Reading Time: 4 minutes

Whether you're feeling like you've lost control of your career (or feel like you never had control in the first place), taking control of your career is vital to your success. Too many professionals are leaving their fate to chance and ultimately suffering as a result. It's time to tell whoever (or whatever) has been controlling your career to "step aside." 

When it comes to taking control of your career, the following four steps are key.

Step 1: Assess your current state.

Before you can identify the next steps, you must have a clear understanding of where you are. It's not enough to simply "dislike" your current position - you need to dive into the details of what's working for you and what's not.

A couple questions to ask yourself:

• What do you like about your current position? 

• What do you dislike about your current position?

Step 2: Set clear intentions.

Once you accurately understand your current state, it's important to clearly outline what you intend to accomplish. Something special happens when you move items from "just a thought" to intentional pursuit.

A couple questions to ask yourself:

• What are you interested in exploring next?

• What skills do you need to successfully make the move?

Step 3: Create goals that support those intentions.

Once you know what you want to accomplish, you can begin to create SMART goals detailing the actions necessary to get you there! Breaking those goals down into simple, small steps are the key to propelling yourself into action.

A couple questions to ask yourself:

• How can you sharpen those skills?

• What specific actions do you need to take as you prepare for the move?

Step 4: Take deliberate action.

DO THE THINGS YOU'VE OUTLINED! This step is typically the easiest to understand yet the hardest to implement. Be sure to celebrate the small wins to create momentum around this step!

In need of additional accountability? Consider joining TWC, our exclusive networking and learning community for women who want to unlock their potential and own their greatness within the workplace.