If you’re like, well basically anyone, you’re struggling with motivation these days. You may also be going through some serious career struggles and need some well-earned career growth. But here’s the rub, even now, nobody is going to hand it to you. Nope.
You absolutely have to be your own best advocate.
It’s not that the powers that be don’t care, but they’re too busy worrying about their own careers, departments and deliverables to check in on your career needs.
Do you want to get a new job, where you’re actually engaged in the outcome?
Have you been rocking it this quarter and want a promotion?
Do you know you’d kill it on a certain account but haven’t made the move?
Have a knack for making impossible clients happy and want to leverage that into a new role?
Are you screaming “YES!” quietly to yourself in your home office so you don’t alarm the dogs … but… but… you just can’t find the motivation to make it happen? I feel you. Most of us could use some help in the motivational arena at the moment.
Try one of these techniques if you’re looking to find some career motivations but have no idea how to even start making it happen:
1. See It and Be It
It sounds cheesy but ‘visualize the prize’ is the real deal. Studies have shown that just the act of visualization can produce a 45% success rate!
And this is something you can do on the couch while sporting your nasty sweatpants from college (you know the ones).
It’s a three parter though. You need to a) visualize the end product you’re hoping to achieve, then b) mentally list the reasons why you want this outcome, finally c) repeat that list of goodness to yourself until it’s set in mental-stone.
Visualization works because, science.
Creating a picture in your mind tricks your mind into thinking it’s real. That it can, will, and has happened.
So you want to switch gears and move into a creative role but your portfolio is a mess? What could your work life be like if you cleaned it up and slapped on a coat of digital paint?
Sit back, close your eyes, and visualize a totally stunning portfolio that you can send out to recruiters.
Really picture each page and how it will be seen by all the amazed hiring managers out there.
See, your brain made it happen - now your hands just need to get on board.
2. Flip the Script
This is all about the words the voices in your head say (c’mon we all know you’ve got ‘em).
The theory is that when you frame things as “I should do,” or “I ought to” vs “I want to” you hold yourself back.
Once you start taking action because you want to not because something/someone told you you should, stuff just starts happening.
It’s not that weird if you really think about it… “I should redo my portfolio someday.” vs “I want to update my portfolio so it makes me look awesome.”
Hell, now I want to redo my portfolio, your portfolio…. everyone’s portfolio!
3. Eat the Elephant
Okay. So are you ‘not motivated’ because in reality you’re freaked out about everything you think you need to do and 107% overwhelmed?
Grab a fork and ‘Eat the Elephant.’
What the???
It comes from an old proverb: “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” Overwhelm is your elephant. It’s the world’s most common motivation killer but it also happens to be the easiest to kick to the curb.
It’s painfully simple. Take your huge task, i.e. ‘create my portfolio,’ and break it down into to small, actionable steps that are concrete and accomplishable:
Create list of projects from the last 3 months
Gather assets from those projects
Upload images
Add appropriate copy for new projects
Change contact info to new email
Add photo on about page to a fun, recent photo
HAPPY DANCE YOU’RE DONE
The first step to defining and achieving your career goals is deciding to do it, then putting one foot in front of the other and just moving.
It only takes a little action to make a lot happen.
Bonus Option:
If all else fails, crank the Beyoncé and strut around your apartment until you feel like you OWN THE WORLD. Because you can.... if you move!
Yours in career goodness-
EBS
