Does your dream career simply feel unattainable? For many people, their dream career becomes a fleeting thought the moment they consider how far they have to go. This reality is especially true now, when there appear to be so many “overnight success stories” popping up on social media. The truth is, very rarely do people stumble into success. Yes, even the "I Made Six-Figures in 6 Months" people. That type of success is typically the result of one deliberate step after another.

So if you want to make your dream a reality, it's time to stop focusing on the distance between you and your ultimate goal. Instead, focus on the distance between you and the very next step. Acknowledge the progress you've made so far. Also, understand that this journey is a marathon, not a sprint.

If your dream career seems unattainable, it’s likely because of one of the following two reasons:

You haven't broken it down into small enough steps (lack of clarity)

Specificity is key here. When you break your goal into small, clear steps, you can better assess your progress which helps to keep you motivated. Let’s say you started by writing down: Become a full stack web developer. This won’t happen overnight, so you’ll need to identify the smaller steps to see that goal through.

One of your first steps might be to take a coding course. Now, it’s time to get even more specific. What type of coding will you learn? Where are you going to take this course? When do you anticipate finishing? Your first step now looks like this: Take a virtual coding course to learn Javascript by January. Less vague, more actionable, more attainable.

Follow this method, identifying all the steps necessary to get you to your ultimate goal. Now you have a plan and timeline which will help your ultimate goal feel reachable.

You convinced yourself that you don’t deserve it (lack of confidence)

This is where you tell your impostor syndrome to take a seat. Remember, you already have a certain set of skills and strengths that, if you continue to sharpen, will prepare you for your next level. Also, as long as you have a desire and willingness to learn, you can continue to add new skills to your toolkit.

It’s important to understand that confidence doesn’t mean the absence of doubts and insecurities. In fact, if you don’t have doubts and insecurities, you’re likely aiming too low. Confidence requires having the courage to start, followed by the commitment to persevere. This will lead to the capabilities that produce confidence as you know it!

Allow me to remind you - whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right. Choose wisely, sis!

Next Steps

If you're still curious about the next step to take, book a 1:1 career strategy session with me! Check out the strategy session overview and F.A.Q. by clicking the button below.

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