As a career advisor, I get asked many questions from current and prospective clients:
“Do others really find jobs in this field?”
“How easy is it to find X job?”
“Can you guarantee results?”
These all boil down to the very simple question- “Can I do it?”
Yes and no.
If my clients implement all the suggested strategies then I am very confident that they can find that desired job. However, the results always depend on them.
The real question is – “Will you do what it takes to make your dreams happen?”
The frustration for me as a career specialist is that I can’t guarantee anyone’s results. Even when I worked on site and I was writing resumes, arranging interviews, picking out the client’s outfit, and driving them to the company… they eventually had to market themselves. Then ultimately the decision was for the company. Now, working virtually, I have even less control over what my clients implement.
Everyone can learn, everyone can listen, but how many actually DO?
The truth is that in life that most people don’t take the next step. By virtue of audaciously going after your dreams, you have entered the top 20%. If you put in the extra effort in the beginning then I am sure that you will make it. I know this because after working with thousands of job seekers, I can tell quickly who is a do-er. That is one of the biggest signs of who will achieve their intentions.
You don’t need to be the smartest.
You don’t need to be the most popular.
You don’t need to be the best looking.
You need to be an action taker!
I know this not just from coaching others, but from personal experience. I didn’t go to the right schools, I didn’t know the right people, and I certainly was a late bloomer when it comes to looks and charm, but I hustled.
I juggled three jobs in college.
I went to networking events even when I felt social anxiety.
I stayed up late to work on my passion projects even if I was tired.
I wanted it so I acted like it.
Everything that I tell my clients, I have tested myself. I don’t coach because I can’t. I coach because I can, did, and came back to show others how to do it too.
It’s important for me to lead by example so I kickstarted my own life and career. I designed my idea career to include my multiple income streams, hobbies, and an international nomadic lifestyle. This is what MY dream looked like. Yours doesn’t need to be the same. It just matters that you go for it!
Whether in careers, life, business, love, creativity, etc., achieving your dreams isn’t effortless. Anyone telling you any different is lying to you.
The strategies might be simple. Depending on where you are in your career/personal development, it might happen quicker for you than for others. I have refused some clients because I could sense that they were looking to pay someone to tell them that it would be easy, cheap, and quick. I am happy to be a cheerleader, but I am not here to blow smoke.
But what if it is tough?
Most things are tough when you start out. That doesn’t make them any less worth doing.
Elizabeth Taylor said once that, “You just do it. You force yourself to get up. You force yourself to put one foot before the other, and God damn it, you refuse to let it get to you.”
Is it tougher to DO THE WORK or LIVE WITH REGRETS?
That depends on how much your goal means to you. This is why it’s key to know yourself so you can decide what is worth the effort.
When you go for your dreams, you have the satisfaction, win or lose, that you went for it. Most people live with regrets. They tell themselves that they could have been a contender but X, Y, or Z stood in the way. They let the fear of failure cow them.
Do you want to throw your dreams on the compost pile?
I am not saying to not be judicious with your time, effort, or money. I am saying that to make your cherished goals happen that you will need to step out of your comfort zone and take it on faith and BELIEVE IN YOURSELF.
The climb up might feel like a slog at times, but you will get stronger as you go along. When you get to the top of the mountain and look over what you achieved, you’ll know that it was all worth it.