Take Command of Your Future: 5 Questions to Ask Yourself When Developing a Career Vision

From work tasks to home responsibilities, it’s easy to get swept up in life and forget to take command of our direction. We must not only but also work  with intention toward a practical goal. Therefore, we should create a life vision and a career vision.

A career vision is a plan of action we make to become the person we want to be and achieve the things we want in our professional life. Having a written goal that we can refer to is critical to guiding our daily actions toward long-term success. So, how do we create this ultimate career vision?

Strategic Vision Questions

Here are the five career questions to ask yourself to build a career vision.

1.      What Is My Destination?

When setting a vision for our career, we need to know what lies at the top of the mountain. Where does the X mark the spot? In other words, where do you want your career to head?

It’s okay if the answer isn’t “I want to be CEO.” Your vision may be to have a certain impact in a role rather than searching out a role itself. You may wish to start your own business, run a charity on the side, or leave work altogether for academia or home life. Wherever you see yourself headed, make that picture clear.

Ask yourself:

• What am I working toward?
• What do I want to achieve to honor my purpose?
• What path would help me look back and see a fulfilling career?

2.      What Does My Path Look Like?

There are many sides to a mountain and many paths to choose from to reach the summit. Creating a career vision means mapping out what milestones you’ll need to reach along the path to your ultimate  goal. These milestones could be specific positions you might migrate or rise to. It could also be a list of people you need to build relationships with to advance your vision.

Ask yourself:

• What path will I follow to reach my destination?
• How many stages will there be between where I am and my destination?
• What must I undertake to succeed at each stage?

3.      What Are My Daily Tasks?

It isn’t the big leaps that take us toward; it’s the little steps we take every single day. Think about what you can do as daily actions to reach your vision. Do you want to start learning or reading daily to increase your skills or knowledge? Do you want to start being more social to make important work connections? Whatever your goal, break down your milestones into important daily tasks that will take you there.

Beware of tasks that seem important but aren’t. Remember, use your time with intention, and don’t schedule non-priorities or get sucked into timewasters like social media.

Ask yourself:

• How will my actions today take me toward my vision?
• What habits do I need to build to live out my vision daily?

4.      Where Can My Skills Help Me?

We all have unique skills take help us in life and at work. Capitalize on your existing skills to propel you toward your career vision. Consider not only about natural talents but also your interests, hard-earned skills, and the unique ways you have combined them in the past.

Remember, skills can be built. You may not feel you have a certain attribute you need to succeed in your vision, but this can be attained. We can do anything if we put enough heart into it.

Ask yourself:

• What am I good at that also brings value to the world?
• How can I allow my talents to shine while pursuing my vision?
• How do my talents, interests, and skills align to bring me closer to my vision?

5.      Why Am I the One Person Who Can Do This?

There is no one like you, just as there is no one like me. We are all individuals, and we all bring something important to the world through our work. Part of developing a career vision is determining what our unique gifts are.

Ask yourself:

• Why am I the right person to fulfill my vision?
• What can I do that no one else can?

Tips for Crafting a Career Vision

When it comes to creating your ideal career vision, it can be helpful to follow these tips. Determine what YOU truly desire. Don’t get stuck in the trap of following someone else’s vision for your life. Take command of your future and decide for yourself.

Don’t hold back. Aim as high as you want with your vision. Who’s to say you can’t achieve it? And, when necessary, pivot. Perhaps the most important aspect of having a vision is the ability to change our path if we discover that the future, we envisioned isn’t the one for us anymore.

Final Thoughts

If you want to learn more about how to develop a vision for your life and career, I invite you to explore Take Command, a Dale Carnegie book written by myself and Michael Crom. This new book brings Dale’s teachings into the modern world, giving us new principles for leading our business and our lives.

Order your hardcopy, audiobook, or eBook copy today!