Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?

If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the last few years, it’s that it’s hard to reach a goal when you don’t have a good sense of what your goal actually is or what you’ve already done to get closer to it.

Here’s a non-biz example:

Say you want to drive from Point A to Albuquerque. If you want to get there, you need to know…

• Where you’re starting. Santa Fe to Albuquerque is a lot closer than Chicago, for instance.
• What your timeline is. Do you have to be there by any certain point?
• How much gas you have. Otherwise, you need to plan pit stops and budget accordingly.
• What route you want to take. Are you going straight there, or are you taking the scenic route?
• Whether your car is equipped for the trip. Do you need new tires? A tune-up? Extra oil?

Your career is a lot like a road trip. It helps to have a map, or at least a compass, to get you where you want to go. How you get there and how long it takes is up to you, but you need a plan, however loose it may be.

Over at my freelance writing blog, I’ve been talking a lot about what I’ve accomplished this year and my goals for next year. The next part of the discussion is how I’m going to achieve those goals.

So since I’m working on this self-evaluation right now, I pose the same questions to you:

• What have you accomplished this year?
• What do you want to accomplish next year?
• How will you go about doing it?

Don’t panic — you don’t need to come up with a detailed life plan right now. But start thinking about these important questions, and leave a comment with your ideas.

Contents © Copyright 2007 Kristen King

(photo via SXC.hu)

Tags: women and business, woman, business advice, career planning, career goals, professional growth