Great Occupations

Do you have goals? Sure you do. Maybe you don’t call them “goals”. Maybe you just call it “making it through the day”….well, that’s a goal. What are some other goals you have today? “Don’t get fired”, “pick up the kids”, “make it to a meeting on time”, etc. We all have little goals that help us make it through the day. We could call these daily goals.

What about longer term goals? Maybe you graduated from high school, college, or received your PhD, got that perfect job, married that perfect spouse, etc. These are long-term goals. Maybe you didn’t “formalize” them, but they were goals nonetheless.

I’ve mentioned Dave Ramsey and the Total Money Makeover system before. He says you’ve got to tell your money what to do (budget/goals), or your money will figure it out on its own (car repairs, home repairs, etc). Your career and your life is no different!

Be SMART After getting clear and embracing change in CareerFinder(TM) Method program, we ask participants to set 1, 3, & 5 year goals in many areas of their life.

All the experts agree that the best goals S.M.A.R.T. That is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound. A goal of “lose weight” doesn’t really meet the SMART methodology. Neither does “lose 100 lbs” - is that really Realistic? A SMART goal would be “Lose 10 pounds by July 1st”. Specific (“10 lbs”), Measurable, Attainable and Realistic, and Time-bound (“by July 1st”).

B&W Goals As humans we have two sides of our consciousness that are at odds - the intellectual side and the emotional side. The intellectual side says “I need to quit smoking”. The emotional side justifies having that cigarette in given situations. For example, if your goal is “I will have only one cigarette per day”, the emotional side will say “well, I usually don’t get the oppotunity to spend time with Suzy and she smokes, so I’ll allow myself a few extra cigarettes tonight and not smoke tomorrow and the next day.” Those who have tried to quit smoking may attest to this situation and how it causes you to fail.

Black & White Goals eliminate the “wiggle room” the emotional side will try to use. When eliminating a habit, it is best to use a B&W goal. “I will not smoke under any circumstances” leaves little room for the emotional side to wiggle.

Career Goals When making a career change, using short-term and long-term goals will help you achieve your dreams. If your 5 year goal is to “become a lawyer by January 2015″, then setting attainable 1 & 3 year goals will help you get there.

For example, a 1 year goal may be “I will take a LSAT study prep class by February 28th, and sign-up to take the LSAT by March 1st” (LSAT is the entrance exam needed for accredited Law Schools). Another 1 year goal may be “I will research and pick my top 3 law school choices by June 1st”. In addition, you may have a 3 year goal like “I will take 3 pre-law courses - public speaking, political science, and Cornell University’s Introduction to the American Legal System which I will complete by September 1, 2013.”

Power Goals are very powerful. Setting and resetting goals on a weekly, monthly, or annual basis will help you achieve your career goals. 5 years will come and go whether you like it or not. Will you be working in fast food, or will you be a lawyer?

Set goals, and achieve the work you love!

NOTE: For a limited time during Graduation Season, Angela & Jay are offering the perfect new grad gift: The Job Search Boot Camp Live & Interactive Basic Training Program. more details