Do you feel that you are achieving the success you want in your career? Do you find the work you do fulfilling? How are you even defining success? Is it your personal definition, is it someone else’s definition for you, or is it what society deems it to be?
If you are achieving the success you want for your career and are feeling fulfilled, good for you. Please comment below and share how you achieved this.
If you are not achieving the success that you want and/or find the work that you do is unfulfilling, read on.
In a survey that I conducted, only 30% of employed women said that they loved the work that they did. Whilst my survey is not representative of the total population, I still think that this figure is far too low.
Considering that you spend a significant part of your life at work, it is important that you get fulfilment from the work that you do and achieve what it is that you are striving for.
When we achieve our aspirations, not only do we feel motivated, we get a sense of accomplishment and it strengthens our self efficacy. When we are fulfilled, we feel satisfied.
Some of the common reasons I find for women not achieving the success and fulfilment they want from their careers are self doubt, staying in their comfort zone (and becoming stuck in a rut) and not being authentic.
Here are these 3 mistakes and what it is that you can do to overcome them: -
I can’t…
We are capable of achieving a lot more than we often think we can but we sometimes limit ourselves and create a self limiting belief about what we can do, convincing ourselves that we cannot do it. Some frequent ones that I come across are:-
- I can’t because I’m not good enough
- I can’t because I will fail
- I can’t because I will make a fool of myself
- I can’t because I am not clever enough
- I can’t because I won’t fit in
- I can’t because I don’t know how to
What is your 'I can’t'?
By thinking this way you may start to feel inadequate, anxious, fearful or even that you are stupid and you will be discouraged from pursuing what it is that you really want to do. If you are thinking in this self limiting way, it is not helping you. Changing the way that you think to something that is more helpful will help to take the fear out of what it is that you want to do.
Every time those unhelpful thoughts rear their head, change the negative connotation of them to thoughts that are more helpful. For example, rather than thinking I didn’t get that promotion because I am not good enough, change it to, I may not have the necessary experience yet, however, I can develop my skills and get experience so that I am in a better position for the next time. Changing your thoughts in this way will help you to feel less anxious about the situation.
The more you practice this, the easier it will be for you to recognise when your unhelpful thoughts are holding you back and for you to do something about it.
Not being true to yourself
Some women in the corporate world wear masks, masks that cover up who they really are. They try to be someone that they are not in order to fit in. Are you trying to be someone you are not because you think that it will make you fit in? If you try to be something you are not, not only will this make you come across as inauthentic, eventually it will take its toll on you.
Know who you are and what you stand for, know your values and stick by them. Trying to be someone that you are not can be very stressful and unfulfilling.
Be your true self and learn how to deal with challenging situations in an assertive but authentic way, you will feel a lot better for it.
Stuck in a comfort zone
Staying too long in a comfort zone can lead you in to a false sense of security, so whilst you may think that you are safe and secure (because you are well within your capabilities), you are failing to grow and develop. This can lead to you becoming de-motivated, de-skilled, bored, fearful even timid. It also makes it much harder to adapt to change.
Take yourself out of your comfort zone by stretching yourself. Do things that stretch and challenge you, leaving you feeling slightly uncomfortable at the thought of doing it. Do this on a regular basis and watch your confidence levels soar.
However, do not take yourself too far out of your comfort zone as this can be very stressful.
If you are not achieving the success and fulfilment from your career that you would like, what will it take for you to do something about it? What is holding you back?
Original content published on LinkedIn
Photo by Antonino Visalli on Unsplash