Revitalize Your Career

The economic crisis has been difficult for everybody. Many people are out of work. People who have kept their jobs are grateful, but they must complete more work with fewer resources, and fewer rewards. It's frustrating, because in a different market, you may have left your present employer by now. With fewer opportunities, you have chosen to stay put. The good news is you have a job. The bad news is you don't feel good about it. Revitalization is about recapturing the excitement in your career no matter what is going on around you. It's about rising above the economic crisis, and shining again. So, How Do You Revitalize Your Career? You Follow These 4 Steps Below: 1. Accept Where You Are. It's not always easy to stay positive in a negative environment, especially if you are one of the people left after mass layoffs or multiple layoffs over time. It can wear on you. Acceptance is important because it gives you the power to choose your situation versus letting your situation happen to you. It gives you permission to feel better about where you are. It's ok to be working there. While not ideal, you have a place to go to, and a job that allows you to take care of yourself and your family. You may not plan on being with your present employer long-term, but it is OK if this is where you are right now. 2. Do The Best Possible Job You Can Now. If you are going to be at your job all day, why not make it as enjoyable as possible? How? Decide to do a great job. Why should you make this decision? Because once you do, your job will get easier for you. Ask yourself what projects you would be interesting in working on and then work on them. Do the best possible job you can for you. Do it because you want to grow as much as possible. Do it because you want to put something interesting on your resume. Do it because it will make work more enjoyable for you and you might just remember why you choose to work there in the first place. Do it because when you are no longer weighed down by your present job, you are freed up to revitalize your future. 3. Create Your "What's Next." Without a destination, you can't get on a plane and take your trip. Your career is like that airplane. Sometimes you are grounded and other times you are flying in the air. Use your "grounded time" to visualize what your trip will be like when you are soaring again. Create a picture in your mind of where you will be flying to. What will your new location look like and what you will be doing when you get there? Capture this picture on paper so you can look at it every day. 4. Begin Revitalizing Your Career. Revitalization is about taking action. It's not about standing still, but going after what you want in a strong and powerful way. Now that you have a picture in your mind of what you want to happen next, break that picture into bite sized pieces. This will keep you from being overwhelmed. You are better off doing one small thing every day rather than waiting for a big block of time to get many things completed. Slow and steady wins the race every time. Lastly, revitalization is about keeping the big picture in mind. If you find that you are slipping in your quest for a revitalized career, remind yourself that today is a moment in time, and this moment will pass. And when it does, you want to be ready for the next great opportunity that will be coming your way.