CAREERCompass, LLC. – Career Strategy Newsletter September 2019
In all the years I spent recruiting talent to organizations and all the years I’ve coached individuals, there’s one thing I’ve noticed over and over again – people often settle when they shouldn’t. They settle for the job they have; they even settle for the job they’re pursuing; they settle for the salary that’s offered; they settle for EVERYTHING as it relates to their career.
Why settle when you don’t have to??!!
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’ve had my moments when I’ve looked back and realized I had been settling for something as well. However, once I realized (and when I realize–present tense) that’s what I had been doing, I worked hard to correct it.
If you realize you’ve been settling for less, here are some steps you can take to make a change:
1. Spend time working to identify what it is you want. Anyone who’s been around me for five minutes or more knows I preach this. But, if you aren’t clear on the goal, the destination, how do you determine the required path to get there?
Repeat after me – “I know what I want and I am good enough to have it!”
2. Identify and surround yourself with people who are doing what they want; what they enjoy. Find out how they “figured it out,” and what steps they took to get where they wanted to be. Remember, “birds of a feather flock together.”
Repeat after me – “I surround myself with successful people and I am successful in the career I want.”
3. Be willing to make the sacrifices required to invest in yourself. My mother told me a long time ago that with few exceptions, people do what they really want to do; they find a way. In most instances, this is true. When we want to take a vacation, we find a way to save the money. When we want to lose weight, we make ourselves become more disciplined to exercise and watch what we eat. If there’s something you want in your career, FIND A WAY and stop settling.
Repeat after me – “I invest in myself and my success, because I’m worth it, and it pays off.”
No matter how few or how many years you have left in your career, if you aren’t happy, the remainder of your career is a long time to settle for it. Don’t settle, you can have it and you’re worth it!
To your success,