2 of 10 What could you be doing now?

2. Of those activities that describe a successful career, which of those things could you be doing now?

I was doing one of my first long term career development plans and felt like I had crystallized my plans and felt moderately satisfied with how it had matured over time and repeated reviews and colleague input.

I looked at the list of the activities that I would be doing in 5 to 10 years and I thought, why can't I be doing some of those things now? They didn't cost me a thing to try. They didn't require me to invited by an association or group. I didn't have to publish a book I had not written. The only thing that was standing in my way was actually taking action.

If you are anything like me, you may say to yourself, once I get to doing... then I will be doing all the other things that go with it. But that is just not an accurate statement. Personally, if I want to be someone that is coaching executives at a corporation or non-profit in 10 years, who are those people that will be the executives or leaders in 10 years? While paying my dues and honing my craft, where and on whom can I practice?

A year ago a CEO from a very well known construction company came to my Executive Leadership class. He said this, "you must work very hard for a long time to be an overnight success." Now there are and were things about him that I found distasteful and his family life and mine weren't not where I wanted to go but this statement is powerful.

• Where can you work hard on your dreamed of ideal career and learn through your mistakes? Knowing that you are not there yet, but headed in the right direction.
• So what could you do or study every day for 5 years that in 5 years time you will be the subject matter expert?
• Whom will you associate with in 5 to 10 years, what are they doing now? Can you get access to them? Where do they live?

I won't insult you with cliches about journeys starting with a step but practically speaking you must start somewhere. 

Here is something to think about, are you afraid of reaching your goal? Isn't a goal much better in your head than in real life? If you never achieve it, you never have to deal with some of the stark realities and difficulties that come with reaching goals and setting new ones. 

I have some very close friends and family that are big dreamers, always talking about what they are going to do but never do. You may know people like this or may be that yourself. They have never reached their dreams because they refused to put in the hard work necessary to lay the groundwork or have refused to be honest about what it takes to get there. They have all looked at success with the hopes that it will strike them, like lightning, or that they will be in the right place at the right time and the cameras will be rolling and they will become famous or noticed. If you want to be anything famous, I would check the temporary and fickleness of fame.

It takes hard work to reach a goal rather than for someone to just give it me. It takes discipline and character to grow through the challenges that come with doing small things that turn into big things later. This is where character is developed and where it matters. 

What is the first thing you could do now?

Until next week...