Soar To Success

Soar to success is a majestic phrase. It conjures up images of eagles gliding high in the sky. Yet the desire for success often feels like a heavy burden. This baggage keeps us grounded. It is only by creating space in our lives free from this weight that we can reach for the sky and soar to success.

Photo Credit

Creating Space in Your Life

Conversely if you only spend time on low quality activities that do not nurture what you really want, then you will continue to suffer. Short-term gratifications like alcohol or TV are distractions from a rich experience of life.

There is nothing wrong with distractions or anything good about being proactive. How you divide your time just leads to more or less fulfilment. What type of experience will the person who watches TV for 6 hours a day look back on compared to the person who trains as an athlete 6 hours a day?

These criteria apply within the career context as much as any other area of life. If you persist in spending your time doing things that are unfulfilling then you will always struggle and never soar to success.

Prioritization often means making tough decisions about when to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’; if they were easy you would have already made them!

Saying Yes - There will be times when you want something, like being an actor, but do not know how to achieve it. The career objective seems so big that it is almost impossible.

This is where trust and commitment come in. If it is possible for anyone then trust that it is possible for you. If this is what you really want then commit to taking the next step then the next step until you pick up enough momentum and soar to success.

When you trust and commit then you are unstoppable. When you encounter a failure you try again and again until you meet with success. If you do not trust and are not committed then at some point you will give up, like a grumpy child who does not get want they want the instant they want it.

Saying No – There will be times where your current situation is untenable. You job is soul-destroying. However, whilst you know that you do not want to continue in the present situation, you do not have anything specific to replace it with.

It seems like a big risk to step out of the security of your present situation into the unknown. However, you are also stepping out into complete freedom. This potentiality to fill your time with absolutely anything can be the catalyst for your dream opportunities to emerge.

This dilemma is summed up nicely by the lyrics to ‘Should I Stay Or Should I Go?’ by The Clash:

Should I stay or should I go now?
If I go there will be trouble,
If I stay it will be double’

The last formal job I had was in 2008. The initial contract came to an end and I choose not seek a new one. In a large bureaucratic company there was little space for individuality or creativity. This did not support who I wanted to be in my career, so I chose to say ‘no’ to this career path.

This was scary as I had no specific plans to say ‘yes’ to. My vague intentions were to do a bit of outdoors work since it was summer, grow my event management skills and maybe work within the world of personal development. I had no idea about how to achieve this.

Yet within a couple of weeks I had an abundance of opportunities. Through working freelance I fulfilled what had been vague intentions.

These opportunities only arose because I created the space in my life with which to draw them in. Individually the opportunities would not have been enough to cause me to quit a secure job and I would have missed out on the experience and enjoyment each of these offered me.

Making Your Decisions

You are always in a state of choosing a career. Who you are being when you say ‘yes’ and ‘no’ everyday, often unconsciously, is very important. Is the present situation fulfilling your top careers values?

Consider:

• What do you currently fill your work time with?
• What reasons do you continue to choose this?
• If you could not fail, what would you say ‘no’ to that is in your work life today?
• If you could not fail, what would you say yes to, that would fulfil your career objectives?

Prioritizing your time with fulfilling ‘yes’ and ‘no’ decisions will be difficult. Before it can soar to success the eagle still has to work its wings. You can aid this process by being aware of who you are being in your career choices. Being fearful will pull you back down to earth, whilst being loving will set you free to soar to success.

Return to Personal Development Plan
Return from Soar to Success to Fulfilling Career Choices