Promote yourself at work

Who doesn’t like to be popular? Who doesn’t like others to endorse his or her actions? If one seeks to be well-liked and admired, he or she cannot escape from doing self-promotion. It is an inescapable requirement to move ahead in one’s career because career advancement depends largely on the impact you create on your seniors, colleagues and juniors alike.

It is essential that you are clear in your mind about the image you want to portray about yourself before you actually initiate any self-promotion action. Do you want people to regard you as a person with foresight or a person with immense leadership potential? Do you want people to talk about you as a person with high principles and values; or a ingenious intellectual? Whatever impression you want to generate has to be in sync with your career objectives and hence you will have to do some planning in this context.

Planning as part of any self-promotion exercise entails an all-round participation in all activities of your organization. You need to be specifically focused on the following issues:

·  Take on important roles: When the mantle is on your shoulders, you will be looked up to. If you intend to display your leadership qualities, you have to display your creative skills. You cannot afford to remain in the background of events; on the contrary, you should be leading from the front. You should always keep in mind that leadership is put into practice not so much in words as in outlook, approach and deed.

·  Don’t keep your knowledge to yourself: The best way to use your knowledge is to share it with others. Keeping your knowledge and experience close to your chest will serve no purpose. You need to pass them on to others so that they too can benefit from it. If you keep your wits about and be on the look-out for platforms for sharing your knowledge, you will automatically come to be regarded as well-informed; people will look up to you. You could contribute articles in professional journals, participate in seminars; in this way your name will be on the lips of people. You will thus come into limelight

·  Be your organization’s brand ambassador:  This can be achieved by shouldering inter-department responsibilities or representing your company in external forums. You will get to interact with a wide cross-section of professionals and in the bargain will be able to expand your network. Additionally, you will also get to recognized for your capabilities, professionalism, and people skills.     

·  You must have a guru to exhort you: The need for a mentor to motivate you needs no emphasis. You cannot climb up the success ladder unless you have someone to properly guide you and also project you and your potential. You thus will have a better chance to be on a firm footing vis-à-vis your capacity and competence.  The mentor can also highlight your strengths in different forums and as a result of which, things will turn out in your favour. However, the selection of a mentor has to be undertaken with due diligence because he would be engaged in projecting your abilities in a positive manner.

·  Record all your accomplishments:  When you go for your performance appraisal, it is best to carry a list of your attainments with you. You need not blow your own trumpet loudly but a smart and calm way in promoting your capabilities is definitely beneficial. You know exactly what you have done and what you have achieved; and hence sharing the information at an appropriate moment will showcase your capabilities. 

·  Remain devoted & work with sincerity: All companies have a system of rewards for their employees. Remember that you get the best exposure and publicity if you have outstanding performance to your credit. If you excel at work and surpass your targets, you could be recommended for such awards; needless to say such recommendations by themselves bring you into limelight. And since performance awards are approved by the top management, you are automatically offered an opportunity to place your identification in the eyes of people who matter. You, thus, without any other intervention give a boost to your image.

To be able to boost your PR, you have to be different and make a difference too. It is always advisable to not disregard small contributions that you can make to your organization; such contributions have a cumulative effect. Remember that you can build your image alright, but maintaining it is a rather difficult proposition. It can come crashing down too. It is you and you alone who has to see to your own fame. In other words, you need to think highly of yourself, display a self-assured outlook and be in the forefront of activities. 

Make your mind up on an exciting career

Career selection has never been an easy proposition. Today, everything revolves around money and this issue has made matters more complicated. Therefore, one should consider all aspects in an all-inclusive manner before deciding on a career that is actually fascinating, motivating and relevant in relation to one’s personality and penchants.

In the times gone by, career selection was usually based on rather based on traditionalist deliberations. Today, things are different and several hitherto fore run of the mill leisure activities can be taken up as fulltime careers; and they are equally lucrative and satisfying. However, if you cannot discern a potential career for its appeal, satisfaction and appropriateness, you will find disappointment coming your way at every stage of your career journey. Therefore, it is important for everybody to select a career with due seriousness.

There are several factors that should be considered without fail to decide upon a career that is going to be stimulating and lucrative. These factors are:

·   Interest & complexities involved: Inclinations and interests vary from person to person, though one may find one more appealing than the others. And as one grows old, interests and concerns also tend to change; with age you become mature and hence taking a decision becomes easier. Realization may dawn that what you thought as fascinating earlier may not appeal to you today and hence the activity as a career option is not found suitable. Your deftness at executing things logically does not imply that you can be an expert on allied technical aspects of the work. Considering all these aspects, it is necessary that you possess a fair idea about the feasibility of all career options available to you.

