Redesign Your Career
Module 6: Managing your career

Welcome back to Redesign your Career .

This week is all about keeping the lifestyle you want – for good.

Part One

It’s GO FOR IT time

In order to have your dream career you need to take action, and continue to take action to maintain the momentum. You need to manage your new career.

You’re no longer the old person who was at the mercy of an employer or the economy. You no longer have to do a job you hate, that was last century. Today you are a force to be reckoned with. You are the best and will work continuously managing your life so that you remain the best.

You need to keep yourself better than the rest and to realise that what you achieve in changes this year to make your life the life of your dreams may be different in five years’ time.

Part Two

Raise your standards

Work hard at adding value to everything you do. Every day, improve your service to yourself. If you’re employed, find ways to add value for your employer so that if there are ever any redundancies – and remember, it’s likely to happen at least three times in your working life! – your name is the last one on the list to go.

Become an invaluable employee. Take pride at going that further mile, regardless of any recognition you receive for your efforts. Sometimes it takes a while before your rewards realise themselves. Be patient and be persistent in improving your contribution. Raise your standards above those of your colleagues.

Why would you want to be average? Why would you want to be the same as everyone around you? Make it your task to become distinctly different from the crowd. Be better than those around you.

Part Three

Be the best

If you have decided to run your own business, the same applies. You don’t want to be the same as all of your competitors, you want to be the best. To be different, add value and shine above the rest. Make sure there are no rivals, no true competition, because you are the best. You’re ahead of every other business because you choose to be. Be impeccable, superb and different ­ stand out from the rest.

For example, if you decided to set up a cleaning company, make sure that your standards are higher than all other companies. Set yourself apart by being different. You could decide to use only environmentally friendly cleaning materials and use this as the thing that makes your company different.

If you are a driving instructor you could offer driving lessons in the middle of the night so that night workers don’t need to change their sleeping patterns when they can learn to drive. Spend time working out how you can add value, be different and be the best you can be.

Part Four

Work from the heart

Your heart is now in the work that you do, and the you at home is now the same as the you at work. Work is going to work for you. Work is going to be meaningful to you because you have taken the time to design the career most suitable for you and the lifestyle you want to have. You will take continuous action to become and be the best.

You cannot turn back now. You have started an exciting journey in the direction of your heartfelt wishes for a career that will keep you fulfilled and passionate about life. You have worked hard to get this far and you must continue to rise to the challenges ahead because you know you are different and special. You have what it takes to make the changes needed to have a fulfilling and rewarding career.

You know that by deciding to be different and the best there will be challenges, setbacks and, sometimes, disappointments. But you will not be driven off your path. You will take each challenge, setback and disappointment as an opportunity to learn what you could do differently, what you could do better next time.

Most successful business people have had many different careers, businesses or attempts before they reached the top, and the challenges never go away. The key is learning from the valuable feedback each challenge gives you. The triumph is that when you fail, you get right back up, dust yourself down and carry on. You have to take the risks because not taking them means you will go back to the way you were before. And that was not acceptable to you.

Part Five

Action!

Actions of the Week

1. Write a life plan or, if you already have a life plan, keep it going by daily renewing your action list and adding to it.

2. Make a list of the main challenges you think you may have to face and then put next to each challenge two things you could do to overcome the challenge and keep yourself on track.

Well done!

You are passionate and committed to making your life outstanding and you have the right to be that way. You are worth it so go for it! It’s up to you to make this a lasting success and have the career which makes you happy and fulfilled.