Go to school, get a job, retire. Sound familiar? Some people skip over the first and last steps, but inevitably everyone has to get a job. Ideally, we don’t just want a job that pays the bills. We want a fulfilling career that puts our skills to good use and gives us a sense of purpose.
What’s your career? Did you follow a straightforward path to get there? Perhaps you took several winding detours before you discovered what you loved to do.
Sharing your success story – no matter how many twists and turns it took to get there – can provide a much-needed morale boost for anyone in their 20s who feels like they should have gotten their career “figured out” already.
The fact is that your career can change at any time in your life. Once you stumble onto a new passion, interest, or skill, you might decide to make a living out of it. That’s one reason why constant self-discovery is so crucial: you’re always experiencing new things, and you’re a slightly different person with a slightly different perspective every year. You might feel incredibly energized by your corporate job in your 20s and trade it all in to take up organic farming in your 30s. There are no rules against it!
But once you’ve chosen a career path, you’ll have the opportunity to celebrate many milestones along the way. Pause to truly congratulate yourself on how much you’ve achieved at every moment. It’s too easy to get run down when pursuing long-term goals like career goals.
So what if you aren’t a top executive yet? You nailed your interview, landed an entry-level job, successfully negotiated a raise, had an overwhelmingly positive performance review, got that project in on time despite some serious setbacks, worked up the courage to find a new employer… your list of successful moments gets longer all the time, even when the circumstances seem tough.
In fact, keeping a physical list of career-related achievements can be an excellent motivator on tough days. If you need some inspiration for goals to set or to celebrate, read through our user-submitted success stories. Feeling proud of your journey? Share it with us!
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