·   Research & inquiries: An ideal career can well be one of your leisure activities. Should it be one that does not serve you well, like a hobby, you can change it. Therefore, when selecting a career, you should always consider one that is your hobby or fad or an extension of it. In doing so, your entire career selection process becomes trouble-free and uncomplicated – something you can get pleasure from for certain. There is one more exciting method to discover your fascinations – reflect over the likelihood of you taking up a particular career without any remuneration. If your response is positive, there is every possibility of the same being a first-rate career option.   

·   Capabilities & acumen: If any pursuit attracts your attention or you happen to take interest in a pastime, it does not imply that you possess the requisite capability to take it up as a career or line of work. Know-how and proficiency are two different things; combined together they mean skills. You have to make certain that you acquire the necessary skills for the career that you want to take up. Mere possession of skills is not sufficient; you also need to upgrade them on a continuous basis because they will eventually prompt you to continue with a career or not. Traits like or related to headship, voluntarism, sincerity, organizational ability or administrative acumen are helpful in deciding what career you would like to embark upon and continue with.

·   Practicability & achievability: It is next to impossible for any person to embark on a career without considering involved financial angles. In fact, everybody looks at his or her career from the point of view of financial rewards that it offers. And it is correct to do so because remuneration is one of the most important factors in career selection. But it is necessary to make certain that hobbies and leisure pursuits should be pragmatic and practical for being taken up as a career. This evidently calls for an improvement of one’s knowledge base to the level of a career as soon as possible.

·   Outlook & devotion:   The attitudinal requirements of each profession are different. While one may call for a very social attitude, another may necessitate a very reticent attitude. It all depends on how much public dealings or social interaction and principled behaviour or upright functioning that could well be the qualitative requirement of a job. Since individual ideals for no two persons are alike, the likelihood of landing up in a wrong job cannot be discounted. Therefore, you will have to take into account the kind of approaches and mindsets that you are comfortable with. You cannot think of having excessive free time at your disposal; you will have to work hard and make useful contributions. Initially, men and women may not accord priority to their domestic affairs, but in actuality, particularly in long-term perspectives, it is the family that needs to be accorded top priority. Therefore, you will have to decide on the number of hours you would be willing to work daily and how best you can fulfill all your work and domestic obligations satisfactorily.

         An important aspect to be borne in mind is that it is difficult to withdraw from any bad career option exercised by you at a later stage. It is not that you cannot rescind your earlier decision, but that would call for a complete and continual evaluation of your accomplishments. It is only then will you will be able to decide what your next step ought to be.     

Be innovative & don’t rust in your current post

Do you eat the same stuff for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day? Do you wear the same clothes day in and day out? Evidently, you don’t. When the sun rises and people wake up, they are rejuvenated, full of new ideas and brimming with hopes to engage themselves in doing something exclusive. Now, a disposition like that helps them overcome boredom and boost self-confidence.

Therefore, there is one thing that everybody needs to do – you have to get rid of lethargy and indolence from your job. But you have to be cautious enough and ensure that your values and principles are not compromised. Surveys conducted have indicated that if at all people trail behind, it is less because of their lack of ability and sincerity but more because of their inability to perform smartly.

What exactly is smart performance at work? It means being ingenious and pioneering. In the practical sense, you need to shed all rigidity so that you can build up on your value increase. It should be remembered that on the career front if one does a particular thing frequently or continually in a similar fashion, he or she is branded as mundane. Needless to say, the career graph of such individuals takes a downward plunge.

As in marketing, there is nothing that can enjoy a rapid growth from the word ‘Go’. Initially things are always slow, though they can be steady. It is after some time that they gather momentum and after being in limelight, things again get to become dull. If at all there are deviations from this, it is on account of innovative techniques adopted for marketing. At work too, it is essential to be creative. Such an approach will provide an impetus to one’s inspiration and enthusiasm. An environment like this, if created will facilitate figuring out newer methods of performing at work and which will be of immense help to others as well.

Imaginative ideas have brought about intensely optimistic and constructive transformations in many people’s lives. The sky is the limit as far as innovative propositions are concerned. Have you ever seen what keeps customers occupied at a barber’s shop as they wait for their turn? You’ll always find magazines and newspapers there. But you cannot have them at a restaurant. Availability of reading material at barber shops boosts the earnings of the barbers in their own small way because even if there is a rush, a customer settles down to read instead of going to another salon.

