How to Make Career Progress in the New Year

Jan 7

Episode 295 | Author: Emilie Aries

After a year like 2020, I know quite a few of us are hesitant to set ambitious goals for the year ahead, especially when it comes to navigating career growth in a still-uncertain economy.

That’s why today I’m rolling out part 1 of a new 4-part “get yo’ sh*t together” series for the new year that’ll help us refocus on what we can control: our own thoughts, actions, behaviors, intentions, and plans for the year ahead.

While none of us can predict perfectly what surprises, challenges, twists and turns this new year will hold, we can still set ourselves up to make progress on our own terms.

Today, let’s start by breaking down how to make career progress this year - especially if you’re feeling unsure, unclear, or unable to think long-term right now.

First, find the feeling

Historically, I encourage people to refine a clear end-state goal, a compelling vision of exactly what they’re striving towards. For example, close your eyes and envision…

Jumping for joy as you accept that new dream job offer,
Holding the book you want to write in your hands, or
Leading your first big team meeting after stepping up into that promotion.

But this year feels different. Many of us either aren’t clear on the outcome we’re hoping for, or we’re feeling a little daunted by the chronic uncertainty we’re all navigating.

So this year, let’s focus on how you want to feel at work instead.

Which of these feeling words are calling to you?

Ambitious! Growing. Challenged.

Respected. Capable. Strong.

Calm. Serene. At Peace.

Joyful. Excited. Engaged.

If you’re not sure, create time and space to journal for self-exploration, or talk it out with a friend or loved one. Remember: there are no right answers. This is about getting in touch with your internal compass and what feels right for you right now.

Once you’ve got a feeling-state intention, you can begin to make choices - both big and small - that better align your day-to-day life with how you’d like to feel.

Focus on what you can control

From there, it’s time to focus on the choices you have to make.

Writer and activist Alice Walker famously said, “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any.” So let’s reclaim our power - in big ways and small.

Feeling stuck in a dysfunctional, chaotic workplace? Well, you can’t control how your colleagues or customers choose to treat you, but you can control how you respond. And you can choose to spend your free time focusing on your job search strategy instead of trying to make things work where you are.

Does your supervisor have an unclear vision for your role at the company? Well, you can’t control what they see for your future, per se, but you can take responsibility for crafting your own growth plan.

Not sure what you want out of your career? Well, you might not be able to waive a magic wand and instantly make your doubts, fears, and ambivalence vanish, but you can choose to seek support. You can choose to spend 5 minutes a day meditating on your deepest career desires. You can choose to use a journal or paper planner to map out your goals and reflections.

You can’t control what obstacles will be in your path, but only you can choose how you’ll respond to them.

Make goals manageable

If you’re afraid of failure, it can be tempting to not set any goals at all.

Our self-preservation instincts kick in and tell us not to aim too high, or strive too loudly, lest we let ourselves and others down by not achieving what we set out to.

I get that.

However, there’s a middle path forward between setting super-highly-ambitious career goals and setting none at all.

When reading my latest Sunday New York Times, I stumbled upon an article by Christina Caron titled, This Year, Try Downsizing Your Resolutions. In it, she shared that experts agree, “...writing out one or two specific, small and attainable goals can help develop confidence and a sense of pride, improving your well-being.”

In fact, setting the bar a little lower this year means you’ll more swiftly experience a motivational boost - a nice little dopamine hit, even - when you make some boss moves. Scholar Teresa Amabile calls “The Progress Principle,” and essentially she found that the mere sensation of forward momentum is inherently motivating!

So go ahead and set some goals, for sure, but consider lowering the bar and making this extra realistic this year to avoid the pitfalls of “aspirational planning,” which just set you up to feel chronically behind.

Make a plan

As the saying goes: “A dream without a plan is just a wish.”

Once you’ve created space to find the feeling, focus on what you can control, and set manageable goals for your career this year: it’s time to make a plan.

If you stop at the visioning part - which way too many vision-board fans might unintentionally encourage you to do - you’ll miss the critical next step of breaking your big goals down into smaller, incremental steps, and forecasting exactly when you’ll make time to make progress.

This 2011 study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology is one of many that found faults in over-focusing on your vision alone. It turns out, fantasizing about an idealized future actually decreases the likelihood that you’ll put in the effort of making it a reality. In effect, your brain tricks you into feeling like you’ve already achieved it.

Our science-backed LifeTracker Planner is designed to help you break your big goals down into an action plan - and we have just a few left in stock if you’re looking to snag one for 2021! But regardless of what tools you use, remember this:

You should spend as much time - if not more - figuring out your plan as you do figuring out what goals you’re striving towards.

The planning process helps you stay realistic about your own expectations. You’re more likely to see the obstacles in your path and take steps to avoid them, instead of blindly rushing into a goal pursuit without thinking through what you need to learn, whose help you may need to seek out, and what challenges you may face.

I believe in us, boss! Together, let’s process with calm confidence in our abilities to make progress in our careers this year. And if you’re looking for support and accountability in achieving your career dreams, be sure to join our Courage Community on Facebook, where thousands of women from across the globe come together to lift as we climb.

Next week, I’ll continue our Get Yo’ Sh*t Together series with a post on 5 Job Search Trends for Landing a Job in 2021 - so stay tuned and be sure to sign up for our email list below to stay in the know!