Debbie Peterson: How to focus your career on the future – GoErie.com

If what you are currently experiencing in your career isnt what you want, then the solution isnt in the past.

Do you ever feel that your career and life are beyond your control? That there are outside forces at work that move you from uncertainty to even more uncertainty?

Yeah, me too.

What I have discovered with my clients is that uncertainty about the future is usually rooted in the past.

We are, after all, creatures of habit. We tend to wake up each morning and perform the same routine.

Coffee.

Check your phone.

Shower.

Maybe you have a morning run or yoga in there.

The point is that the brain is efficient, and when you find ways of doing things that work for you, the mind says, "Great! This will make a lovely habit," and gets to work at making it become one. Then it becomes unconscious, and youre not even aware of what youre doing or why.

It means that you are working from and focusing on your past. The problem is that if what you are currently experiencing in your career isnt what you want, then the solution isnt in the past, its in the future.

So how do you make the shift to future-facing? It starts with intention.

Intention is defined as a thing intended; an aim or plan.

Every time you set an intention, you put your attention on the future and what you want, instead of what you dont. When you make this your new habit, you create influence and start generating momentum, which feels so much better than the rut you may be experiencing.

So lets start your new intention habit.

Here are five easy ways to incorporate intention in your career and start getting the career results you deserve.

1. Intention for your career. "When my career is ideal, I am " Finish this sentence with as many things as you can think of that resonate with what you want. You might say, "I am helping others," "doing meaningful work," "living a flexible lifestyle." What are the guideposts that lead you toward the career you want?

2. Intention for a 30-, 60-, or 90-day sprint. Whether you own a business or work for an organization, there is always more than one thing to juggle. You have competing priorities with clients, projects, departments, not to mention your personal life. Set an intention for a specific period so that you know what you want to accomplish within that time. You will have created a specific focus and goal, instead of focusing on everything and accomplishing little.

3. Intention for your week. I am an advocate of planning your week in advance. Ideally, you plan for the next week at the end of the prior week so that you know exactly what youre getting into when you return on Monday. At the very least, plan your week out on Monday, so you know what is ahead of you. What is your intention for this week? If it were an ideal outcome, what will make you feel best to have accomplished this week? This means you have a guide to focus on the right things for you.

4. Intention for your day. This intention is identical to the intention for the week except that you are breaking it down to focus on just your day and what you ideally want to accomplish. Now, it doesnt mean this will happen exactly as you want, but it increases your odds of getting the outcome that you want. Pick three things that you can easily do within the time you have allotted within your day. They can be small things, but pick those that specifically move you toward the intention you have set.

5. Intention for your interactions. Although this came last, it is certainly not the least. This is an overarching intention. How do you want to "be" when interacting with others? How do you want to come across? What attributes and characteristics do you want to embody? Is it having patience? Being a good listener? Being supportive? Think of who you want to be, how you want to act and what you want to achieve before you pick up the phone, hop on Zoom, run a meeting or even have a conversation.

Be curious and open and discover how you can create thoughtful intentions throughout your career and life. Remember also, that just like knowledge, intention has to have action behind it. Otherwise, its just a wish. Oh, and speaking of wishes, heres wishing you the clarity you deserve.

Be good to yourself.

Debbie Peterson is a speaker, author and professional mentor supporting women and emerging leaders to create career success on their terms.