Revolutionary ideas apart, ideas that are novel and ground-breaking may need some assistance from others for their naissance. It is not a bad idea to organize deliberations and discussions so that original ideas come up. The venue can well be anywhere – workplace or the home, depending who the participants are. While at the workplace, the partakers could be peer groups and subordinates, at home the list could include members of the family, relatives and friends. Much that people would not believe, these ‘luminous’ endeavours definitely give rise to wheedle out highly inspired and ingenious thoughts, proposals and plans. And the best part of the entire thing is that the benefits of such exercises cannot be fathomed without indulging in them. 

The above notwithstanding, it is absolutely inescapable to comprehend that inventiveness, as distinct from resourcefulness is not a magic formula that can be applied by uttering abracadabra. Nor is it a recipe that can be followed step by step. The fact is that creativity is a two-way effort and a joint one at that which is required to be indulged in by every individual at the workplace. It is only then that workplace output will rise. You may come out with a plan or line of action. Mere implementation of the same is not going to yield results. You will have to be on the lookout for certain specific indications that prove that things are working fine.  And if at all there happen to be any obstacles in execution, alternative plans should invariably be in place.

In order to be successful, one has to learn to live with various workplace-related environmental changes that are taking place across the globe. There is a specific need to keep abreast with technological advancements and general knowledge.

One can be pioneering and novel alright, but to put such novelties into practice, there are some unavoidable essentials. You need to have in place combined and mutually-acceptable visualization, justification and line of action amongst all those who would be involved in the execution of a project. All key individuals should have an innovative point of view and regard changes that take place as positive developments. It should be appreciated that all innovative ideas are generally simple and easy to comprehend but their outcomes are relatively difficult identify with.

The crux of the entire issue is that ground-breaking ideas of ground-breaking people have twin paybacks. They have a monumental impact on the very existence of people as far as their professional life is concerned. It also assists organizations in netting good outputs and profits. It is a foregone conclusion that when this happens, people who bring it about do not rust. 

Be a leader at work

Everybody who is out working has this ambition of doing well and being acknowledged, irrespective of his or her appointment. There will be hardly any person who would not harbour an aspiration to get into limelight and be recognized as a cut above others. Every individual has this aspiration of being a leader at work. It is a different matter that due to various reasons, the tag of a leader does not get attached to everybody’s name. To be able to secure such a tag, an individual should be knowledgeable, perform well and be a beacon light for others.

How can you go about to establish yourself as a leader at work? There are several ways and means to do so, some purely speculative and some that have passed the test of time. You can always reach a position where you are admired by others, but without disclosing your purpose.  The following tips can be of help:

·  Take maximum responsibilities: If it is your desire to be an ‘influence’ at work, you need to take responsibility for possibly everything that has your signature on it. The price of greatness is responsibility and no action comes forth from consideration alone. On the contrary, it comes from a readiness to be accountable. You just cannot be successful if you shirk responsibility. Therefore, you must understand that for the period of your association with any task, you are also responsible if it fails. An important trait of a leader is to accept all responsibility for anything that goes wrong. Remember that there is nothing wrong if you go wrong, so why should you escape accepting responsibility for it? 

·  Harbour a win-win outlook: Most people believe that that it is only through manipulation one succeeds, but you should not subscribe to such a philosophy. It is essential that you repose trust in others – seniors, colleagues and subordinates alike – so that their thinking is favourable to you. You need be offensive or extraordinarily bold, but you should apply yourself in a way that the sway that you wield serves to motivate others and is always to your advantage.

·  Learn to take risks: You have to be dynamic in every sense of the word, Dynamism entails being enterprising and venturesome. Therefore, if you seek to be successful and remain in the forefront, you should be bold enough to take risks. You must ensure that any apprehension with regard to being let down not worry you at all. It is essential that you identify for yourself that crucial aspect that you believe in and that you are willing to take risk for. You may take simple risk like volunteering for an assignment that everybody else wants to stay away from.  Remember what a turtle does to move on – he sticks his neck out.

·  Reduce your plans to writing: As a leader at work, you are required to act. You should not be idling away your time; on the contrary, you must keep doing something, instituting measures and performing. It is necessary that you programme for all this in advance. Any ideas that cross your mind should be jotted down so that you do not forget or have difficulty recollecting them.

·  Don’t let opportunities slip away: You will find opportunities to lead everywhere; you need not search for them. Clutching opportunities call for initiative on your part. If you look around, you will see that opportunities far exceed capabilities. But yet, thechances of missing opportunities cannot be discounted. Like the example of taking over an assignment that others are reluctant to take on – if you do so, you are on the dance floor. And opportunity does not wait for dance-partners! 

