Have you asked yourself what makes successful people so successful? Are they smarter than other people or just lucky? While some say those who enjoy a successful career are smarter than others, another argument is it’s just good fortune – or being in the right place at the right time. Although both factors likely play a part, we would argue the difference is in the planning.
Most successful people use a systematic approach to their career, planning a stepwise approach to the end goal. To develop goals for 2020, let’s examine the steps you should take to make a plan that results in success.
Create a Visual Roadmap
Begin with an overarching vision for your professional life. Are you set on working your way into management? Would you like to move forward as a clinician with the goal of becoming a registered nurse or nurse practitioner? Do you hope to one day own your own company? Before you can develop goals to help you achieve success, you have to know exactly where you’re heading.
But, don’t get discouraged if you aren’t sure where your end goal is at this time. You can still move along a path that will lead to success by improving your clinical skills and taking time to explore your future hopes and dreams. The trick is to write it all down. Without a visual representation of your goals, it can be easy to become discouraged by the small steps you’ll need to take to achieve the ultimate goal.
Set SMART Goals
Even if you aren’t sure where you want to end up, that could be your goal for the end of the year – to evaluate your options and determine where you would like your career to go. To achieve your goals, you’ll want to create SMART goals for the year. This is an acronym to help you write goals and keep you on track.
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Relevant
- Time-based
Start by identifying steps you need to take to get to the next level to reach your goal. If you would like to consider the next educational level, your first goal may be to speak to someone who is practicing at that level to determine if it will be as satisfying as you imagine. Make the goal something you can measure, such as speaking to three people. Ask if this is attainable and relevant to the end goal and place a time limit on achieving this step. In this example, the written step toward your goal may read: I will speak to three people who practice as a BSN to ask specific questions aimed at determining my interest in moving forward in my education and will finish this by February 15, 2020.
Success Comes In the Execution
All the planning in the world won’t help you achieve success if you stay in the planning stage and never execute. It may sound simple, but many people get stuck in making an exceptional plan they don’t act on. If you find yourself in this place, talk with a friend, a career counselor, or a therapist who may be able to help you figure out what’s keeping you in the same place.
Are You Ready to Make a Difference in Your Career?
It’s our mission at Anodyne to help you grow professionally. Our recruiters work with you to find challenging assignments that meet your needs. Contact Anodyne today so we can begin to work together to achieve your goals in 2020!
