October 10, 2010
How often are you assessing yourself, your plan, personality, ethics, beliefs, etc.? You may be surprised to learn that these evolve. Things change as you learn about life; even certain portions of your personality will morph as you mature. Important, if you don’t re-assess and adjust, you will not be able to take full advantage of future opportunities. Here are some ideas to learn about your true self:
1) Take a personality test
Sometimes you’ll be surprised about what these tests uncover. It may not be what you expected.
2) Define your belief system
Your belief system covers things like family, finance, career, etc. answering things like “I believe in having family dinners once per week” or “my career is number one in my life right now”
3) Take an IQ test or the GMAT
Don’t worry about the score, that’s not important. These tests will reveal the subjects you’re strong at and how you think about problems so you can better align your career to match them.
4) Ask people how they define you
Knowing how others perceive you is important, are you the go-to, the slacker, the jerk? This is important to know because it may hinder your advancement.
5) Define your own code of ethics
Similar to your beliefs except your code of ethics pertains to situations in your life. For example, how will you treat people?
6) Track your time-spent doing…
Knowing how much time you spend on areas that aren’t advancing you towards your goals is important – take the time to log your hours and work to eliminate distractions.
You should be able to create an overview about yourself. Answering questions like, who are you, what are your ethics & beliefs, where do you spend most of your time, etc. In doing this, you will uncover where you need to adjust so you can remain focused on the things that bring you the most satisfaction.
Finally, identify the next time you will review yourself. At that point, you’ll be able to answer questions about what has worked well for you, lessons learned, etc. The overview of yourself is important but taking action to improve or change is the hard part. If you need help in this area, find a coach or mentor that you can trust. Contact me if you need help finding the right coach or mentor.
To receive mindset challenges via email, become a subscriber.
September 30, 2010
This week we have a special guest post by Gale Bowman from WhatCollegeForgot.com. Gale has become an expert in professional development for Generation Y and beyond. Be sure to check out her website and the NEW online course she has available!
One of the most commonly used buzz words in Corporate America is “being proactive” which means taking initiative and adding value without being asked. But what about being proactive outside of work? Should you spend time worrying about your own personal proactivity?
According to Stephen Covey, the definition of proactive is more than taking initiative; it means that we as human beings are responsible for our own lives. In other words, proactive people make things happen. Below are five strategies for living a proactive life:
1. Set goals for yourself
Take some time to think about all the long-term goals you’d like to accomplish in the next two to five years. Set SMART goals which stands for specific, measurable, attainable, results-oriented, and time-bound.
2. Write down your goals
You increase your chance of achieving your goals by 80% when you write them down. So go get a pen and write them down. For bonus points, keep your list of goals in a place where you can re-read them every day.
3. Stop worrying and take charge
Your list of goals might be really long, and require a lot of hard work. But worrying won’t do you any good. Remember the definition of proactive is taking charge to make things happen rather than stalling or worrying.
4. Act on what ‘s actionable
This sounds redundant but recognizing what’s actionable takes a little bit of work. Select one of your goals and ask yourself the following question: “What’s the next action I need to take to start inching toward achieving this goal?” These actionable items become your short-term goals.
5. Celebrate your successes
When you accomplish something make sure you take note and pat yourself on the back. Do whatever it is that will help you savor even the small moments of success on your journey to achieving your long-term goals. Long-term goals take two or more years to achieve but you don’t have to wait that long to celebrate!
Remember, reactive people allow their lives to be a product of their environment. But if you choose to live a proactive lifestyle, you truly can make things happen to achieve your long-term goals and live a rewarding life.
To receive mindset challenges via email, become a subscriber.
thanks for sharing them