·  Face criticism in right spirit: If you do not take criticism positively, your life is without a meaning. You ought to be open-minded and receptive to ideas. Ideas do not cost you anything and could well be in the form of undemanding hints to perk yourself and excel in your life. This is specifically what a leader seeks; he wants repeated responses and reactions.  Should feedbacks be not to your liking, you still have to absorb them. Criticism should serve to help you focus on things that need improvement. After all, criticism generates fresh ideas and when fresh ideas abound, a leader gets into action.

·  Learn to give and share: From what you get, you can make a living but from what you give, you can make a life. And that is exactly how you unlock yourself. Your opinions, contemplations and initiatives are meant to be shared. You should be able to experience your susceptibility; gradually you will start liking it. Once your inside is empty, you will hanker after newer plans: but where will they come from? Obviously they will come from your detractors and supporters. You will have greater inputs at your disposal and thus experience a never-before type of an intellectual reinforcement. And that is how you will come to regarded as a leader at work.

It is important that everybody sees in you a leader. And the only training that you can possibly undergo to be acknowledged as a leader is actually to become one!

Make it big in your life

Everybody wants to make it big in life. But most of them cannot make it a reality because they simply cannot articulate themselves happen for the simple reason that they cannot express themselves in a pragmatic sense. All successful men and women always dream big; they imagine their own future in detail and then work hard on a continuous basis to attain what they dreamt for themselves.

 How can you make it big in life? The prerequisite to it is having adequate nerve to chase your dreams. And when you have it in you, there is no stopping from reaching for the stars. A large majority of people encase their dreams, leave everything to chance and then wait for them to actualize. Off and on, something favourable may unfold and perhaps that is the only time when matters could be re-assessed. But regrettably, the dreams remain encased. The lot of people who are bold and plucky who really work to realize their dreams is few. Some factors on which a determination to make true one’s dreams are:

·   Explicit objectives and feeling of sureness with regard to their attainment.

·   Unequivocal visualization of the goals proposed to be attained.

·   Longing, fervour and resolve.

·   Repudiation of qualms related to failures.

Not many people are able to meet the above qualitative requirements. It is also unfortunate that many people are oblivious of the fact that success is also governed by some rules that cannot be violated. People thus admit defeat without ever making an attempt to contest an odd. Such a disposition needs to be guarded against. Working towards the attainment of one’s dreams is tough alright, but not necessarily a dreadful affair. There is enjoyment, excitement and satisfaction too, but the road that you decide to move on has to be the right one. You need to be mentally robust to apply your knowledge to prevalent situations and derive maximum benefits.

Picturing and simultaneous reiteration of avowals constitute mental exertions. They are important steps forward towards making it big in life. Mental exertions coupled with positive thinking mobilize your mental faculties for attaining your objectives. Windows of opportunities thus come your way. There are several ways and means available to condition your mind to move in the right direction. Many people discard such options but those who do not invariably achieve good results in their life because their latent strengths, determinations and self-assuredness register an upward swing. An important point to note is that you need to not pay much attention to outside influences and considerations; all that needs to guide you is your brainpower.

Like an opportunity, success does not follow a candid methodology. It surfaces in various forms, some astounding and the others run-of-the mill. Occasionally, success appears as a simple notch, wherein a gate opens; it is up to the individual concerned to gain an access and derive benefits. A proper comprehension and pursuit of the foregoing leads to greater aspirations, greater stimulation and greater inspiration, which all boost success probabilities. It should not be forgotten that there are both gigantic and minute objectives, the latter also encompassing daily goals; both these categories stand better chances of success if visualized and avowed.

More often than not, but mistakenly though, people tend to assume that objectives imply big objectives only, like possessing immense wealth, acquiring assets and enlarging businesses. The fact is that punctuality, striking a balance between personal and professional lives, pursuing hobbies, entertainment and good health, just to name some of them, are equally significant.

But how does one conceptualize and avow? There are, for certain some dogmas that need to be followed. But these cannot be codified. One has to be more than ready to brave trouble and discomfort. It is only if you are plagued with these that you would be trouble-free and comfortable. The going can be tough but then it is a small price to pay to achieve a dream. And when the going gets tough, it is the tough who get going.

All dreams per se are visions and if they are worthy of accomplishment, are well worth the effort and pain that may be involved to make them come true. Dreams may at first appear to be unreasonable and impractical, but when you work hard to make them into a reality, they get transformed into essential attainable objectives. This is so because dreams comprise aspirations and opportunities that can be seized any time. 

