Pursuing Career Success on Your Own Terms

Take some time to think through your motivations for pursuing career success. If you're following someone else's dream and not really pursuing your own version of career success, then you could be setting yourself up for self sabotage. It can be hard to gather the motivation and self discipline it takes to achieve career success if your goals are not your own and, therefore, not really all that compelling to you.

Money, power, status...

If you believe many cultural influences, we're supposed to covet them all above all else. They are assumed to be the definition of career success. We often accept these kinds of messages without question because everywhere, in everyday life, we get so many messages about what constitutes success. True, money, power and status motivate some people, but they are not the universal fountain of self-actualization that our culture makes them out to be.

Pursuing Career Success on Your Own Terms

Success takes a lot of forms. If you ask many people what it means to succeed on your own terms, they would struggle to find an answer. We aim to achieve something called "career success" without first defining it for ourselves.

It takes some serious thought to determine what it means to succeed on your own terms.

So why should you care and take the time to understand how you personally define success?

Without a clear understanding of what success means to you, you’ll likely struggle to set goals that are consistently compelling and motivating to you.

Many people wonder why they procrastinate. They think motivation comes from some magical unknown place. But unless goals are really compelling and your own, it can be hard to find the motivation to put in the serious time and effort needed to achieve them.

The biggest source of career burnout is a conflict between your core values and your work. Knowing your values can help you to make decisions that keep you motivated and ensure you are pursuing career success in a way that truly meets your needs and values.

Here are a few thoughts and questions to consider that can help you clarify your own motivations related to pursuing career success:

• When I achieve career success I will feel… (fill in the blank; it will help you see what you are pursuing)
  
• When my career is successful I will have...
  
• When my career is successful I will be...
  
• I chose my career because...
  
• My core values or goals that I will not compromise are…
  
• How are those values different from others around me?
  
• Is my career (or a particular career decision) in line with my core values? Why or why not? If not, can I change some aspect to make it a better fit for my values?
  
• What personal expectations led me to choose my career (or led me to make a specific career decision)? Do those expectations make sense today?
  
• What social and family expectations led me to choose my career (or to make a specific career decision)? Do those expectations make sense to me now?
  
• How will my career goals mesh with my personal or family goals?

Career success will take different forms for each person. Thinking through several of the above questions will help you to determine your own values and priorities related to your career.

Some people are motivated by traditional achievement, others by expressing creativity. For some, financial benefits are of primary importance, while others place a high value on personal and moral responsibility and ethics. Intellectual stimulation, independence and variety in day to day tasks are other aspects of work that some people value more or less than others.

If you haven't considered your own values, it can be easy to unintentionally make a career decision that goes against your values or to get caught up in pursuing career success that in not truly your own.

It's Your Career – Create the Success You Want

It's your career, and if you arm yourself with good career management tools and information, you can develop it in the way that works best for you. The surest track to achieving the feeling that your career is successful is to pursue what works for you and the most important people in your life. Know and maintain your core values in all of your career decisions, and the success will come.