The New Year is a common time for people to decide to make positive changes in their lives and set new goals. We often start a new year thinking about what we want to achieve and how best to make those achievements a reality.
Setting goals is essential for both our personal growth and our career progression. It doesn’t matter how big or small your goal is, it has the capability of improving your life in some way. Have a think about what you would like to achieve this year. You may want to complete a course and secure your dream job or maybe you would like to improve your relationships with your colleagues at work. Whatever your goals, you need to be clear about them, how they will benefit you and what you need to do to achieve them.
Creating a spider chart on a sheet of paper can be very helpful in clarifying what we want. For example, if you want to secure a Legal Secretary Job, first you need to outline your reasons. Draw a round circle and write ‘Why I want to work as a Legal Secretary’ in it, and then draw lines coming out of the circle. At the end of each line draw circles and add your reasons, such as ‘I want to be a part of the legal profession’ or ‘I want a job where there is opportunity for advancement in my career’.
Next, you need to process your beliefs about securing Legal Secretary employment. Draw another round circle which states ‘Beliefs about being a Legal Secretary’, and, being as honest as possible with yourself, write down your answers as you did before – for example ‘Legal Secretaries earn good salaries’ or ‘Legal Secretaries are highly skilled’. Write down whatever comes to mind, and don’t censor any answers.
In your next spider chart, you need to work out what may stand in your way of achieving your goal. Draw a circle which states, ‘Why I’m afraid of being a Legal Secretary’ and repeat the process as above. You may find yourself thinking that you are worried about whether you will be competent enough or there will be too many other people applying for the same roles. Think of all the excuses you might give yourself not to pursue your goal.
When you have completed this exercise, take a look at your charts and all the negative points you have noted. It is these negative beliefs that can stop you from achieving your goal, and it is necessary to try and work through these blockages. A good way to change negative thoughts or beliefs is through positive affirmations. These can be written on small pieces of paper or cards, and put up in your home where you can see them, for example:
- I am competent in Legal Secretary work as I passed my course
- I have a very good chance of securing a Legal Secretary job with my new skills
- I am willing to work hard to have a rewarding career
Read and repeat your affirmations to yourself as often as possible, with feeling and belief.
Another way to achieve your goals is to visualise what you want, imagining your new office environment and working with other legal professionals. You need to make it real and feel positive about it.
We are all capable of achieving our goals with a positive and determined mindset. Make a note of the goals you have achieved in the past and how they have improved your life. This will give you confidence that you can have a rewarding career.