ABC of your career path: Z is for Zip Line

When we come to the end of a trip, some people feel very zen and calm, while others are full of excitement. This last group is already planning their next big event even before finishing the last moments of the current one they are experiencing. I want to suggest that, for once, you try something different; in other words, savoring the last bits of the current journey. Ask yourself: What have I learned during this time? What would I have done differently? What would I have liked to have done more of? Was it even worth it?

Once you evaluate your experience, write it down in a journal. Not only do you answer the questions above, but also determine exactly how you felt on the road. What triggered happiness, sadness, frustration, and possibly even anger while navigating different paths? Were there certain people who brought these emotions out of you or was it something you read, watched, or experienced? How did you get over feeling very drained and / or how did you turn an unpleasant experience into a better one?

It is important to determine how you have grown as a person during this journey. We can feel that we are still the same person with the same habits, skills, traits, etc. but change occurs even if we cannot see it in ourselves. We are living organisms, so parts of us expand our limits and other parts deteriorate or are forgotten. Regardless, it’s critical to document how you’ve changed so that when you come across a new ride you can review how you managed to survive the bumps in the road earlier. It is like a textbook of your life.

Of course, this also relates to our entrepreneurial mindset. We may get an annual review report, but 365 days is difficult to detail in a one or two page memo. It would be better if you created your own weekly review with the same information that you would have in a formal annual review. What projects or assignments did you excel at or struggle with? If you gave yourself a rating, what would it be? What goals have you set for yourself to advance in your career?

Now is the time not to rush through your career goals, but to try to visualize the career you want. Alternatively, if you are on a good track record with your work, find out how to take it to the next level. Contact a mentor or coach for support. This may be the end of the alphabet for this journey, but there are many more interesting roads / paths that will come your way. You just want to make sure you don’t go too fast and lose them.