One quick technique you could use to help you focus is to use the classified ads as a resource. Each Sunday for at least three weeks, cut out all the ads that interest you-even if you don't qualify for them. After three weeks, take a look at what you have. Can you see a pattern? Are you surprised at what you see?
If you've chopped ads for pediatric nurse or software developer, explore that field. Talk with people who do that kind of work. You may be surprised to learn that you don't need as much additional education / training as you had assumed. And you'll probably meet some terrific people.
- You've got a lot to gain. What do you have to lose?
- How To Reach Your Goal Techniques You Can Use?
- Whether you want to be president of the U.S., executive secretary to the director of the local zoo, or an electronics engineer, you have accomplished something really important by setting your long-range goal. When will you achieve it? Visions don't become reality overnight. It may take years. Even decades. But you must set a date. Your goal is a dream with a deadline!
- I will be elected president of the U.S. in 2020.
- I will become executive secretary to the director of the zoo one year from today (February 2, 19xx).
- I will graduate with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering in three years and two months from today, which is March 15, 19xx.
- Demonstrates your commitment. Now, you have a signed contract with yourself! That's your employment insurance contract.
- Impresses the idea on your subconscious
- Helps to clarify it
- Helps you to prioritize
- Helps you to plan
Break down your goal into sub-goals.
Once your long-term career goal is set, you can begin planning to achieve it. One useful technique is to break down your goal into shorter-term sub-goals. By using concepts and techniques, you should be able to find employment consistent with that goal in 3 months.
Give yourself some leeway and use 6 months as a very workable time frame for achieving your goal. Once your 6-month goal is set, decide on your 2- and 4-month objectives as intermediary steps to help you reach your goal.
Is it fair to use the same time frame for all kinds of jobs? It has been estimated that it takes one month of job hunting for every $10,000 in salary, reflecting the fact that there are fewer high-level jobs, especially as organizational pyramids continue to flatten. But the experience of thousands of job seekers from a wide range of backgrounds strongly indicates that the length of time it takes to find employment depends much more on your attitude and job search skills than on the level of the position you are seeking.
Reality check:
What are you willing to do to achieve your goal? Is it a goal? Or is a fantasy? What are you willing to do? You'd love to be an astronaut or a pharmacist but don't want to go through all the training? Whether it's a goal or a fantasy depends to a remarkable extent on your determination to achieve it. There are, of course, other factors. It's a little late for you to become a child prodigy. But it's not too late for a tremendous number of options. New careers can be started at almost any age, including the so-called retirement years.
Reinforce your commitment.
Now, rewrite your goal on your Goal Setting / Planning Guide and place it where it will do the most good, where you can:
- See it most of the day, at least 3 times a day. The bathroom mirror or the door of the refrigerator is a good place for it.
- Read it every day.
- Repeat it out loud every day. Don't just look at it.
- Make it public. The more public you make it, the more likely you are to achieve it. That's part of your commitment.
- Avoid negative influences. Some people, even good friends or family members, may subtly undercut your efforts with pessimistic comments. Don t let them discourage you.
