Career
Gather Support to Reach Your Career Destinyby Shana Spooner
Dave’s been out of work for 10 months now. He’s frustrated. He spends 6-8 hours a day trying to drum up a senior management position. There just aren’t any available in his neck of the woods. Dave was offered some very enticing positions. However, he and his family would have to move. He’s not willing to do that. So, each day Dave spins his wheels thinking up new angles of how he can find challenging work that’s close to home.
Dave used to be the national sales manager for a start up company. He loved that job. "I like going and doing what others have not done before. I thrive on that. I like working the big deals that take time. You have to build relationships. You have to build trust. On the big deals, you have to work a lot of different aspects. It’s challenging. I love challenges. Someday, I’ll have my own company. That’s what I want eventually."
So why isn’t Dave building his own company now instead of looking to build someone else’s? "It takes time. I’d have to take the time to build relationships. It takes time to build trust. You have to work a lot of different aspects. I don’t have the time for that. I really need to focus on a job search. If I can just grab a job and get some cash flow going – then I can get something going on my own- on the side…" In reality, Dave does have the time. What he needs is the "can do" attitude he displays when working for others.
Dave started his own company a few years back. He ran out of money before it became profitable. Dave is afraid of failing again. Truth be known, all successful entrepreneurs have failures in their pasts. Dave now has to decide if he has the self-confidence to put himself on the line. He must also surround himself with others who believe in him. Here are Dave’s next steps:
First, Dave needs to decide if having his own business is important to him or a pipedream. A good way for Dave to think about this important decision is to take time out alone in nature. One or two weeks away alone are ideal. One full day alone is realistic. He should go somewhere where there is no TV, no radio, and no telephones. When Dave allows himself time and space, his intuition will speak to him. Great ideas come when our lives are uncluttered.
Visualize success to create success. Professional athletes do this all the time. They picture themselves hitting a home run or making a basket. Practicing success in his mind serves as a rehearsal. Dave needs to create a vivid picture of what his business will look like, feel like, taste like, smell like, and sound like when it is up and running. At first, the picture will be hazy. As his plans develop, Dave’s picture will become clearer. He should spend at least 5 minutes three times a day visualizing his successful business.
Start a MasterMind group. A MasterMind group will propel Dave further faster. He should choose 1-6 people who think big, have big plans and need support in some way. It’s a place to build support, get ideas, get encouragement, and help each other get over obstacles. Mastermind Groups work best when you assemble visionaries who understand his dream and know how to help create it. He should choose people in different fields to get a varied perspective. For more information on mastermind groups, read "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill.
Dave knows he’s not going to find a job that will make him happy or that will challenge him unless he moves. He is not going to move. He has great conviction about that. He needs that same conviction in starting his own business. He’s looking at what he could lose, instead of what he could win. What he does well for others is starting a business from scratch. Now he needs to do it for himself. He loves big challenges. This is the biggest challenge of his life.
"I’m going to set up that mastermind group. I need to do what I ultimately enjoy instead of just looking at my current cash flow" were Dave’s final words.
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Shana Spooner has been called "a career makeover guru." She provides her clients with clarity on the career direction they would be happiest pursuing and then gives specific actions to get there. Spooner’s makeovers are conducted by telephone so that she
