Do you have a clear vision of where you want your career to take you? Knowing what you really want is the first step toward moving forward with confidence.

Many of my coaching clients feel frustrated and uncertain about making their next career move. They know they want something different but haven’t clearly defined what they want. It can be difficult to move forward with confidence when you don’t know where you’re going. Creating a career vision will get you there.

Think about planning a vacation. You choose your destination before deciding how to get there. Your career is no different. Companies create vision statements to give employees a clear sense of direction. Why shouldn’t you do the same for your career?

Your personal vision statement becomes your North Star. It gives you a clear target to aim for, helping you visualize where you want to go rather than waiting for opportunities to come your way.

Your Career Vision Goal

  1. Define What You Want: Complete this sentence: “I want __________, but __________ is holding me back.” Be aspirational. Don’t limit your ambitions because you’re afraid of being judged or doubt your ability to succeed. For example: “I want a promotion, but lack of confidence is holding me back.
  2. Focus on the Facts: Ask yourself, what’s making me feel this way? Am I lacking the skills to succeed, or the confidence to believe I can? Is your obstacle that you are standing in your own way?
  3. Make Your Vision a Statement of Strength: Turn your “I want” statement into an “I am going to” statement: I am ready to take the next step in my career because I have the skills and ability to succeed. You are now in an active no one’s going to hold me back mindset by creating an “I am” statement like you have already arrived.

Getting Started: 3 Key Insights

  1. You can’t confidently move forward if you don’t know where you want to go.
  2. What you believe is holding you back isn’t necessarily true.
  3. Your vision gives you direction and will help you achieve your career goals

Self-Reflection Questions

  1. If anything were possible, what would I want from my career?
  2. What’s holding me back, and what evidence do I have that I can’t overcome it?
  3. What would I do differently if I believed I had the ability to succeed?

Now that you’ve defined what you want from your career, there’s another important question: How do you want to feel when you get there? We’ll explore that in next week’s Linsight Brief.

Linsight Field Notes

What I Did Wrong

Early in my career, I focused on doing a good job and taking opportunities as they came along. I didn’t give much thought to what I really wanted or where I wanted my career to go. I let my career happen rather than taking control of it. Looking back, I realize that not having a clear vision contributed to my frustration, lack of confidence, uncertainty and self-doubt.

What I Learned

  1. Having a clear vision gives you a sense of direction and purpose.
  2. Believing in your aspirations gives you the confidence to pursue them.
  3. Knowing what you want helps you recognize opportunities that will move you closer to your goals.

What I Did Differently

I started thinking about what I really wanted from my career rather than simply taking opportunities as they came along. I began asking myself whether those opportunities would help me achieve my goals. I realized it was okay to have ambitions and that I didn’t have to compromise what I wanted. Having a clear vision gave me something to aim for and helped me take more control of my career.

Key Takeaways

  1. What do you really want from your career, and are you allowing yourself to go after it?
  2. What strengths and abilities can you build on to confidently pursue your career aspirations?
  3. How can you turn your “I want” into an “I am going to” statement and take control of your career ?