Most of us are so busy rushing around that we rarely take the time to stop and question the decisions we are making and why we are making them.

 

Take a moment now to consider the career decisions you have made to date and ask yourself:

• Why did you make them?
• What did you take into consideration or ignore?
• Who influenced you?
• From your responses, what do you think are your career decision-making strengths and weaknesses?

By considering these questions and reflecting on how you make decisions in general you may identify approaches that will be beneficial to repeat in the future or be aware of ways you could inadvertently create barriers to progress in the future.

Think about your current situation, take some time to consider all areas of your life including your work, doing things outside work that interest you and supporting family and friends, and ask yourself how satisfied you are overall? Consider how successful you are prioritising the things that matter to you.

If we are dissatisfied in any way it usually has something to do with balance, as we often unconsciously neglect things that are important to us due to high demands in other areas. To be happy in our careers we often have to look more widely and consider the other things that bring us satisfaction and the compromises we are prepared to make to achieve our goals.

 

When we are busy and not focused on what is important to us, there is the risk that we will let other people or circumstances take control of our career. Doing this may mean that when an opportunity arises you are not able to recognise it, or you aren’t ready to act.

Consciously making decisions on what is important to you can help you be more focused on what you want out of life.