The fact is that if a person can dream, he can be active. And if he can be active, he can perform well to eventually succeed. Therefore, the golden rule ought to be to never give up on a dream just because its realization is time-consuming. You have to keep your head and heart going on the correct course. Your feet will consequentially take care of themselves and be in tune with everything that goes in to make dreams come true. 

Know what your career ought to be

Do you often feel worried and question yourself about what your career ought to be? If yes, then be assured that you are not all by yourself in this dilemma. You could be in any phase of your life - a student or an employed person aspiring to do well in your life and career. A doubt about what your career ought to be can come up any time. However, you can find an appropriate answer by delving into your career objectives. And you can get rid of any dilemma that may come up in the process.  

Some sort of a realization will dawn on you that your career is all about knowing yourself. Your individual penchants and attributes apart, career selection, more so a perfect career is surely a difficult task. It is on this account that today, people hop from one career to another so frequently. However, the flip side of this observable fact is that there are organizations and people who are knowledgeable and skilled enough to show you direction.

Knowingly or unknowingly, people do introspect to discern what their career ought to be. But when did you last do it? If it was not very long ago, then the likelihood of you being in a stable job, though not necessarily a gratifying one should not be discounted. It should be remembered that there is no person who is totally sans any aptitude or skill; he or she can always use them to derive pleasure from whatever work they do.

The crucial point and also the first step in finding out the direction that your career ought to be moving in is discovering the real you. You could be something internally but portray a different face externally. It is possible that you detest various downbeat issues at your place of work or in the job that you do, but yet you are holding on to it.  This is perhaps a positive you and not a characteristic you, wanting to liberate yourself and enthusiastic to lend wings to your passions. Your inherent talents and aptitudes should be the one and only impelling factor to put you on the right course, for which it is essential that you engage yourself in actions to find out your:

·   True self: How do you do this? You can delve into your bank of abilities and find out more about your aptitude, capacity and flair; thereafter you can open up with them. Alternatively, you can undergo special tests to discern your penchant; there are many institutions and counselors who do this.   

·   Aspirations: This is the second step but of great consequence. Having discovered the true you, it is necessary to discern clearly what you seek to do and achieve in life. This is essential to have a stable life and a career that is in conformity with the true you. Some research needs to be indulged in so that bright ideas come out on careers that are best suited for the true you. Career guides can perhaps be of great help to substantiate your findings.  

·   Right job: Job seekers often get into a trap by opting for a high-paying appointment. Money should not be sole guiding factor; if you are able to formulate a scheme of action, there are greater chances that you will reach where you want to be. You should jot down the career you seek and reduce to writing various stages and actions that will be necessary to get into it. In other words, you will need to devise an accomplishment plan.

It is quite likely that you have no doubts about what you seek from your career, but have not been able to accomplish your objectives in a time-frame that you thought you would. Under such circumstances, you should catalogue your career objectives and make plans afresh to accomplish them. If you reduce your thoughts and impressions to writing, the prospects of achieving your objectives increase manifold. Remember that your career is a symbol of your personality. It is thus essential to ensure that your career is in harmony with all facets of it.  

Quite a few people do not look for any consent from within themselves as far as their career is concerned. They seek it outside and want others to endorse their choices. It should be remembered that all approvals should emanate from you. If you are mindful of such acquiescence, you will better poised to move on the right course. Your career should thus be a demonstration of your ambitions, aspirations and objectives; and which will give you pleasure.

Remember that the time that you would be spending at work is significantly large. In the light of the foregoing, though finding out what you love doing is easier said than done, certain actions on your part will surely stand you in good stead. You need to decide on what career you ought to take at the earliest and focus on things that you delight in. It is advisable to not attach much importance to remunerations while hunting for a job. However, it is essential you are forthright in demanding whatever you love and seek. It is also essential that you brush aside all issues that do not matter to you.

The crux of the entire matter is that the hunt for a job that will inspire contentment in you starts with some sort of an introspection. You need to ask yourself, “What do I want to do?” And if you happen to be in a job already, the hunt ends when you exit from a job that is not in harmony with your aspirations and which does not inspire happiness in you. 

Fulfill your career aspirations

Men and women who have successful careers have immense prudence and forethought. They plan their careers skillfully, take stock of their progress periodically and work hard to reach the top. You too can be like them. You too can fulfill your career aspirations. But the catchword here is resolution. You have to be dogged and always keep in mind that opportunities are invariably camouflaged as hard work and that you need to recognize them.

