This mistake cost me to lose a decade

If you knew me in my late 20s - early 30s, you have heard me say:

‘I don’t know what I want to do with my career!’

I gave this answer for over a decade. Now I know why I felt this way for that long.

I DIDN’T HAVE A PLAN!

The old me would say ‘How do you plan for something you don’t even know?’. The new me is all about setting goals and figuring out the unexpected and unknowns as they come.

I had this conversation with a friend who said we can’t plan our lives because so many parts of our lives are dependent on external factors. Very true my friend. However, imagine if you don’t have any plan, you will stay where you are until one of these external factors changes it for you.

For example, I was in my old field for over 16 years before I discovered coaching. I eventually found my passion that was fulfilling BUT it took me over a decade!

So how do you plan your career path? First, you need to know what’s important in your life. Here is the first part to planning your career path.

#1. OVERALL VISION

Write down an overall vision for yourself in 1 year, 5 years or even go further…10 years. Be as detailed as possible with every single part of your life.

• Where will you be living?

• What will you be driving?

• What will you be doing on the weekends?

• Who will you spend your weekends with?

• How is your relationship with yourself?

• With your partner? With your family & friends?

• Where will you be working?

• What will you be doing?

• How do you feel about your work?

• How do you feel when you wake up in the morning getting ready for your work day?

The list goes on. This exercise can help you get a sense of where you want to be in life, not just with your career. Remember, your work is only a part of your life.

Revisit this every quarter and see how close you are to your overall vision. If things change, you can change your vision! This isn’t set in stone. Like my friend said, you can’t plan for life because sh!t happens.

Are you a visual person? Create your life in a vision board! Do what works for you.