There are license types for practically every trade. All you need to do is acquire one, and you’re ready to start doing jobs in homes and businesses.
Don’t discount the trades just because they’re not the traditional realm of the educated classes.
Competent tradespeople can start multi-million-dollar companies and skim healthy profits off the top. Who knows, with all your training, you could do something similar.
Ignore Your Expectations
In life, you have two options: you can either go with the flow and see where it takes you, or you can fight against it.
The majority of people spend their time doing the latter, trying to avoid their fate. But that’s just not how things work. The universe tends to funnel you into precisely the kind of roles to which you’re most suited. You can paddle a little way from side to side, but you can’t row upstream forever.
Be honest about what you can do well and double-down on that. Stop wasting time trying to compensate for your weaknesses. It’s not worth the effort.
Build Your Future Self
Okay, so there might not be many opportunities for you right now in your career, but so what? Things don’t happen immediately. Instead, they take many years of persistent effort.
If immediate progression isn’t available, build the bedrock. Start with your habits and your body. Improve your diet and find ways to up your energy levels. Become a better communicator. Do whatever you can, and the money will follow.
