What can I do, what do I want? Recognize realities - and re-prioritize.
The Corona crisis, the war in Ukraine, economic uncertainty or even personal strokes of fate can trigger substantial changes. Every journey begins with a first step - but in which direction? And perhaps anger, fear or refusal are the first, obvious reaction before you can think about new steps and new perspectives. There are good methods that enable a reorientation or help you look at the current situation from a different, positive perspective. In any case, the questions "What can I do?" and "What do I want?" should now come into focus.
Anyone who is faced with the ruins of their previous plans for the future or even their existence feels stress, panic, worry and often sheer despair. Sleepless nights and unfair irritation towards loved ones further obscure the perception of reality. This is precisely the right time for a new orientation.
Each of us has certain skills, knowledge and "resources" such as certificates, but also our personal network. Often many of these treasures lie idle and are forgotten due to the routines of everyday life. Sometimes dreams and plans for the future have been planned for so long that they rarely come to mind. Strokes of fate or dramatic developments, such as those we are currently experiencing first hand in Europe, have the energy to bring these treasures back to light: time to take stock. With simple lists of "skills/resources" and "goals/requirements" you can collect the most important facts as a first step.
Under your own skills, write down everything you are really good at. This can be professional knowledge, but also personal characteristics. Resources include certificates, titles, contacts, network, track record - but also good ideas. In the second step, you can prioritize these skills, i.e. sort them, in order to highlight the skills that you want to focus on. A good example here is Albert Einstein, who was an enthusiastic musician. He practiced the violin for many hours, but he wasn't a particularly good musician. Einstein became world famous because of his knowledge of physics and mathematics - although his passion was actually "Lina", his violin.
Being aware of your innermost desires is important. It is much more difficult to formulate concrete goals from them. The first step can be to list actual requirements, such as salary, place of residence, time for the family. Here, too, prioritization can be used as an organizing element: the more concrete the abstract vision becomes into a tangible, defined goal, the easier it is to plan its implementation. The SMART method has proven to be very effective when formulating goals: each sub-goal should be specific, measurable, attractive, realistic and have a deadline.
To help you have a clear idea of your goal, backward analysis can sometimes help: Imagine that you have already reached your goal in the future and "remember" today. Now you go step by step to your future now. Maybe you want to take another turn along the way, then you can now adjust your goal definition accordingly. It is also helpful to change your perspective by putting yourself in the shoes of different partners to get an idea of how they perceive things. This could be a HR manager for your dream job or an investor for a business idea.
Your personal network is an important factor in achieving your goals. At Ensider you can expand your network, improve your skills and create ideas for the future. The clearer your goal, your path and the direction for your first step are, the more confidence you will feel. As you know: “The best investment is in yourself”!
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