Things I Would Do Differently if I Could Start My Career All Over Again To expand your career, it is always a wise decision to spend money on acquiring advanced knowledge and skills in the field of your work
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After working hard in the industry for almost seven years, my work has indeed gained a lot of recognition in the space of Blogging and Social Media Marketing. But this career path is not something I had planned for when I was in school or college. Even though there is a lot to feel accomplished yet I know things could have been much better and my career a little more perfect had I been little more careful.
Today, I look back to realize how like every other school student I made numerous career mistakes. Given a chance, I would definitely not want to repeat those mistakes and do thing differently to make a greater impact on my work. I was recently asked the similar question in one of the interviews-what are those things I would do differently if I were given a chance to start my career all over again?
In an attempt to answer the given question with utmost sincerity, I decided to share some valuable career lessons I have learned over the course of these seven years that might help you in navigating your career smoothly:
Headline : #3 Steps to Turn Your Passion into a Leading Career
1. Never Doubt Yourself
The trajectory of your career is always based on how much you believe in yourself and your potential. I wasted almost 3-4 years contemplating whether I should take blogging as a full-time career.
Even though a flair for writing comes naturally to me, I got too busy evaluating the pros and cons of blogging. As a result, I got extremely late in starting my personal blog despite the fact I was already into freelance blogging for a long time. I could have instead used that time in gaining more readers to my blog.
Whenever we talk about professional success, the only rule that applies, therefore, is of listening to the true calling of your heart. Remember; whatever you do with passion always bring forth the positive results.
2. Time Management is an Art and You Need to Master This Art
What you accomplish in a lifetime depends entirely on how you spend your time. You need to learn how to manage your time in the best way possible. Even if spending a few minutes here or there never feels like much, it can start adding up in a bad way.
The biggest challenge for me has been managing my work schedule around my daughter's routine. The things started taking a shape as soon as I learned managing multiple things at one time.
The bottom line is that it is only you who can figure out how to manage your time because everyone works through their to-dos in a different manner.
Something that has always worked for me is prioritising tasks. I stick to the strategy of asking myself, "What's the one task that needs to be completed before every other thing and so on?" This helps me maintain my calm even in the most stressful situations and stay focused all the time.
Even if you can't control the speed at which time passes, you can maximize its utilization to achieve more in less time.
3. Dare to Dream
If you fear dreaming, you are limiting yourself from thinking big.
Most of the things come in our lives only when we are willing to have them. It is only when you dream about something or want something badly; you start working towards accomplishing it. In the lines of Paulo Cohelo, "And, when you want something, the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."
Whatever you're looking for- an interesting career opportunity or a promotion, it all starts by thinking big and breaking your current limitations. You need to force yourself out of your comfort zone and approach things with a fresh approach, ambition and a clear vision. What you must never forget is that there is no scope for fear and there is nothing that comes easy in life.
Related : How to Make the Big Switch in Career Seamlessly
4. Never Burn a Bridge
"Never Burn Your Bridges'-This was the advice given to me by a cousin right after my graduation and it has helped more than anything else. I never end a relationship on a note that makes it difficult for me to connect to a person later in life. This is largely due to my non-conflicting nature.
By virtue of my personality, I tend to treat every relationship a lifelong relationship. This certainly makes me more pleasant and patient. And, then I always keep minimal expectations from the other person.
Over the course of my career, I have earned highly rewarding projects from the most insignificant relationships I held in the past. The golden rule is that you might work with a person whom you are meeting today in the future. That person could be a potential business partner, employee or even your future employer.
5. Invest Less in Materials, More in Knowledge
Even though there is a temptation to spend your initial paychecks on getting fancy things, you must refrain yourself from doing so. It's alright to splurge once in a while but most of your earnings should be spent on acquiring knowledge and enhancing your skill set. This is something that gives you the greatest return on investment and lasts for a long span of time.
Although I took a lot of time contemplating the launch of my blog, the only good thing I did then was time and money I spent on acquiring new skills and knowledge in the space of Digital Marketing. That helped me diversify my work and later made it possible for me to take up the role of a social media marketer along with that of a blogger.
To expand your career, it is always a wise decision to spend your money on acquiring advanced knowledge and skills in the field of your work.
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6. Health is Your Greatest Asset
What you must know is that health is the foundation that accelerates the growth of your career graph. Good health is something that elevates everything else required for a successful career- creativity, energy, and will-power.
After giving birth to my daughter in 2013, I ignored my health for a long time. This led to having less energy and focus during the day. Thus, my productivity levels dropped drastically. It was only when I realized the actual reason behind my low energy; things started taking shape again.
You need to make health your topmost priority. It is indeed not a one-time task and requires a lot of discipline, effort, and willpower. You need to constantly feed it your mind that only when you have good health, everything else becomes possible in this world.
Finally, it's never too late to realize mistakes you have been making in your professional journey and start doing something about them. Remember, it's all about taking that first step. Thereafter, the things start falling in place and you find yourself getting closer to the career of your dreams.
Wishing all my readers a bright and successful career ahead!
Have you found yourself making mistakes in your career? Consider sharing them in the comment section below so that others don't repeat the same.
