Definition: Career Planning Advice

Clarify Your Vision
It can be difficult to find your way in the world if you don't have a definite vision of what it is that you want out of life. Creating a unique vision for your life isn't always easy, however; with all of the stimuli and imagery that is commonly encountered every day you might find yourself struggling to determine exactly what it is that you want to work toward and build your life around. Developing and clarifying a personal vision doesn't have to be a difficult task, though… all that is required is a little bit of soul-searching and an honest desire to live your dreams.

Setting Goals
Before you can begin clarifying your overall vision of what you want your life to be, you will need to take the time to define some basic goals in your life so that you will have something to work towards. The goals that you set should be realistic and reachable, and while they should require some amount of work in order to reach them your goals should also hold your interest to the point that you feel they are worth working toward. As each set of goals is reached, you will begin to enjoy the momentum of reaching your goals. Somehow you are compelled to set new goals. The new goals now give you the next milestone to strive for.

Overall Goals
As you begin setting goals for yourself; you should also start to consider exactly what your overall goals are. Look at the types of goals that you are setting, and try to determine some main categories (e.g., personal, professional) that are occurring. Now, try to begin to categorize your overall goals for your personal life, your business life and career aspirations, and any other major areas that you might have. Not only will defining your overall goals help you to further clarify exactly what your vision is, but it will also give you a beacon to work towards as you continue to set smaller goals each week and each month.

Defining Specific Dreams
Once you have started defining your overall goals, take a little time to consider exactly why you have those goals. Begin thinking about what you're passionate about, and exactly what you want to accomplish as you achieve each of your main goals. Think about the dreams that you had as a child, and how those dreams have evolved into the desires and ambitions that you have today. Take the time to focus on what dreams you have for your personal life, your career, and for your life in general; once you begin to realize what your dreams are and how they interact to form your driving forces and define your goals then you will be ready to use these dreams to identify your vision and point your life in a single focused direction.

Identifying Your Vision
Now that you're beginning to get an idea of what the dreams that are carrying you through your life are, you can start to see exactly which direction your life is headed and how your goals both large and small are taking you there. You should be able to get a better idea of what it is that you really want to accomplish with your life, and from there you will be able to develop a plan on how best you can stay on your journey. As you become more and more focused on the specifics of your ambitions, you will begin to notice that your vision is becoming much clearer and you can finally tell exactly where it is you're going and what steps you can take to get there faster. Enjoy the ride!

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