3 Ways to grow professionally this summer
As a career strategist, I know one reason people aren’t happy is that they aren’t growing, says Lindsay Boccardo, generational consultant and millennial career coach. Sometimes we need to be challenged professionally. Here are a few ways that you can grow professionally while also enjoying your summer:
1. Develop a deeper sense of self-awareness.
Daniel
Goleman (the father of Emotional Intelligence) would say that self-awareness is
foundational to our growth professionally.
Self-awareness is understanding your thoughts and feelings and being
able to see how they impact your behavior.
How to do this: Start journaling your thoughts and feelings (especially when you’re mad about something at work) to understand how you process information and how your behavior impacts other people. You might be surprised about what upsets you and how you handle yourself when you take a step back.
2. Build a LIFE TEAM.
We
influence each other tremendously. Our attitudes and our behaviors are
contagious. Jim Rohn is known for saying “You are the average of the 5 people
you spend the most time with.”
How to do this: If you know HOW you want to grow professionally, find people who are a few steps ahead of you on the journey and follow them around. So often we make goals and then we try to read a book about it and make it happen. It’s much more efficient to follow an actual human as they are doing it. You want to become a pastry chef? Sure, you can read a cookbook, but you’ll learn a lot more in real time by standing next to one.
3. Flex Your Creative Muscles.
Create
content based on your unique combination.No one has your story. You’ve
had experiences, passions, things that make you, YOU. And there are people who
could benefit from you. Maybe you’re 25, you work remote, and you love to make
vegan meals that don’t take a lot of time. Other people in TikTok want to learn
from you. Your knowledge in that area could help a ton of other people.
How
to do this: Pick a
social platform that you love and try some things out! Have fun with it. Learn
the “rules” of that platform and see what you can come up with. Consider how
you could practice your communication, ignite your creativity, and connect with
fresh faces.
Ultimately, your summer is YOURS. If you want to keep growing, you can pick just one of these ideas and run with it. See what you come up with, reach out, and tell me how it goes!
For more from Boccardo, visit her website.