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No Cost Life and Career Planning
Planning a career is much like planning your life, in fact, is a major part of your life. Groundwork needs to be laid, foundations built, balance and flexibility to be layered in. You can start at any time, as a school-leaver or mid-career, there are no set rules or restrictions, and planning doesn't have to cost you anything. This is, after all, your life. Why pay someone else to set you on a better path?
Here is a simple set of guidelines to start you thinking on your future and the paths you need to walk along to get you there.
1. What do you want to do with your life? What do you want to be doing?
Not what you should be or what you feel obligated to do, but what do YOU want. Perhaps you have a pipedream that's been lurking in the back of your mind for years. It's rarely too late to at least get a taste of that dream. But before you go off half-cocked. Make a list of ALL the things you'd like to achieve. Some will be easier to reach than others, some will be connected. Choose those most important to you and think about them. Will doing one lead to another? Are there any similarities you can factor in to the process?
2. How can you go about getting it?
This is where you work out if you need further education of some kind. Colleges abound for adults wanting to learn. Education doesn't always require a classroom, also look into local clubs and interest groups [including online facilities]. If it's a career move you're making, look for start-up jobs, volunteer work and networking possibilities. This is the old "foot in the door" routine, as viable today as ever.
3. What can you do to support your goals?
Broaden your knowledge on a subject or field, learn how to speak in public, present yourself, increase your networking...
4. What can you do right now to get started on your chosen path?What will take you a little longer?
Goals can be divided into short-term and long-term. Slot your pipe-dream into the long-term section and concentrate on short-term for awhile. To get started right away you may need to fill in a few applications, make a few telephone calls, open yourself to new opportunities. Keep your eyes and ears open, and be prepared to jump at unexpected chances.
5. In what ways can you fit your plans into your current life? In what ways can you change your current life to fit with your plans?
If you have a family to support and look after, then it is virtually impossible to drop everything and start afresh. Look for ways to incorporate your new plan into your life. This may mean changing the way you do things, dedicating previous "spare" time into "new goal" time or turning a blind eye to house and yard work for awhile [though it would be better if you could offload some duties to be shared by the rest of the family]. Changing the way you spend your time isn't easy. Old habits can be hard to break, excuses all too easy to create. Be firm with yourself!
Even if your goal seems far off there are many little ways you can get yourself closer. Flexible planning is the start. Actually taking that first step is next. You'll need determination and strength to see it through, but you can do it. Balance and flexibility are key, just as confidence and a good streak of stubbornness the grease, that unlocks the door to the life you really want.
Trish is a freelance writer with desktop publishing, promotional material, content sourcing, location and information research, fiction critique and web group management skills tucked firmly into her workbelt. To find out about rates and other services, or to read more of her articles, visit Trish at http://beginningsmiddlesends.blogspot.com/
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