How To Self-Direct Your Career

The era when we worked 48 hours a week, 48 weeks a year and 48 years for the same corporation are long past. Job security used to be found in being loyal to one boss or business - for a lifetime. As we have seen, this is now no longer the case. Real security is found within you. How is that?

If your career seems to have taken a downturn with the economy, look at it differently. Take stock of all you have learned and achieved in your work to date. Write it down so you can see it. Review the people who have assisted you along the way. You might like to call or write to them to express your appreciation for their help. If you felt you made some mistakes, take a moment to forgive yourself for them, or anyone else who might have been involved. Above all, have a sense of gratitude for all that you have gained so far in your working life.

Completing the past makes for the foundation of a new and better future. A final step is to reward yourself and celebrate your accomplishments so far. It does not have to cost much, if anything. A small gift to you, a special meal with a friend, a new book, time to walk in a favourite place in nature. Closing the door on what has gone allows a new door to open up for you, with fresh energy and enthusiasm for what is next.

You need to learn to be self-directing in your career, awake to many possibilities in one lifetime to achieve fulfillment and success. More important than ever is to know yourself; your particular aptitudes, gifts and talents; what you do that is useful to others, that makes you happy.

Each of us has a Personal Motivational Trend. A Personal Motivational Trend is defined by that which you are good at, you enjoy doing and with which you experience success. When you are engaged with what comes most naturally to you, you feel better, are motivated and inspired. You are true to yourself. Life flows.

What is success for you? What does success mean for you? Your ideas of success may have been coloured by parents, peers or colourful images in the media. But are they real for you? If your life could be the most rewarding, what would that be like for you? Allow yourself to be with the question a while. Answers may float up to you when you are least expecting them.

Recently, I was talking with Deborah D'Alessandro who runs Esprit Seminars - Creative Career Seminars for Women in the South of France. Deborah offers a very helpful Natural Abilities Analysis, which is available free of charge on her website.

Among other topics, we discussed the challenges that women in business meet. Look at the four issues that typically cause women to fail in business. These may also apply to some men. They reflect the frailty of self-doubt.

1. Insecurity
Women lack the confidence to push their way through hurdles and challenges, the obstacles that show up on the way to achieving an objective.

2. Distraction
Women tend to lose focus and get pulled in different directions on the way to achieving what they want.

3. Put others first
If someone, especially a family member or close friend, needs to talk for example, important goals get put to one side.

4. Take things personally
Facing criticism, women tend to cave in rather than step forward and hold to their intention.

Last week's post focused on building your inner strength Clearly, your inner strength is important for staying on track with the course you have set for yourself.

Sometimes called a Living Vision, a Mind Movie is an excellent resource to keep you in touch with your important values, intentions and goals. You make it up with a combination of affirmations, images and music that inspire and lift you. Watched morning and/or evening, a Mind Movie keeps you focused each day on the outcomes you wish to create and experience.

Here is an example:

Have you ever made any brave career moves? What gives you the greatest satisfaction in your working life? Do you have a vocation you would love to fulfill, if only you had the courage?

I welcome your comments and thoughts, either below here or by email: [e-mail].

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Comments

[James M. Lynch - Huffpost Blogger]

Anne,
There's so much written for those 'in transition' but yours has a tone that really works for me; it's unique. I think this has value for everyone and will share it around.
There is a lot of care for others in this; thank you for sharing it,
James.

[Anne Naylor - Huffpost Blogger]

Dear James,

Thank you very much for your kind and generous comment. And I very much appreciate your sharing this post around.

I feel deeply for those disoriented by the changes happening worldwide and yet know that there is great good yet to come ahead of us. That is my vision for us all.

With love and blessings to you,
Anne

[Dr. Judith Rich - Huffpost Blogger]

Hello Anne,

I've missed you, but I'm back! Seeing your "bright and shiny" post with the wonderful messages reminds me of you. I'm always very uplifted after reading your posts, this one no exception.

I come bearing my own "good news", clear margins! I am celebrating LIFE today! And you are part of what makes it all so wonderful.

Blessings,
Judith

[Anne Naylor - Huffpost Blogger]

Hello Judith,

I so love hearing from you and appreciate very much your presence and comment here.

More than that, I am totally delighted by your Good News. I celebrate your LIFE with you. I missed you in your absence and am very grateful for your healthy return. Your bright and smiling face is always welcome with me.

May God continue to bless you in every way!

Loving you,
Anne

[Ed and Deb Shapiro - Huffpost Blogger]

Hi dear Ann, Great post - it is very inspiring

your 4 points are spot on

Last week's and this one should be read by everyone.

Thank you,

Big Love,

Ed

[Anne Naylor - Huffpost Blogger]

Dearest Brit Ed!

I am presently staying in your Other Country - and thank you deeply for your Comment. Very much appreciated.

Best love to you and Deb as always,
Anne

[Anne Naylor - Huffpost Blogger]

Dear Diogenes,

Always good to see you here and thank you for your comment.

I have found a beauty in accepting my own vulnerability - it seems to lead me into a deeper strength. From a place of vulnerability, I have made connections with some of my dearest friends and supporters.

Vulnerable has the meanings of both to be wounded and to be blessed. I aim to focus on the blessings.

I appreciate very much your presence here.

With love,
Anne

[sarasvat]

At first, I read this title as 'How to Self-Destruct Your Career,' and I thought, 'no need to read this, I got it down.'

How? I fell for the myth of meaningful work. Work is a four-letter word, and if it were so great, you'd do it for free, wouldn't you? Put it another way: if they stopped paying you, would you keep showing up?

