Sometimes our computers or smart phones get stuck. Ugh. When that happens, tech repair professionals will usually tell us to reboot our device and see if the problems disappear. So we shut down our device and flip it back on. And voila, like magic our device is back is back up and running. (At least for the time being.)
Sometimes our careers can feel stuck. Things jam up or slow down. We feel trapped.
When that happens maybe a career reboot is the cure.
So how do you reboot a career?
Here are 5 steps to rebooting your career:
- Wake up!
Take some inventory about where you are in your career. Things always change. How aware are you about these changes? Have things changed in your industry? Of course. There are trends in every industry and the easiest way to find out is to ask people how they see the future. Are you reading? Are you watching? Are you asking? In any industry, we must take a proactive approach to maintain awareness of what is going on. So open your eyes to what “is” and not what “should be.”
- Complacency is a trap.
Take a shot. If there is something that you want or need, go get it. Trust yourself and accept any fear that you may have. Do you want to change jobs? Do you want to go back to school? Do you have an idea that you would like to offer to your boss or to the world? Fear is powerful, but so is success. Fortune favors the bold. If you are waiting for the right time, that is delusional thinking. There’s never the right time to do anything. Give yourself permission to want more out of life.
- Accept the possibility of rejection.
Rejection is a reality of life. Someone says no to your idea or need? So what; keep going. Rejection is an imposter. Why not convince yourself that rejection is a part of life no different than the seasons. Rejection can feel personal, but it rarely is. If you are a sales person, rejection is built into the equation of your job. But in reality, rejection only means that you have to maintain persistence until acceptance. Acceptance can be just around the corner. Rejection is simply a temporary nuisance.
- Trust yourself, fully.
No one has the formula for success. So trust yourself regardless of what others think. Look back at your accomplishments in life and break it down into smaller decisions that you had to make along the line. All accomplishments are achieved with some element of self-trust. Try this: believe that you are able to accomplish the things that you want to do for yourself. Do not fall into the trap of listening to other people’s opinion. Belief in a possible outcome can only come from completely trusting yourself.
Do something right now. What are you waiting for? Re-booting yourself can be a process in which you take action a little bit each day. What small step can you do right now to make a make a dream come true? Read something that might help. Make one phone call to find out the information you need. Write a sentence. Fix your resume. Do 10 minutes of research. The point is to do something no matter how small or trivial.
“Nothing happens until something moves.”- Albert Einstein
So today, make something move.