Here are some vitals:

·   Objectives: If you do not have any aims, there is no point dreaming of attaining any. You should know accurately what you seek to do and be in life; it is only then that you can set your sights on your career ambitions. In particular, you should be clear in your mind about various priorities in your life; in case there are any incongruities, your move forward will be impeded. And if you have far too many aims, the chances of success will automatically stand reduced. Simply having aims is akin to dreaming; you must set a schedule for their accomplishment.

·   Professional approach: The image that you portray of yourself should be one of professionalism. Besides appearance, you must pay attention to your overall conduct and the company that you keep.

·   Dedication: Nothing will materialize if you are casual. You must envision your journey ahead; and should never be wary of the aims that you set for yourself. Your progress can take a beating sometimes and your confidence may tend to get splintered. If that happens, tell yourself that you merit victory and that nothing can impede its achievement. Working hard will be more productive if you keep the end result in mind.

·   Communication skills: You should be able to articulate yourself well; learning experiences gained should invariably be shared. Efficient communications also entail good writing and listening skills. You should be able to sway others with your words.

·   Discussions: You must not shy away from your seniors in discussing matters. Such interactions help in gaining esteem in their eyes; needless to say this factor is essential to move up the success ladder.

·   Skills & expertise: You gain experience in everything that you undertake and do; and every experience is a learning experience. On-thejob training apart, you must acquire formal qualifications too so that you always maintain your progressive graph.

·   Networking: Your professional success is also contingent on your capacity to meet  people and sustain relationships. When you establish ties, you also carve a name for yourself; within your company, it serves to increase your popularity. Eventually, when it comes to finding the right person for a post, you will certainly be in the race for it. You must try to have maximum number of people in your network.

·   Advice: You should endeavour to identify a person whom you can look up to in when you get stuck in your efforts. In addition, you should also play a guru to some too. Besides establishing links with the environment, this will also serve to project you as a future 'captain'.

·   Self-promotion: Whatever good work you do should be in the know of your company's hierarchy, particularly those up in your chain of command. This is to preclude the possibility of recognition being inadvertently apportioned to somebody else or your contributions being rated relatively low. While blowing your horn should be avoided, there is no harm   whatsoever in putting actualities across in a subtle, yet straightforward manner.

·   Self-evaluation & introspection: When we say that you should think things over, the meaning is that you should keep an eye on the progress achieved by you. It implies supervision and scrutiny of your timetable. Concurrently, you should also evaluate how your actions are influencing your company's performance and growth, howsoever, minute they may be.

Your strength and determination to write your own future are indisputably the most forceful sways for your benefit. Additionally, your honesty, reliability, credibility and commitment are also essential to put your career in a mode that is to your advantage. It is only then that you will be poised best to optimize your career prospects. And that is when your career aspirations will start getting fulfilled.

Don’t play with your career

There are several people who have harboured big dreams and aspirations; and been successful in attaining whatever they sought. Such people have certain qualities and engage themselves in actions that bring success to them. There also many others who, by virtue of their own actions bring failure to themselves.

You may have towering professional aims, but unless you move in the right direction, you will not be able to accomplish any of them. Six actions on your part that will help you to contour your professional image and serve to inspire you in the wake of difficult going are:

·   Have well-enunciated objectives: This is an inexorable condition to do well in life. You should be clear about what precisely you seek and what is pertinent to you; and be willing to sacrifice everything for them. People fail in their careers because they are unable to fill in the blanks as related to them. They are unable to exert themselves and find it difficult to identify their weak-spots. Remember that if you are mindful, you have alternatives available to you. All successful people remain steadfast in all their actions, including when it comes to emulating their role models. If you dismiss uncertainties harbour self-confidence, your prospects of success will increase manifold and greater opportunities will come your way.

·   Articulate confidently: Your written and spoken prowess has to be good, compelling and captivating. You should know how to talk about your work and results so that others can take a cue from them. You should know the prompting factors of all your actions and will facilitate people getting drawn to you. In addition, you also need to shore up and give confidence to others; your supportive actions will portray you in very good light and enhance your popularity.  

·   Have a social attitude: You simply cannot exist or work in all by yourself. You cannot be a loner; on the contrary, you should build good and long-term relationships. There is no way that you can succeed without the support of others. The foregoing calls for understanding your colleagues and sharing common principles with them. It is important that you do not move around with airs about yourself or encourage sycophancy in any form. Any attempt to exert your authority in a negative manner will never pay you dividends. It is not that career success cannot come to you otherwise, but then your career path will be a bumpy ride, leaving you exhausted and discontented at your end-point.

