Coach yourself to a new and exciting future.
‘ The secret to change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on creating the future.’ – Socrates
Life is complex and busy for everyone. I understand that it’s really easy to get caught up in the challenges of day to day and lose sight of your future.
You’re not alone in this.
Ask yourself if the future you currently see in front of you, is the future that you really want?
Stephen Covey in his 7 habits model says – ‘Begin with the end in mind.’
Start with a clear picture of your destination – or what you’re aiming for.
Covey’s beginning with the end in mind is based on the principle that all things are created twice – first in the mind and then in reality.
So choose your goals carefully –and begin your plan, begin the process of directing your focus on your future.
Remember this quote by Lao Tzu ‘ The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.’ Begin your planning today.
Covey goes further to say in his 7 habits model – make sure that your ladder is up against the right wall before you start your climb. No sense in setting goals in an industry that doesn’t suit your skills, your strengths and, most importantly, your interests.
Do you know what you want?
Sometimes it is difficult to isolate a clear goals – goals that related to your interests as well as skills.
Time to do some self reflection. Self-reflection can be one of the hardest things to do accurately. We can all be our own harshest critics. There are many self-reflection tools that are simple, yet effective, in clarifying your thoughts. One such tool is mind-maps. Mind- maps offer a flexible approach to self-reflection.
Other tools that are equally effective in self-reflection are, – self assessment questionnaires – 360 feedback processes – and psychometric assessments are very helpful too.
What do you know now that you didn’t know before?
With the information you have now from your self-reflection, you will have a clearer pic of your current reality. Now you need to make use of this data to help you identify your goals.
Goal setting is a significant part of your change process.
Benjamin May is credited with this quote ‘The tragedy of life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal, it lies in having no goals to reach.’
So choose your goals carefully –and begin your plan, begin the process of directing your focus on your future.
It’s time to plan
Covey again uses a metaphor this time of building a house. We know that plans are essential to building a house and we wouldn’t start the build without plans. Why are plans neglected in our life?
Begin your action planner for your future. Identify your specific goals. I suggest that you identify one major goal and then any others that support this goal.
What actions or behaviours will be used to achieve the goal?
What will try and get in the way of achieving the goal and how will you overcome these?
How will you know that you’ve achieved the goal – what will it look like?
What’s the ideal outcome?
Be passionate about your goals.
Do your goals excite you – are you passionate about them? If you’re not, it’s unlikely that you will achieve the goals easily. The obstacles may be hard to overcome and you may become disillusioned. Be passionate about what you want for yourself.
You owe it to yourself to strive for and achieve success.
What’s at stake for you to lose or to gain? Imagine its 6 months or a year from now and nothing has changed. What are the implications? Your life will not get better just by chance. You need to drive the change.
Tony Gaskin is credited with the following quote
‘ If you don’t build your dreams, someone else will hire you to build theirs.’
Set and control the change required to achieve your goals.
You owe it to yourself to do this, don’t give up on yourself.
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you imagined.
Author: Dianne Rowe
Dianne is an Executive & Leadership Coach for Engineers (and other clever people) & lead recruiter at Rowe & Co, Global Search Consultants in Oil & Gas, Power & Water.
Dianne knows that engineers have a tendency to undersell their skills and knowledge causing them to be conservative in their career aspirations. Leadership coaching with Dianne Rowe can help you to see your strengths and learn to expand and grow, both personally and professionally.
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Career Coaching, Coaching Tips, Inspiration, Job Search, Leadership, Uncategorized
