A ‘theme’ has surfaced recently that I believe was put out there for me to heed: “Follow your own path.” I seem to see this phrase everywhere lately – in movies I watch, magazines I read, and in social media posts. When something occurs over and over again, I feel it must be sending out a message that I must pay attention to.
To explain, I have been struggling with a branding issue for my business; I feel it is time to ‘step off the curb’ and just focus on one area but have had a hard time making the choice of the one. Behind the scenes, I have been coached by and follow several big-time coaches – I want to go where they are. Getting advice and direction from someone who has achieved success is a must for a business owner; after all, they have the systems to get you to where they are. But emulating their systems has caused a frustration that I could not put my finger on – until now. In working to uncover the source of my frustration, I have come to realize that I have been following their path and not my own.
Can you relate? When you think of advancing in your career, and you’re not, have you ever stopped to look at what has held you back? If you did, you might see that you may have been following the path of advancement that a lot of career “gurus” (including me) tell you; after all, we have the knowledge and the system to guide you. But perhaps you have been following these too closely or maybe you’re not giving yourself time to put them into practice. If so, here are 3 ways you can blaze your own path and perhaps move up the ladder faster:
1. Go back and look at the sources of your career frustrations to see if you have been true to your path – are you taking time to learn your job, are you aware of your strengths and using them, are you learning about the “next job” and doing the work to get you there – answering ‘no’ to any of these can definitely lead to feeling held back
2. Plan your path – take time to reflect on what you want in your career and how you would go about getting there, not by how others have done it; it’s coming from a place of not listening to others’ advice but from your own voice. Don’t limit your thoughts as they hold the deeper messages to guide you
3. Slow Down – while you want to have a target date, it might be best to slow down and work in your own time frame; often, our bar gets raised by what we see others do, i.e. a promotion in three months, two pay raises in six months, etc. When you set the time, it will feel more natural and you will work harder to make it happen
I recently saw a video by Christine Kloser, who recently did a re-brand; She is a big-time coach who followed her calling of transformational authorship. In the video, she said that the one thing that propelled her business was following her own path – she said that when she did, her business exploded. Big words for me but I hope for you, as well. Finding your own path, and in your own terms, will mean you are working authentically which will carry you successfully in your career path, or any other path, you choose to go!
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