“The Best 5 Year Career Plan…”

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Shared by Kristina Smedley

I’m sure you have a detailed career plan, right?
You know, the steps on how to get from here to your dream job.

Mine was the BEST one… a one-page document, with a column for each year. And it was pretty – colorful, organized, and easy to read.

I added my current role and then jumped out 5 years and wrote down my next desired role.

Obviously, the next step was to fill in what I needed to do, who I needed to meet, etc to get from here to there. Easy as that.

Sometimes I would even print it out and check things off as I accomplished them… now that was fun!

As many past mentors pointed out, there are so many options available; I needed to focus my attention on the specific items that would get me where I wanted to be.

I have to say, in many ways this old technique worked. It prompted great discussions and I was able to do many of the things I planned for by simply making the desires known to others.

Slowly but surely, I was getting where I thought I wanted to go.

However, my thinking has really evolved on if I can know exactly what job I want to have in 5 years and if I can actually plot out how I will get to this pinnacle role.

Even if I ask mentors to weigh in on the steps, they all have different experiences, different opinions, different life values, etc.

Their way isn’t going to be my way.

So, a couple of years ago in my Master's program, I developed my ‘lifeEMPOWERED’ process.

Based on the ideas that…

“Success = Talent + Luck” – Daniel Kahneman

and “Luck is what happens when Preparation meets Opportunity.” – Seneca (Roman Philosopher)

And finally, if we prime our minds with a Story of what success looks like then we’re more apt to see these opportunities when they present themselves.

So, Success = A Story + Talent + Preparation + Opportunity

This has totally changed how I think about my future and how I mentor others.

The ‘lifeEMPOWERED’ process includes discovering who I am today and what gives me life, energy, and excitement.

Then, dreaming of the possibilities for the future and designing a vivid picture and present-tense story of what this future looks and feels like.

Finally, I identify what might be brought into existence in order to move in the direction of this future. This sets me up for great discussions with mentors and broadens my awareness of opportunities around me.

Notice, I didn’t start and end with job roles and projects… it’s so much more creative and open to possibilities than that old methodology.

I don’t believe that Success equals a title or position within a hierarchy.

Instead, Success is when we identify our desired life story and then create the opportunities to build it. I’m happy to truly see this now.

 

#InspirationallyImpactful

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