Written by Shirin Khamisa, Founder, Careers by Design
Did you start 2016 with a desire to get More Happy Mondays?
Working towards an important goal like advancing your career or doing work that makes you smile comes with wins and setbacks.
Whether you are leaping ahead or feeling a little stuck, here's a practical strategy to support and inspire you.
Listening to a webinar with New York times best-selling author, Marci Shimoff, I was reminded of a catchy phrase that outlines a formula for achieving any goal.
It summarizes an approach that we’ve been using at Careers by Design for over a decade to help clients achieve success.
It’s worked for hundreds of people and can give you the edge, too.
Here's the 3 step formula:
1. Intention
2. Attention
3. Reduce Tension
& here's exactly how it relates to your career success ...
1. Intention
Achieving any career goal requires being very clear about the specifics of what you want.
Many of our clients start out with a fuzzy goal like: "I want a good career that pays well."
Through the process of understanding yourself at a deeper level, you can identify the specifics of what will bring you Happy Mondays.
Many people are afraid that they will be disappointed if they dare to believe that they can get what they want. It can feel risky to get your hopes up.
We live in a time of unprecedented choice and opportunity. When you have the courage to declare what you want, you will be able to spot and leverage opportunities to get it.
Here's a concrete truth: When you have a specific goal, the better chances you have of achieving it.
Don’t waste your precious time and energy!
Take the time to get clear and aim your arrows at the right target.
2. Attention
Your career goals need your time and energy. Life is busy and it can be challenging to make room in your schedule for what's important to you.
Without focused attention, goals cannot be realized.
Use strategies that help you to make your goal a priority. Choose the ones that work best for your motivational style.
Here are a few suggestions....
Don’t try to do it all yourself.
Get others involved in helping you to move forward. Your chances of success multiply, as more attention is placed on your goal!
Schedule times to work on your goal and commit to being there for yourself, no matter what.
If you find too much structure stifling, give yourself more choice about when you will work on your goals and what activities you will do
If you are low on energy, charge your batteries first. Make a deposit to your energy account before making a withdrawal.
3. Reduce tension
This is the real game changer that will allow you to LEAP forward.
From a biological standpoint, stress limits our ability to make full use of our brain’s higher order thinking and problem solving capacity. This means our ability to be creative and resourceful is restricted. Goals can take longer to achieve or get stalled.
Many of us are afraid to let go of stress. We may believe that we need it to move forward. You can use positive emotions instead of stress to fuel your success. It’s a much more productive and pleasurable route to getting where you want to be. Research indicates that happier people are more successful.
Can you think of a time when you encountered a challenge but were at your best? Remember how much easier it was for you to deal with life’s challenges. When our bodies and minds are in a state of tension, it's challenging to leap forward. Taking the time to shift into a state of ease is a game changer. You'll have more energy to take action and creative solutions will be born.
This is one of our absolute favourite parts of our work.
It's absolutely magical to see this truth come alive in your own life.
Intention. Attention. Reduce Tension.
A simple phrase to help you stay on track.
Connect Head & Heart To Move Forward
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