best career advice to help achieve your goals

work life journals

Did you know that we typically spend one third of our adult life working? Making our work lives more fulfilling is something that I believe can have a positive impact on our lives.

This week we asked you for some of the best career advice you have ever received and below are some of the inspiring responses you sent us:

1. Don’t lose sight of your goals
I’m a big fan of Warren Buffet’s 5/25 strategy. First write down your top 25 goals. Of this list draw a circle around your top 5 goals. Once you can say these are your priority then say no to the rest. The other 20 goals you avoid at all costs until you have your top 5 goals achieved. Why does this work? If we focus on too many things – really what can we possibly achieve – a bit of this and a bit of that. Read your goals as you start each day. Focus on what you really want to achieve and use these to determine what activities need to be part of your day. Without our goals we quickly become reactive to the interruptions and the demands of everyone else during the day and a year later we discover we’re still in the same position that we started from.

2. Never ask anyone for more than they can give ( apply to life and relationships also)
It leads to you feeling disappointed and perhaps even angry but more important it puts an unduly amount of stress on the person being asked to deliver something that they simply cannot do.

3. Learn how to say no and accept compliments with grace
Saying no is not just about setting boundaries so you can manage your time and tasks. It can also be about not saying yes to every business opportunity presented to you, every collaboration offer and every “could we meet for coffee to discuss a proposal”. Check - will this bring me closer to my goals or will it bring me joy? If the answer is no then most likely your answer should be no too.

4. Believe in yourself and always follow your gut instinct
If you can learn how to believe in yourself you can open up endless possibilities in your life. Success comes when people believe they can make their goals happen. You might not know all the answers now but keep trusting in yourself and know that you have the capabilities to figure it out along the way.

5. Don’t stay in a job if you’re not happy
Unfortunately many people feel miserable in their job yet feel so trapped and don’t believe they have any option but to stick it out. No job is perfect but if you feel constantly unhappy at work write out what exactly is making you unhappy and sit with someone you trust to draw up a list of steps or ideas of what you can do to change this. For a real life example of this we suggest you read our interview with Sarah Dunwood and be inspired as to how you really can change this.
 
6. Have no fear of falling down when trying something. A worm is the only thing that can’t fall down.
If we remove the fear then there is nothing stopping us trying something new. Accept that yes at times you will fall but without mistakes we don’t learn. I love how Thomas Edison explained failure – “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work”. Just keep getting back up.

7. Ask for help when you need it and give help where you can.
Remember asking for help isn’t a weakness but rather a sign of strength. For me the Women’s Inspire Network embodies this tip perfectly. Daily I see other women business owners asking for help in areas such as social media, accounting, legal and so on. Within the group there are always so many women delighted to impart their advice or experiences. Sometimes I come across a topic that I actually needed to understand better too but hadn’t gotten around to asking about. Never be afraid to ask for help – it’s how we all achieve our goals quicker.

8. Keep learning
Learning nourishes your mind. Even 20 minutes of learning each day will bring great benefits. It doesn’t have to be in your field of work. Choose a topic you have an interest in, learn a little about it each day and soon you will add different views to your perspective. Pick a couple of different events to attend each year, meet new people and keep feeding your curious mind. When you are learning you are always growing in your career and you will be acquiring new skills that will help you when problem solving.

9. Remember to rest, relax and sleep
This is the advice that we are all sometimes guilty of forgetting. It’s so important to rest so that we reduce our levels of stress and improve our health overall. Don’t forget taking time to rest will improve your ability to concentrate and problem solve at work. Put daily reminders on your phone to prompt you to take some breaks during the day and you will quickly feel the benefits that this will bring.

Don’t forget to let us know which piece of advice resonates the most with you and let us know in the comments any advice you would share! 

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Have a great day!