Sure You Want The Truth About Your Career?
By Deborah Brown-VolkmanDo you want to hear the truth about your career? Are you sure
the answer is yes?
Many people come to me and they want to know what's wrong with
their career. Why can't they get what they want event though they
want it?
So, I listen to them. And, then I tell them the truth. I tell
them what's not working and what they need to do to fix it.
Frequently, when I share the truth (as I see it), an
interesting thing happens. They tell me why I am wrong.
So, it makes me wonder why they asked in the first place. Do
they really want the truth?
The truth is a funny thing. We believe that we want it. But it
can raise uncomfortable issues and feelings. Some people sincerely
want to know the truth, but when confronted by it, they resist
because they are not ready to hear it.
Are You Ready To Hear The Truth About Your Career? Here's 5
Ways To Tell If You Do:
1. You Are Stuck And Want To Find A Way To Get
Unstuck.
You are very stuck; so stuck that you have no idea how to find
a way out of your stuck-ness. This is the point in your career when
you will be open to help and suggestions. This is also when you
will let go of how you think things should go and be open to
whatever is supposed to happen next. You will want to focus on
solutions rather than resisting the cause of the problem.
2. You Are Tired Of Waiting For The Answers To Come To
You.
You are ready to let go of being comfortable. You are also
ready to let go of believing your career will get better on its
own. This is when you are ready to reach out to others in a
different way. Rather than relying solely on email, you will take
the personal approach, using the phone and face-to-face contact.
You will no longer wait for people to get back to you, and you will
proactively seek assistance, guidance, and direction. You've
realized that the answers will come once you stop waiting.
3. You Want To Reach Your Goals Now And Not Somewhere
Down The Road.
When I ask clients when they want to reach their career goals,
the reply I hear many times is somewhere down the road. They'll
tell me 5 years or 10 years is when they'll get what they want.
Then, I ask where that timeframe came from. They usually have no
idea; it just sounded like a good number. When you decide you want
to reach your goals now, "now" becomes your reality.
4. You Are Willing To Put In Both Time And
Effort.
Action scares people. Action means you can no longer blame
anyone or any circumstance for your situation. Action means you
have to take full responsibility for your career. If you want to
reach your goals, that won't happen unless you've made room in your
schedule and mapped out specific steps to take. You can have what
you want as long as you're organized and are willing to work for
it. When you make the time to act on your career goals, that's when
you will reach them.
5. You Are Ready To Stop Talking And Start Taking
Listening.
I have been coaching for over 10 years. I found the courage to
leave the corporate world and start my own business. How was I able
to do it?
Someone told me the truth about my career and I listened. I may
have been scared and uncertain when I heard this person's words,
but I trusted the person who said them. I was ready to accept
the truth, and I recognized the truth when I heard it. If you ask
for an opinion, be ready to get one. And don't forget to thank the
person who shared his/her views with you.

