What to do when you feel behind in your career

This week’s blog covers a common belief when I start to work with career development clients. They come to me with aspirations and wishes about their career and decide to work with a professional to make them come true. As we go through the process of reflection, often the issue of feeling left behind is uncovered. When you have set yourself career and life goals, it can be disheartening when you feel like you aren’t meeting them. So often my clients lament that they feel like they “ should have been promoted/earn more money / feel more confident” (or, insert your own career belief here)  Today, I want to share more about what to do if you feel behind in your career.

 

When I joined the workforce, proper, as a bright-eyed 21-year-old graduate, my aspiration centred around being about to afford Clinique makeup and a full Oasis Wardrobe … now I’m nearly 44, and aspirations focus on my values and the opportunities work creates for me. When we start our careers, many of us will have a vision of where we want to be. For others, work is something that you drift into. But, at some point, there will be the reflection to consider “Is this what I want?”

Today, I want to share with you how you can manage the feeling that you are behind. I’ve briefly covered this issue before, in my blog Has your career stagnated? So maybe go through that first, if you wonder if that is what your career conundrum is. Sometimes, injecting something new is enough to overcome the feeling of inertia; a temporary blip to get your career mojo back. 

 

Occasionally, there is something much deeper going on that makes you feel like you are behind in your career. This feeling can eat away at your self-belief, and your career satisfaction and can leak into your life outside of work. 

 

So, in true coaching fashion, I’m going to share with you four questions to ask yourself when you feel behind in your career.

 

 

Where is the expectation? 

Where did the expectation of career success come from; is it recent and relevant to your current circumstances? Whose voice are you hearing? If you were able to go back in time, with hindsight, what would you have hoped for yourself by now? Let’s rewrite the expectation! 

 

What is career success? 

Do a little cognitive exercise and consider what evidence you have that you ARE having career success right now, in the context of what is relevant for your life and circumstances right now. Push back on the brain’s ability to seek out the evidence that supports its current thought. Imagine how it would feel if your life and career right now is what you wanted in the past. 

 

Is your career right, for right now? 

Take some time to speak to your future self. Using all your experiences up to now, what would you like to have as your career success in 10 years 5 years or even 1 year.? Sometimes you may feel behind, because the right thing for right now, doesn’t match up with what you envisaged for yourself.   How would it feel if you considered if your career is exactly where it needs to be, just for now? 

 

How can you bridge the career gap? 

 Having worked through these mental gymnastics, you are in a place where you can start working towards what you want. The best time to start creating the career you enjoy (which makes you feel like you are EXACTLY where you need to be) is now. Your vision of your future can create a basic roadmap for the career journey. This guide helps create action in the present day to bridge the gap. It may be something that will take some time – like a course or skills development. It could be working on your confidence to take on more responsibility. Maybe it’s time to connect with a mentor, a guide and a champion within your organisation. Sometimes, it is as simple as working on your boundaries to reclaim your time and energy. Either way, the best to start is now.

 

What do you think? Has any of this resonated with you? Reach out and join my Facebook Group Creating Careers to Enjoy, where over 500 people (who happen to be parents) are doing exactly that!

 

If you would like to talk to me about how I can help you take the next step in your career, then find a slot in my diary and I shall call you!