Charting New Courses

Before you map out the course toward where you're going, you must first figure out where you are. Accurate self-assessment is crucial to a successful life plan. Take a good long look at yourself – at your career, your love life, your finances – and if any do not match up with where you want to be, ask yourself “why? “

When doing this, it is essential to not play the blame game. It isn’t your boss’s fault you aren’t succeeding, or your spouse’s, or your parents, or anyone else's.  We all create our own circumstances, good or bad.

That being said, beating yourself up for past mistakes is utterly counterproductive. You can’t change the past, so there is no sense in dwelling on it, except to assess why you are not where you want to be in life. 

The best way to do this is step outside of yourself, and look at your life, habits, and experiences as if you were your own therapist.  No judgements, no regrets.  Just an honest assessment, so you can correct past mistakes, and make course corrections in your life.

Are you doing your job to the best of your ability?  If not, why not?  Maybe it simply isn’t the right job for you. If you are fully immersing yourself in your work, but you don’t have a passion for it, then you’re probably doing it for all the wrong reasons. The solution? Find something that you ARE passionate about, and figure out how to make a living at it, if you can.

Never be afraid to reset your course. Your career, like your life, is in a constant change of evolution. Your goals and aspirations will undoubtedly be different at age 25 than they will be at age 35, 45, and beyond.

Always remember: YOU are the master of your destiny. YOU got yourself to where you are today.  YOU, and no one else. If you’re unhappy with your circumstances, complaining about them will get you nowhere but alone. No one likes to be around a negative Nellie – especially one who won’t take any action to change their life for the better. If you’re unhappy, then make a change!