Managing Your Career: Make Things Happen!

“What are you waiting for?” “If not now, then when?”
Those are powerful questions to ask when I find myself in a slump and feel that no progress is being made. This frame of mind is usually my clue that I need to shake things up a bit and take some action to get that momentum rolling again. Now, planning and goal setting are keys to success of course, but it takes an awareness or feeling to know when it’s time to actually pick up that phone, send the collection letter, enroll in class, start that discussion group, or begin writing that proposal.

Jack Canfield says in his book, The Success Principles, he’s found that “the one thing that seems to separate winners from losers more than anything else is that winners take action. They simply get up and do what has to be done.” He says that you must identify what’s holding you back from acting and break through it.

Sometimes a slightly different perspective is all that’s needed to break through and get something checked off your list. A very effective way to do this is to talk it through with an objective friend or colleague. Lay it out, tell them what your obstacle is and ask what they would do in your situation. I recently did this with an idea I couldn’t seem to move – I couldn’t come up with a location for the jobseekers’ club I wanted to start, so I would just drop it each time it came back to mind. When I presented the idea to an objective party, in this case, my master mind group, the answer became very clear – talk to a contact at the Chamber of Commerce. Simple enough. I just couldn’t get there on my own.

Waiting for perfection, permission, reassurance, the right person, more time, less risk, or more education are all things that can hang us up when what really needs to happen is a simple action. One little step like talking it through with a trusted friend can be all it takes to move you forward into success.

So, what are you waiting for and if not now, then when?

Be sure to post a comment and let others know how you've busted through obstacles and made things happen!