You, along with millions of other people, may have hit something of a wall in your career path. This is a pretty common issue in a lot of people’s professional lives. Obviously, you want to get out of the rut you’ve found yourself in. However, you could be holding yourself back from the next big step without fully realising it. Here, we’ve listed three common phrases that hold people back from advancing their careers.
“I’ll Just Stick with What I Know”
The thought of a new job, whether it’s in a teenager starting at a corner shop or an executive trying to get his boss’s job, can be very daunting. A little anxiety when you’re looking to take your next big step is natural, but you should never let it hold you back. A phenomenal hockey player, Wayne Gretzky, once said “You’ll miss 100% of the shots that you don’t take”. This is a quote you should bear in mind, and come back to whenever you feel afraid of just saying “yes” to an opportunity. By getting out of your comfort zone, you’ll open up all kinds of opportunities, start to see your field in a new light, and develop skills which will help you in many other areas of life. Change can be good or bad, but you’ll never know if you don’t give it a shot!
“I Can’t Do That”
This one can sometimes be rooted in extreme defeatism and the fear I mentioned above. However, sometimes it’s completely true. If your skills are lacking or out-of-date, then there are certain things you simply won’t be able to do. There are people out there who have been extremely successful without much to show on their resumes, but those people are few and far between. If you find you’ve been stuck in your position for way too long, it could be time to evaluate your skill set and make some improvements. It may not be practical to drop everything and go back to university, but these days there are a wealth of distance learning opportunities that will allow you to take an online MBA or other qualifications. You may even want to ask your employer for some time off in order to pursue a new skill. Believe me, they’d rather promote from within than have to manage a stressful recruitment drive!
“Something Will Come Along”
If you spend too much time daydreaming about the job you’d like to have, and not enough time actively pursuing it, then you’re going to be shooting yourself in the foot. I’m not saying that you should give up on your dreams. However, you should be taking practical steps towards them, rather than simply waiting for it to come along. You may have some big ideas, but all success is 1% inspiration, and 99% perspiration. I know it can be hard to apply yourself when you’re in an unsatisfying job, but if you really want to move past this rut, you often need to just grit your teeth and put your nose to the grindstone.
Have you got any other phrases you think we should refrain from saying? Share your knowledge!!
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