Stop Being A Victim In Your Career
I know what it feels like to be trapped in a career. You dread going to work, but believe you have no options. You dream of greater things, but don’t know or don’t believe you can get them. You feel hopeless, powerless, and alone.
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What’s missing is the bigger picture of where you are headed. Without a destination, you are like a leaf on a tree going where the wind takes you, rather than being the tree that stands strong despite the weather. A destination helps you weather the storm. In addition, you aren’t trapped in the day to day anymore because you know where you are headed.
Your bigger picture won’t be handed to you, you have to create it. You have to stop doing things the same old way and start doing things differently. Or, in other words, if you want something different, you have to do something different.
So… how do you stop being a victim in your career?
1) Decide To Not Be A Victim Anymore.
This may be a tough one for you. Being a victim has its benefits. As long as you are complaining about your situation, you don’t have to do anything about it. You don’t have to put yourself out there. You don’t have to change anything. You don’t have to feel pain or disappointment. Being a victim can keep you safe because as long as you are playing small and holding back, you don’t get hurt or make a mistake.
Think about how being a victim hurts you. You aren’t happy and aren’t where you want to be in your career. You look at other people and wonder why they are happy and getting all the things you want. You may ask yourself, “What am I doing wrong?” The difference is they went after what they wanted and you stopped going after what you want. Decide to go for it, and career transformation begins at that moment.
2) Act Like A Winner.
You may not feel like one yet, but you have to start somewhere. Act as if you are already a powerful force in your career and you will take your power back. Act as if you are no longer a victim.
Winners aren’t always confident when they begin their journey. All they know is that they want to get somewhere and they keep going until they get there. Do they have doubts? Of course. Do they let their doubts stop them? No.
Pretend you are the person you want to be. Keep pretending. One day you will wake up and realize you aren’t pretending anymore and you have become what you wished for.
3) Put A Plan In Place.
Deciding and acting are important, and so is taking action. You make a wish, you decide to go after it, and then you take steps towards making your wish come true.
Write down what your goal (wish) is. Then break that goal into smaller pieces, and work on one piece at a time. Will life get in the way from time to time? Yes. Do you need to keep moving forward anyway? Yes. That’s the beauty of a plan because it keeps you on track even at times when things around you go off track. A plan is vital to not being a victim anymore. It gives you things to work on and items to focus on whether you are having a bad day or a good one.
Deborah Brown-Volkman, PCC, is the President of Surpass Your Dreams, Inc. a career, life, and mentor coaching company that works with executive who are looking for new career opportunities. She is the author of “Coach Yourself To A New Career”, “Don’t Blow It! The Right Words For The Right Job” and “How To Feel Great At Work Everyday.”
There are some good suggestions in this article. I would add that creating a foundation of clarity around one’s core values, vision for life and career, and personal brand allows someone to come from a centered, clear place. Then we shift perspective to realize that we have choices in EVERY situation, and if we choose to act in contradiction to our values, vision and who we are, it never feels right. Opening our mind to how we want to play in work and life, and recognizing how it fits into our foundation, releases us from the victim mentality and allows us to start operating from a more empowered space.