I always appreciate the opportunity to spend time reflecting on the current year before heading into a new one. It’s a natural space where I get to consider what I’m proud of and what I can learn from – the successes and the setbacks. Then, I determine how to take that information and intentionally shape my path moving forward, both personally and professionally.
Looking Back
The pivotal year of 2020 brought changes to the world that we are still experiencing and adjusting to today. The global workplace is one of many areas affected by Covid-19. Our long-established occupational environments, standards, and expectations have changed significantly. A “new normal” is continuing to be determined, but it is believed that many changes brought about during the pandemic are here to stay. The months of uncertainty, shutdowns and working from home helped (or forced) so many to slow down after being on auto-pilot, potentially for years. People are starting to recognize what they really want out of life, and more specifically, their career. Because they’re realizing it may not be worth staying in a miserable job, people are opening up to new possibilities and ways of thinking.
Social economists are estimating that 30% of the entire workforce will shift vocations over the next 18 months.
The “Great Resignation”, as it’s now being called, is becoming a historic economic surge. Record numbers of people are no longer willing to stay in jobs where they are mistreated, paid poorly, given very little flexibility, pushed to produce at an unhealthy rate, and constantly under stress. These conditions have led to burnout, drastically affecting people’s mental health and well-being. Especially mid-career professionals. With the world becoming more accessible through Zoom meetings and other creative virtual options, companies have expanded their ability to reach people and work more efficiently. Employees are able to have more of a say in how they want to design their work life. And if an organization isn’t willing to accommodate, there are other opportunities. The shifting factors we are seeing and will continue to see are vast and, to use one of the most common words of 2020, unprecedented.
Looking Ahead
While the changes can be scary and unsettling, they can also create movement in your life that wouldn’t have been there before. So stay curious and open-minded about the possibilities of designing a career that works well for you. There is more room to be creative now than ever before.
How do you even begin to proactively look ahead? Here are a few simple steps that can help you approach 2022 with more intentionality. Take a day, an hour, or even a few minutes of your time to reflect on what has been and what is to come.
- Reevaluate your goals – or create goals for the first time! Consider having these conversations with your family members or loved ones. Encourage each other to see potential both personally and professionally.
- Envision what could be. If you’re not in your ideal situation, brainstorm about your dream job. Then outline what it might take to get there.
- Jot it down. We are 42% more likely to accomplish a task if we simply write it down. By hand.
- Update your résumé. If yours is extremely out-dated, let us help you freshen it up. You never know when a conversation could lead to an opportunity, so make sure you’re ready.
- Seek help. You are not in it alone. If you’re reading this, then you have a community of people who want to support you and see you feel fulfilled. Whether you reach out to your family, mentor, or us, include a few trusted individuals along the way.
The past can be one of our greatest teachers. We can glean from the lessons of former experiences. Likewise, it’s important to be mindful about intentionally creating a future that we want. We get a say in designing our lives and have agency over the choices we make. We aren’t victims of our circumstances, nor are we helpless bystanders as life passes us by. Using our abilities to live fully is a gift. With that being said, it’s critically important not to forget the present moment. It is one of the few things we are given that is certain right now.
So learn from the past.
Be hopeful in anticipation of what the future holds.
And bring it all into the power of the present, remaining peaceful and trusting that things are working together for the good.
We strive to equip clients with the knowledge, support, and customized tools needed to gain forward momentum. 
