Bad Choices Can Lead To Good Ones
by Deborah Brown-Volkman, contributing columnist

Your career is a series of choices. Some are good and
some are not so good. But either way, you are the
person doing the choosing.  At times it may feel like
you have no choice, or someone else is making the
choices for you, but the truth is you have more power
over what you choose than you think you do.

What going on in your career? Frustration? Boredom?
Exhaustion? Things we all deal with in today’s
workplace. (It’s good to know that you are not alone.)

If your career is not where you want it to be, it’s up
to you to do something about it. The old cliché, “Good
things come to those who wait,” hurts more than it
helps. It gets you off the hook because you believe
things will happen on their own over time. Action is
what gets results. Not waiting.

So what are you choosing? Are you choosing to work on
making more money or quietly wishing a raise will come
to you? Are you choosing to update your resume or
letting being busy prevail? Are you actively choosing
to discover what your true passion is or are you
hoping the answer will magically appear? The choices
you make today will determine whether you are happy or
not tomorrow.

In order to go forward, sometimes you have to go back.
Once you can accept where you have been, then you can
make plans to move forward. Look at your career. Where
have your choices led you?

1. Have Bad Choices Led To Regret?

Everyone has something in their career they wish
they’d done differently. Maybe you misspoke in an
interview or a meeting and you blew an opportunity.
Maybe you could have negotiated a bigger salary but
you did not.  Maybe you ran into someone in your
career who could have helped you move to greater
heights but you failed to ask for help. Again, know
that you are not alone. Bad choices are something we
all share. It’s not what happens to you in your career
that matter, but how you recover from it. Have you
moved on, or are you replaying every moment over again
in your mind? Replays are for sports, not for your
career. Let it go so you can move on to something
better.

2. Have Bad Choices Led To A Bad Attitude?

Are you fun to be around? Or, do people ignore you?
What kind of vibe are you sending at work or on
interviews? Believe you are hiding a bad attitude?
Your belief is wrong. People can pick it up from a
mile away. No one can hide unhappiness or anger. You
may think that you have a right to be gloomy, but the
person you are hurting the most is you. No one cares
that you are upset. They do care that you are being
difficult. Want to shake things up in your career and
see real results? Become a more positive person. This
one act alone can transform your career.

3. Have Bad Choices Led To Fear?

What are you afraid of? Afraid to ask for more money
or resources? Afraid to speak up in meetings? Afraid
to call people you know to see if they have a job
opportunity for you? Afraid to go after your passion?
Fear is normal. You wouldn’t be alive without it. But
there is a difference between being afraid and letting
fear paralyze you. Even though you are busy, you know
yourself pretty well. You know when fear is getting in
the way. The question is what will you do about it.
Will you let fear win or not?

4. Start Making Good Choices

Until you make better choices, your old choices will
continue to haunt you.  Start today by making one good
choice. One choice will lead to two and so on. You
have to start somewhere, so start where you are right
now. Good choices made over time will lead you to a
more fulfilling career.

So, what do you say? You only have one life to live,
so it might as well be a life you love!






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Deborah Brown is a noted Career and Mentor Coach that shows Entrepreneurs, Executives, Professionals, and Coaches how to transition into careers they love, excel in the careers they have now, start their own businesses, and find time for themselves. She is the author of the "21-Day Career Empowerment" program. This 21-day e-mail program gives participants the insight, clarity, and knowledge to either choose their current position or their next career To Learn More Visit: http://www.surpassyourdreams.com , send an e-mail to info@surpassyourdreams.com or call (516) 432-2440.