"What would you do if you knew you could not fail?"
I know you've seen this saying, but have you ever taken it to heart?
Now-in the midst of our worst economic downturn in decades- it's the best time to rethink, retool, recalibrate and reinvent yourself. You'll be in good company - the largest corporations in America are doing just that. They'll be successful too, because they are investing in everything they have into making their new plans work. They will be perfectly poised to take off when this recession is over. And you can be ready, too.
All you need is a dream, a journal to follow the four R's: Rethink, retool, recalibrate and reinvent.
Rethink
If you stay on the path you're on now - your trajectory - where will you be in five years? Ten? At retirement? If you are not 100% satisfied with your career path and life's trajectory, then you ask yourself these questions:
1. What does my ideal life look like?
2. Have I done anything to realize this dream?
3. Is my dream viable?
Action Plan: Write down your life as you would like it to be, seven days a week, Monday through Sunday. This is your movie; you can write anything you want-but you must fill up everyday, from the time you wake up through the time you go to sleep at night. Rework your ideal week until you are 100% satisfied.
Retool
Assess your current skills, your marketability and your value. Are you at the top of your game? Do you need additional knowledge or skills for your dream career? Ask yourself:
1. What technology and skills do I need and how can I get them?
2. Is there anything that would make me more efficient, such as:
- arriving earlier to avoid chitchat with coworkers
- working from home one or more days a week
- learning new technology or adding to my tool box of skills
- keeping quiet about my personal life at work
- staying late one night a week to clean my office and in-box
- being more positive and not getting sucked into office drama
Recalibrate
Minor adjustments of where you invest your time and energy will pay off in what I call "abundance dividends." This means cutting out useless time wasters like:
1. Social networking on facebook, Twitter and MySpace
2. Watching television shows that are meaningless
3. Shopping as recreation
Action Plan: Keep a diary for seven days, noting when and where you invest your time, write down and circle the number of minutes you think you wasted out of each hour of the day. At the end of the week, add up the number of minutes to discover hours that could have been invested in learning new skills.
Reinvent
Ever heard the adage, "Act as if...?" Acting as if you are already doing your dream job, living your life counts for a great deal. Be courageous and disciplined in seeking out new ways of doing things, new ways of communicating, and new people with whom you can associate. Successful people will keep you motivated and striving for your bigger vision. If you are only spending time with those who are in the same or similar situation as you are, you'll limit yourself and become complacent.
Action Plan: Review your seven-day dream life journal; review your list of skills you want to learn, review your journal telling you where you spend your time. Use the internet to find free low-cost classes, seminars, workshops and professional organizations that can teach you skills, new technology and information about your dream job. Attend classes, workshops, seminars, and networking events. Make a list of people in your life who you admire and who you would like to get to know better. Come up with reasons to call them.
Think and dream big. Plan strategically. Work deliberately. And get ready to witness the fruits of your labor manifest in your dreams!
Areva Martin
Copyright 2009. All Rights Reserved. The ArevaMartin Company, Inc. This article cannot be reprinted or published without the written permission of the ArevaMartin Company Inc.
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