The Mindshift You Need to Redefine Your Career Path
Building a life of purpose through your career
Duh…another dopamine plunge with social media!
You open your LinkedIn feed — hoping to find uplifting inspiration or customary updates.
You browse through the posts and come across a slew of success stories shared by your friends and connections. A virtual celebration of their recent career milestones, promotions, certifications, or job switch.
You promptly congratulate them with cute emojis through the comments section or simply hit the like button.
As you scroll, feelings of inadequacy arise with each success story. You begin to question your worth and competence as comparisons inevitably surface.
Why haven’t you reached similar heights? What are you lacking?
The frustration grows as you assess the perceived gap between your status quo and your dream job. As if you’re standing still while everyone around you is sprinting toward success.
The self-doubt and frustration kick in, putting a big question mark on your career path and prospects.
No wonder, the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.
The Elephant Rope
A well-known anecdote involves young elephants who are conditioned to believe that their rope tethers can hold them. As they grow older, they never attempt to break free because their past beliefs still bind them.
What holds us back?
Fear of unknown
We tend to enjoy a sense of familiarity at work, don’t we?
Whether it’s through our colleagues, workstations, break rooms, tasks, or responsibilities; over time we develop a sense of security that can make it difficult to step out of our comfort zones.
The law of inertia holds here as well!
We begin to doubt our abilities to adapt to a new environment. The fear of failure can paralyze us from leaping.
Financial shackles
The three most harmful addictions are heroin, carbohydrates, and a monthly salary
— Nassim Nicholas Taleb
The joy of salary credit is short-lived as money vampires prey on your bank balance — Rentals, EMIs, membership fees, credit card payments, and utility bills.
Like a hamster on a wheel, we end up chasing one paycheck to another.
Chasing extrinsic motivation
We often seek external validation — recognition from leaders for our sincere efforts, client appreciation, and trust from coworkers.
Deadlines, targets, anxiety, and stress constantly occupy our minds. It’s like running on a treadmill that keeps you in the same spot, only this exercise is counterproductive to your health.
The outcome — we find ourselves living someone else’s dream, forgetting our aspirations, or even being unaware of them altogether.
Digital chains
Technology has made us reliant and less motivated to think deeply about our lives.
We spend more time analyzing data on a computer than reflecting on our thoughts and emotions.
Ironically, we turn to technology as a form of escape — whether it’s through social media, online streaming platforms, or virtual games.
Although technology has simplified many of our daily tasks and opened up new possibilities, we often become so engrossed in it that we lose sight of ourselves.
Breaking the shackles to unleash your potential
Deciding on a career path that is relevant to our lives can be one of the most crucial yet confounding choices we face. We often feel overwhelmed by the people, choices, and opinions around us.
It is easy to slip away into the daily humdrum of life.
Most people want to BECOME but never try to BE.
The BIG question — How do you find the right career path for yourself?
- Make conscious efforts to upskill yourself, in alignment with your passions and the latest market trends. Invest your time and money as necessary.
- Talk to experts in your desired field. Learn about successful people’s journeys and observe the things they do consistently.
- Prepare well for your next move by doing the necessary groundwork. Don’t make haste decisions.
- Engage in self-discovery, goal-setting, and identifying your passions.
- Set a sound foundation of knowledge and skills in the desired career path. You can’t be Picasso if you can’t handle brushes.
- Reflect on your skills and values and align them with the target audience. That will help you stand out in a crowd.
- Be bold enough to ask questions, curious enough to seek answers, and open enough to ask and seek help.
- Consistency and staying focused on your goals is the key. Enjoy the process, instead of waiting for the end goal to be happy.
- Be prepared for the grind. Failures should not deter you.
A career is a journey of continuous pursuit of excellence. It is beyond securing a means of livelihood.
Think of your career as a marathon and not a sprint!
Self-awareness, self-belief, discipline, and mindfulness are worthy companions to this path.
STOP paying attention to the outside noise, and start listening to your inner voice.
Instead of fearing the unknown, remember that there can be possibilities that await you.
Success isn’t about how your life looks to others. It’s about how it feels to you — Michelle Obama
