We have all been there. Times when we feel we are at a crossroad and don’t know whether to stay with the company, or whether to go. It’s not an easy road. Certainly a time for deep reflection and analysis. But it can be done using helpful strategies.
7 Signs That Tells You When To Look for New Opportunities
Extracted from theMuse, here are my top 7 WHENs that you can use to know when it’s time to move on.
When you are unhappy most of the day. What’s the point of being unhappy doing what you do?
When the only way you can move up is when your boss retires. Oh well, need I say more?
When you get passed over for a promotion more than once
When your company is cutting back or your industry is shrinking. Astonished?Commonsense really…extinction is at hand. Be alert. Keep your eyes…
Just drive! Hit the road! It doesn’t matter where you’re going. Just drive! There’s not much to that. With no plan, anything you do will get you nowhere. But that’s more than likely not your intention. There’s more interest and satisfaction for example when you plan your career, or a vacation…knowing exactly where you’re going; researching the cost of airfare, hotel accommodations, tours, not to mention the ton of fun you’ll get from the planning exercise itself!
Quotes That Inspire
Here are 11 Goal-Setting Quotes selected that will inspire you to achieve:
Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.
You cannot change your destination overnight, but you can change your direction overnight. – Jim Rohn
When you say ‘Yes” to others, Make sure you aren’t saying ‘No’ to yourself.
If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much. -Jim Rohn
The greater danger for most of us isn’t that our aim is too high and miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it. -Michelangelo
This one step…choosing a goal and sticking to it…changes everything. -Scott Reed
A goal without a plan is just a wish.
It’s not about the goal. It’s about becoming the type of person that can accomplish the goal. – Tony Robbins
If the plan doesn’t work, change the plan, but never the goal
People with goals succeed because they know where they are going. – Earl Nightingale
A goal should scare you a little, and excite you a lot. – Joe Vitale
CHALLENGE:
Adopted from MoveMe. Set one Goal that you can commit to achieve. Then, make sure you put it in a place where you can be reminded of it every day. For example, you could turn your goal into a poster and place it on your bedroom wall, or you could make your goal your smartphone background, or you could put your goal on your work desk – anywhere that you will see it often. Finally, try to tell somebody what you’re doing and tell them to hold you accountable. The power of accountability can never be overemphasized. When you have somebody to report to, you will be more likely to push through on days when you don’t feel like it and see your goals through to the end!
In your own quiet corner you lay at night. You dream about being in the nationals. You work your butt off and that dream finally becomes real. Then you start thinking is the Olympics possible? 4 Years of hard work and sacrifice and it comes through! Millions grin with joy and you cannot help but beam. Then another 4 years to go higher. Is it possible? Can you do it again? You get to work again but pretty soon you realize the dream is no longer yours. You want to back off but start thinking … what will they say? How will they react? But really you no longer want that dream (for you).
Is it worth it to deny yourself and go after their goal? One can only think of the Olympics and the predicament of the athletes who compete. Usain bolt was one. Armed with the birth name bolt, he struck lightening as a little country boy. His natural gift blessed the world for several Olympic seasons then he decided to walk away, to change careers. Many understood but were disappointed. They had saved for several years to getaway on those blissful destination vacay under the premise of supporting their country, while being entertained.
Your Career. Your Choice.
Let’s emphasize. Whatever career you choose, it-is-your-choice. No one else’s. You have to work hard for it. Make sacrifices but in the end if you are successful, it’s yours. Naturally the salary, and the benefits of all expense paid trips are appetizing but pretty soon you get tired and may not want ‘it’ any more. That’s when you need to stand strong. To get the negatives out of your head. To ditch the career when it no longer motivates you. When it seems like a chore to get out of bed. When you feel nauseated just thinking about it. Know that is when it’s time to move on.
But First Prepare
But before you do, make that plan. Prepare yourself adequately. Making a major decision to throw in the towel doesn’t come lightly and leads to consequences. So move stealthily. Think before you leap.
The book Your Career: Ditch It Switch It prepares you and is a valuable resource before you jump ship. Want to learn more? Get it here
What about you? Have you ever had to walk away from a promising career? When you look back, did you do the right thing? Any regrets? Do share. We would love to hear.
Delighted to speak with Northern CAribbean University 2021 graduates on April 20th. How can graduating students Ditch the Fear that is holding them back so they can move forward?
Hate your job? Feel sick just getting up in the morning to go (virtual or in-person)? We certainly understand. Many have been there. Just don’t jump ship yet. Here are 5 Strategies to do it right when you are at that crossroad and wondering what to do.
5 Strategies To Do It Right
Don’t leave (yet)
Start your search to see the job options available in the market place
Like your current career? Stay with it
Hate your current career? Plan an escape
Take into consideration your current skills, qualification and experience.