Businesses these days ask for everything and give almost nothing back besides a paycheck, and that grudgingly. Such it will remain until our culture learns to regard people as higher than money. 'TIl then, greed and stupidity reign.

Little cynical today. Sorry. Sort of.

[AlexFTW]

Don't apologize when you're right. And you're right.

[Anne Naylor - Huffpost Blogger]

Dear sarasvat,

I empathize with your point of view. Certainly, there are organizations that do not value their employees. However, there are others that do. Those are the ones to look out for because they do exist.

In my experience, it is possible to define the career you would like and then fulfil it. We have much more freedom available to us than perhaps we are aware.

Blessings to you,
Anne

[nantucketsunset]

By the way, the "natural abilities analysis" advertised in the post looks similar to the many Keirsey Temperament and MBTI-flavoured tests that are available free on the internet. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a great tool to use to learn more about your personality.

[Anne Naylor - Huffpost Blogger]

nantucketsunset

There are an enormous number of psychometric tests available. I think there can be great value in gaining greater self-knowledge and understanding.

Best to you,
Anne

[nantucketsunset]

I acknowledge that what you are saying does describe some women who work in business, but I take objection to the fact that your phrasing sometimes makes it seem that you are stating that ALL women have such difficulties, e.g., "women lack confidence" and "important goals get put aside" -- well, that is not true of every woman.

This article seems to give weight to stereotypes about what working women are like and what to expect from them. If I were a man skim-reading this, I might be inclined to think, "Yeah, even these female authors are saying that women in business are frail."

[Anne Naylor - Huffpost Blogger]

Dear nantucketsunset

Thank you very much for commenting. Actually, I think many women run with their power, sometimes terrifyingly so.

I had a great aunt who was a role model for me. She was a suffragette who fought for the women's vote in the early 20th century. She would tell me how men would stand aside for her to do what she was committed to doing. However, even now, not all women are like that.

I appreciate your perspective.

Warmest good wishes,
Anne

[Dr. Cara Barker - Huffpost Blogger]

I love what you have written here, Anne. In fact, I'm passing it along right away to friends and clients. As usual, what you have written is insightful, practical, and inspiring, encouraging. This is what we need more of these days. What a blessing you are.

Love,
Cara

[Anne Naylor - Huffpost Blogger]

Dear Cara,

So good to see you here - thank you for dropping by and for passing on the post to others. I am so grateful to be part of our blogging team here on Huff Po.

As always, I deeply appreciate your presence.

With love,
Anne

[Lerrin]

I've appreciated your posts, and especially your most recent ones (and the links within)- very helpful and timely, as I'm in the process of discerning & learning such things right now.
Thanks very much!

[Anne Naylor - Huffpost Blogger]

Dear Lerrin

Thank you very much for your comment. I am very happy to know that you are appreciating my posts - I love writing them.

Have a wonderful week!
Anne

[Kari Henley - Huffpost Blogger]

Anne-
I believe the 4 reasons you cited as to why women don't succeed, or at least get as far as they would like are so insightful and right on. Women do operate with more emotive foundations, and are triggered by different things than me in many ways.

Very timely and important! People are really struggling now. It is heartbreaking to see and hear some of the stories of struggle, trying to "make the best of it" and just not getting it done.

Your doses of inspiration and insight are so helpful!
Kari

[DiogenesOfAlaska]

I think there is a conflation or ambiguity built into the assessment of the responses to this crisis: to the extent that the assumption of perfect control as an ideal against which business leaders are to be measured remains intact, there is a shortage of understanding of what crisis management really amounts to.

While these are not semantic problems, they do have a discernable trace in the meanings of words. I would argue that 'making the best of it' is a perfectly valid goal in these times, but that asking those who seek to accomplish this goal to simultaneously seek to 'get it done' in the sense we grew accustomed to during boom times is asking strictly too much.

[Anne Naylor - Huffpost Blogger]

Hello Kari,

Thank you so much for your comment. You know if I had a magic wand and could wave it over those who struggle to make their lives easier, I would! But then I think this is when we need to find ways to draw upon the rich spirit within us that never leaves.

I know in the past you have written about the value of our connecting well with others. There is so much comfort and strength we can each give to one another. So important in these days. And to be able to laugh together,

I really appreciate your voice, here and in your posts,

With love and blessings to you,
Anne

[Eli Davidson - Huffpost Blogger]

Deartest Anne,
Wow! What an important and timely post. One of the chapters in my book, Funky to Fabulous was about how to write a Success Script. At that time I had cornered the Mind Movie Market...I am glad that others are spreading the message!

[Anne Naylor - Huffpost Blogger]

Dearest Eli,

Thank you once again for bringing your Fabulous Self here! In the last couple of weeks, Mind Movies seem to be very much in evidence on the net.

We may not be able to take control of the larger world around and about us. There is so very much we can do to nurture and direct our inner worlds. And in these days, I think we benefit much from doing so. But then you know a lot about that!

Huge warm love to you,
Anne

[DiogenesOfAlaska]

William Shakespeare, who wrote

'frailty, thy name is woman'

wasn't especially famous for his manliness. But also, he wasn't a businessman. :-)

It is certainly very true - and even in business it is key - that our occupation and profession must fit our strengths and weaknesses. And that as a result, we must know these very well. And I also agree that management or decision making isn't for everyone. But the acceptance of one's own vulnerability is. I am sure of that. But since I wouldn't call that 'the frailty of self-doubt' we might not disagree on this, either.