Everyone has excuses - some more valid than others - for not following through on their promises or dreams to change their current job situation. Let's look those excuses straight in the face, and see a good example of how you can break through and make good on your intentions.
I'm writing this while thinking about how we all start the year off with the best of intentions. The resolutions, the promises, the goals we set for ourselves.
If the word on the street is to be believed, very few people follow through on these commitments.
Sometimes it's because we set too high a bar for ourselves. Sometimes we never fill in the "how" that would fill out a successful Point A to Point B trip.
When it comes to our careers, though, it's easy to fall into another trap - to put things on the back burner, to treat your current situation as tolerable enough that you need not do anything about it right now.
But ask yourself this - now that it's March (or any other month after you stated a career change goal for yourself), have you let your ambitions get off track?
Did you greet January with the thought of looking for a more satisfying job? Better pay? The next step on the ladder - or on your 5-10 year plan?
And if the honest answer is that you'd rather make some changes to your current situation, that's fine, too. Just be honest about it.
For example, if it's only a matter of money, and you'd be happier in your current job and not job hunting, check out resources like Salary.com to research salaries for positions at your professional level, within your industry (and related ones). Get a benchmark, and then start preparing to ask for a raise within your own company.
But don't just go in saying, "The average pay is this, and I'm not getting it, and I want it." Take some time to list your accomplishments for the company - ones that added to its bottom line - and schedule a meeting to discuss it.
And if it doesn't go your way, and you're truly dissatisfied with the results, then here's some good news: You'll already have taken the first steps to prepare your resume for distribution to headhunters and recruiters by documenting hard-dollar accomplishments.
Either way, you're on your way to a better executive job situation.
That's one example of how taking action, one step at a time, even if a job change isn't your ultimate goal, can help you get to a happier place with your job (and by extension, your life).
Now, it's your turn. What are the steps YOU need to take? Write them down, and on the first weekday after you read this, take that first step. The next day, another. Get moving, and make your plans pay off.
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