·   Don’t buckle at all: When you are clear about your aims and ambitions, you have to be vigorous and forceful to safeguard your boundaries, value your priorities and identify the fundamentals of advancement. There are many people who know what they stand for and seek in life, but when it comes to taking initiative or a step forward, they become reluctant. The reasons for hesitation can be many, but the fact is that you need to suppress your fretfulness to be able to come out strong and hardy enough to defend your interests and when required, demand your whatever is due to you.  

·   Transform your edginess into inspiration: All feelings of apprehensions, harassment and defenselessness are disadvantageous to your career interests. It is vital that you learn to exhibit your competence, work sincerely and discharge your duties well. Any failure that you meet should be taken positively so that your move forward is unhindered. At your workplace, there will be a horde of influences on you and your performance; and you should regard all of them as learning experiences. In case you do not and adopt a meek or confrontational attitude, there will be no advantage that will accrue to you. You have to discover ways and means to convert your edginess into inspiration.

·   Maintain your ardour and devotion: You should be robust enough to maintain your calm and emerge resilient after most difficult times. It is not at all difficult to generate upbeat situations for yourself, even when everybody around you point fingers at or have reservations about you. Well, that calls for being daring and enterprising. You should view things in the correct perspective, apply midterm corrections where necessary, and solicit assistance when inescapable. In other words, you should give your word to your objectives and make certain that you shed all rigidity. There is no denying the fact that successful people always make efforts to know about their shortcomings and direct efforts to overcome them.

Of all the things you can do to have a successful career, the one which always wins out is hard work. You need to take your career seriously and do nothing that can sabotage it. Your success will always be contingent in a very large measure upon your individual initiative and exertion. 

Overcoming midlife career dilemmas

When you move forward in your career,, you do not do so by taking one giant leap. You do so gradually and in stages. And the process of career progression is not common for two individuals for various reasons. Different factors that contribute to job or career success of people are subject to change as also their outlooks. When working people who are serious about their careers make decisions after due deliberations, the prime factor that brings them about are periodic interactions and altering relationships between ground realities and good judgment.  In the process, notions of self-importance gain ground. Such questioning of what life means and what the objectives that you set as pertinent to your career is what are midlife dilemmas.

During the period of their youth, people are guided by some beliefs and codes which subsequently become a part and parcel of their mental mechanisms and eventually their dreams. This imagination pushes them to display an industrious outlook towards their work and prepare them to attain their objectives. There are certain pursuits in which, if men and women are skilled at that stand them good chances of success after some years. Music and sports are two such fields.

The above template may not apply in totality to teenagers who leave their careers to be decided by their parents. Very few teenagers would be able to visualize the future prospects of their current pursuits. That is why every boy and girl wants to do well in studies and that is otherwise an outcome of prevailing social conditions.

Organizations that have unbending standards customarily become profitable businesses. They emit their power of influence and resultantly, young men and women are more prone to join them. Many people take up jobs immediately after graduation; and over a period of time, get transformed into energetic and strong-willed personalities. They suffer dilemmas too, notable being their yearning to acquire material assets for their progenies. Dilemmas, like this one make them work extra hard and prove their worth. In case they do so successfully, they move up the corporate ladder. Thus, everything assumes a cyclic methodology.

An excessively ambitious approach knocks down legitimate long-term goals because their working strictures tend to limit the level of earnestness among employees. They thus work with only financial gains in mind. You will find such ideas rampant among people who do not set any long-term career goals.

If you suffer from any of the predicaments highlighted as above, then you need to urgently review your life and career objectives. In case you are exerting more than usual, there has to be a reason behind it. The key issues that need to be understood are two - firstly, what you intend to attain by working so hard and secondly, for whom your efforts are being directed for. Once you are able to do this, your midlife search will have a new meaning. Should you decide to go in for a career change, your effort should be to have a successful transition. And what precisely is a successful transition? The changeover has to be such that you prosper in the times to follow, the key to which lies in blending each and every vivacity of your life, you occupation, leisure pursuits and domestic compulsions so that you do not suffer any financial hardship.

You cannot be impetuous towards your career, including career change in your midlife. Making a mid-life career change is a lot more demanding and challenging. It can also be extremely demanding simply because you would have reached a fairly respectful status by then and any wrong move can cause you financial losses. Therefore, you need to comprehend that every working day at your workplace that does not make you happy has the potential to push you back, financially more than anything else. You will encounter many people who will advise you to be venturesome and asserting that you will make money for certain. Such people need not be taken seriously. Since midlife is where you are already midway in your career, undue deliberation of work issues should not be indulged in. However, you cannot turn a blind eye to money matters.

