For many, climbing the career ladder means hard work, but it is important to find the perfect balance between career focus and a healthy relationship with working life. It compels a balance between reaching for the top, and creating realistic targets without burning yourself out. In the following article, we have tips on how to set up a plan through goals that develop not only your professional life but also your personal career.

Paint a picture of the future

Some people are goal driven and know exactly which direction they should move forward. Others do not have a clue as to what will become of them, even in adulthood. Maybe you belong to those who prefer a calm and quiet life without big achievements, maybe you are ironic about everything that belongs to the clichéd concept of "personal development". Are you standing idle in the same place in life but want to move forward?

No matter which type you are, painting a picture of the future, or a classic mind map can be useful to figure out what direction you want to go.

Set goals

The best way to get an overview of your future is to create long-term goals with solid short-term goals. Create a document with titles such as “career”, “finance”, “training” or other categories that are relevant. Try to imagine where you want to be in one, two maybe even five years ahead in each category.

Having set goals is almost a prerequisite for consciously growing and developing. If you are still straggling behind with no goals, then it is difficult to get a sense of achievement. It is therefore important to set goals. This could perhaps be a job title you have wanted for a long time, a new personal best in weight lifting, or perhaps a better wage. With set goals, what you achieve can be celebrated and become something to be grateful for that contributes to self-fulfilment. 

Create an action plan with concrete actions

In order to reach your goals, it is now time to think about how you will get there. Your long-term goals need to be broken down into sub-goals that become actions in a structured plan. If you wish to advance in your career, perhaps you need further education, learn about a specific subject or talk to someone in your business for inspiration. Think about concrete measures that will take you further in the direction you set, one-step at a time. Start with what you can do today.

Dream Big

It is always good to dream big and aim high. Just thinking of a dream brings you a little closer. With a concrete plan like mentioned above, the goal can be met faster than you first thought.

Resilience

Resilience is often mentioned within the world of job coaching. Not everything always turns out as planned; life often gets in the way, which is important to accept. Feeling a sense of gratitude and acceptance maintains good resilience. Life is ever changing, as are the goals you set.

Challenge yourself

Challenging yourself may be a simple statement, but if you keep doing things you are already good at, you will just remain in the same place. When you challenge yourself by going outside of your comfort zone, you learn many new things, which in turn often contributes to positive self-development.

Networking

Meeting others within the same branch can contribute to inspiration, motivation and guidance. Having more contacts in the industry can at best lead to new opportunities that benefit you in the end. A person you talk to today may be the path to your dream job later on.

Get yourself a mentor

Talking to an advisor or mentor can help you personally develop, but also in your professional life. Usually, you might talk to friends or your partner for advice, but when it comes to your career, it can be good to talk to someone who can professionally advise you.

Find internal improvements

Finding internal improvements in the workplace not only benefits the workplace, but also the efficiency of you and your co-workers. It also shows initiative and drive, which is vital for climbing the career ladder.

Do a good job, do your best or do too much?

A classic tip when climbing the career ladder is consistently delivering. At the same time, there is a risk of doing too much and working at a too high work pace. However, constantly over-delivering can also be counterproductive, as it can lead to a burnout. Instead, do what is required in the moment and do it well, rather than giving everything you have all the time. In fact, many people need to slow down their work pace. Doing something about this can free energy and reduce the risk of a burnout. Energy that you can instead spend on family and leisure time.