Robert Frost famously wrote about the path not traveled. Does that apply to your career path?
Your career path is indeed a path.
You have been putting down tracks and creating a route, whether you have been pursuing a career goal or following your whims staying in one place.
You could be on a fast track. Or at a dead-end.
You could have a linear career path or a meander or a well developed home base.
You might have taken a few steps or hops off the path, put a toe in to a new venture. And then you might have stopped. Perhaps you returned to the path you’re on.
Taking a look at your tracks and the paths you have been creating can provide insights and ideas about where you to focus your attention to move forward in your career.
Get out a big piece of paper and pick a starting place. Then draw lines to depict your journey and label each route, perhaps giving a name to the spirit of the work. Have fun with different colors.
Where have you been? Where have you stopped? When have you switched direction? Where do you get stuck? Where did you step out? Where did you retreat? What has your journey looked like?
What are you on the path to right now?
Are you satisfied with where you are going?
If you’re satisfied with your current path, draw a pot of gold at the end of your trail and congratulate yourself.
And if you wonder where your current path is leading, take time to speak with others in your profession about what’s possible in the future.
And if you’re not satisfied, take a look to see if there are paths you’d still like to pursue. Take out a different colored pen and jot down some of the directions you might want to explore. Brainstorm a next step or two that could help take you in a new direction.
And if you feel that you’ve hit a dead-end, put on your walking shoes and start walking and talking with others who enjoy the path they’re on. It’s time to put energy into next steps. You have the power to chart your own course.