You may be having several reasons for your job dissatisfaction. Some would be incidental and conditional, whereas some unintended and some not premeditated. But you must know that the prime causative factor lies within you. You should never lower down your satisfaction level because any impulsive action to resolve an issue can prove to be highly catastrophic.

All the above notwithstanding, you need to exercise caution and preclude any tendency to make a hasty decision. It is essential that you understand that your need is not classic career planning, but also fiscal planning. It is the latter that will help you in overcoming all dilemmas. 

Professions that make a difference

Who doesn’t want to excel in one’s career and life? We exercise our career options based on our individual proclivities and aspirations. However, there are certain careers that demand a very selfless outlook and if anybody has to undertake them, one will have to shed any and all feelings of ego and superiority. They are truly noble in every sense of word and meaning; and can be pursued by way of magnanimity, selflessness and thoughtfulness.  Six such professions are and all of them enjoy the same degree of importance:

·   Nurses: They say that nurses are the greatest blessing of humanity and that their profession is the noblest of all. Being the pivot of all health care, they are angels in comfortable shoes. Nurses help people to remain in good health by making them recover from illnesses. They thus give a boost to the hopefulness and cheerfulness of people by just kindness and compassion. The nursing profession would be most sought after if doctors did not exist. All nurses are thus kindness personified. Anybody cannot enter the profession of nurses. The nursing profession is not made out for everyone because of the inescapable requirement to take on worldly sufferings fervently to preserve the well-being of humanity.

·   Educator & Trainers: Teaching is a very noble profession that shapes the character, caliber, and future of an individual.  A teacher impacts perpetuity and has no boundaries to exert influence. The profession of teaching is indeed noble because it is on its account that new generations get moulded. Educators and teachers serve as an impelling power for students; and such a prowess calls for intense resolve and commitment. A teacher's career is indeed very challenging and testing. Since they are the custodians of impressionable minds, their efforts have long-standing outcomes. If new inventions and discoveries are made, the credit goes to the teachers for their hard work in training people. The contributions of parents in the lives of people are great alright, but that of teachers are no less. The fact is teachers and trainers imbibe the skill of living well. If education is the fountainhead of leadership, then going by the same logic, teachers are the fountainhead of leaders.

·   Motivators & counselors: Men and women who help others lead a better life through by inspiring or spurring them in any way to build up their skills are therapists. They come to the aid of people afflicted by sufferings and anguish so that they can manage their lives well. There could be several factors that diminish the very will to carry on amongst people; sorrow and despair, irrespective of what about them are the prime reasons. Helping such people cope with their angst is indeed an extraordinary task. The scope of work of a therapist is extremely wide and very satisfying. Many may not know, but there are adequate pecuniary benefits in a career as a therapist.

·   Research-fellows & scientists: We do not realize that when we are comfortably tucked in our beds, there are some who are conducting experiments in laboratories and research centres. New medicines, faster  modes of travel, safer homes, improved amenities and healthier foods etc that are regularly being brought about are all because of the tireless efforts of scientists. Notwithstanding that the scientific community is compensated well in terms of money, it is their drive and zeal to better the conditions of humanity as a whole that is significant.

·   Crusaders & campaigners: There are people who toil hard and endeavour to make our world an improved place so that we can live in peace. They do not have vested interests and neither do they crusade for personal benefits. All that they seek is an enhancement in the overall standards of life for mankind as a whole. Issues that campaigners fight for can be gender bias, education, environment, poverty and alcohol & tobacco consumption, etc. The important part of a career as a campaigner is that the results of movements have global relevance. For example, if somebody is taking up issues pertaining to environmental pollution in Australia, the impact of the campaign could well be across seven seas in India. A career as a campaigner actually calls for a lot of commitment and monumental forfeiture on the individual front.

·   Negotiators & mediators: They are those people who ensure that disputes between people or groups of people are resolved by bringing about a compromise. In other words, they negotiate to bring about agreements among incompatible and opposing parties. Occasionally, one side remains inflexible and refuses to adopt a policy of give and take; such adamancy is on account of professed self-esteem or perceived preeminence. An arbitrator thus functions as a neutral individual and gives a patient hearing to the grievances, allegations and protestations of both sides; and then suggests a give and take blueprint.

We all have aspirations and ambitions. An aimless pursuit serves nobody. What you actually want to do and achieve in life, its decision is made rather early in life; and is prompted by aspects like finances, status and power wielded. But there are few people who are goaded by a desire to serve others and they take on careers that make a difference to the world.