Upgrade skills if needed to suit your new role
Update your Resume to match the job you’re looking for and review your social media profiles to make sure nothing unprofessional exist
It’s time to begin your search to Ditch it for the ideal career you want
Keep Motivated. Prepare yourself psychologically. The going can get rough especially while you are still in the same miserable job. So plan an escape while you wait. This can be:
Bathroom run (to breathe while on the job)
Mental escape to your happy place (vacation getaway, home reno, time with family, time alone, time with your favorite hobby)
Above all, be flexible. Sometimes you may need to take an interim role to get to where want to go. This may come with lower pay, entry level path or internship to get on your new career path. It’s the sacrifice you must take to get to where you want to go.
The greatest thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving.
Oliver Wendell Holmes
A colleague in the industry asked me to address concerns about the unemployment situation during the pandemic. So what do we recommend to people who are job hunting? To those who live from pay check to pay check and now feel frustrated because they have hit rock bottom? Here are 7 Ways:
1. Build Mental Capacity
Build your mental capacity. Be honest about your circumstances. Keep yourself motivated when the going gets rough.
2. Ditch that Miserable Job
Go for that change. Need a career change? The best time is now. Interested in starting a business? It the right time. Go ahead and do it.
3. Do your Market Research
Consider the job you like
Be flexible, take what you can get (for now). It might be lower pay and benefits. But build it as part of your strategy. Just don’t let it be a permanent thing like a lot of people do. Then later they look around and realize years have passed. What should have been temporary slowly became permanent in the rat race of time.
4. Clean up your Public Profile
Recruiters and Hiring managers will check you out. So lead them to what you want them to see. Clean up that LinkedIn, Facebook and any other social media profile that you are active on.
5. Prepare
Prepare your Resume. This should be tailored to the job you are looking for and not the job that you had before. Get professional help from a coach if needed or get tips from the book: Your Career: Ditch It. Creative careers in media and entertainment industry such as artists and content-creators need a professional website. Simple will do. Just get it done
Do contact your references. Ditch the surprize. Nothing worse than one of your referees receiving a phone call for someone they haven’t heard from in 5-10 years or more. I know because that’s what happens to me time and again. Then you are expected to provide a good reference. No surprizes guys.
6. Upgrade Skills
What skills will you need in your new career? Will you need to upgrade? If so, go do it. Take advantage of Free training that has become available during the Pandemic. This includes the government’s re-employment assistance. They offer Free training for many career options. All you need to do is register.
7.Avoid Toxic Friends
Align yourself with a network who is going in the direction that you would like to go. Avoid toxicity.
Reggae Music Matriarch, Miss Patricia Chin shares her story and new book “My Reggae Music Journey from Ska, Rocksteady, Reggae and Dancehall”. Her name is synonymous with artists such as Beenie Man, Etana, Buju Banton, Beresford Hammond and many more. Sharing this conversation during Miami Book Fair’s Virtual Event.
In this discussion she shared her journey on overcoming Barriers as a woman in business.
Listen in and get a copy of her book at vandpfoundation.org proceeds of which goes to the Alpha Boys School.
Across from her I stood. Watching as she carefully arranged the papers for delivery. Unknown to her was the intrepid fact that her department would be cut the next day. No amount of hard work could Criticizeor change that fact. Decades ago who would ever have thought that society would change. Newspapers were no longer being read by the mass and the company had to cut back. Sad as it was the staff had to be reduced to save what little of the company that could be salvaged to its new online medium.
Peter Drucker was wise when he said there is nothing quite so useless as doing with great efficiency, something that should not be done at all. Tempted? Let’s examine our lives today. What are we doing so well that should not be…
Workation is the concept of a place to getaway for business and pleasure.
Forbes Travel Guide which gave 26 Ideas of Workations to take right now. It’s not really a new concept as I have always traveled for business. However, in my workaholic haste to return home, I regret not taking the time to chill and relax after my meetings and/or conferences….essentially, to smell the coffee.
Enter the advent of the worldwide COVID Pandemic. Hotels suffered grave hit as travel took an unfortunate plunge. As creativity stepped in, hotels have had to come up with innovative ways to stay afloat as individuals stay indoors to do the traditional yet now expanded survival work-from-home strategy. Unfortunately, as this tactic has becomes more common, misery stepped in at the end of the day. So this is a cute idea to take a deliberate action to getaway, work, relax and play after. Who can beat that 3-in-1 deal? I’d only suggest you ensure there’s WiFi! To give you a push start, here are 5 hotels that I have worked from which drove my own writing passion.
1. Disney’s Contemporary Resort
2. Sundial Beach Resort and Spa
3. Sonesta
4. GalleryOne DoubleTree Suites By The Hilton
5. Hutchinson Island
Hope these selections have opened your appetite to change things up a bit. But be very careful and disciplined with your selections. Your productivity may be compromised.
Success Strategies 