Career Coach: The End of the World as We Know It

Well, the world didn’t end on 12/21/12 as some folks predicted. But as 2013 unfolds, we each have an opportunity to reflect on our personal endings and beginnings. What is the world you want to create around you? How will you bring this about?

Reflect on your life for a moment. What, up until now, brought you joy and satisfaction? What goals did you achieve and how have you developed strengths that provide a foundation for future achievements? Take time to appreciate yourself and those who have inspired and assisted you. What about your world is challenging to you? What frustrations, anxieties, fears, and resentments do you carry? Our feelings point us to changes we may want to target in ourselves. 

What is the “stand” or commitment you wish to declare for 2013? We sometimes call these “New Year’s Resolutions,” but those fizzle out. By making our goals SMART, we have a greater chance of laying a realistic foundation for achievement. To be SMART, your goals must be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. 

Bringing these goals to fruition requires you to create strategies to do that. When you experience emotions such as frustration, anxiety, fear, and anger, it is always because you lack a workable strategy to meet an important need. If we focus our attention on the need that is revealed, we can create strategies to reach a desired goal. 

In my blogs this month, I will discuss practical steps we can take to translate our challenges, obstacles, and stresses into strategies for meeting our needs. If 12/21/12 marked the end of the world as we knew it, then from here on out we can create the world as we want it. 

–Andrea Zintz, Career Coach