When you look back on your job and the work you’ve put into it this past year what comes to mind? Do you feel you have made progress whether you were trying to advance in your current career or in your effort to find a new job? What did you learn this past year and how will it help you in your future career goals? It’s always easy to make New Year’s Resolutions but what about spending some time to reflect on lessons learned before forging new ones you may not be ready to take on?

Finding a balance in what you know and what you need to know offers you some insights into making sure you are on the right career track. Here are a few questions you should ask yourself as you look back on the year in review:

1. What was my greatest work accomplishment this year and how did it make me feel?
2. What was the greatest work challenge this past year and how did I resolve it? If you have not resolved it, what steps do I need to take to address the issue?
3. Hitting fast forward, what will next year look like and what will I be most proud of accomplishing in my career?
4. Who do I know in my professional network that can help me along the way?
5. Who should I know in my professional network that could help me along the way?
6. How much money do I plan to earn and what do I need to do to obtain it?
7. What skills have I learned that have made me a more valuable asset to the team?
8. What new skills do I need to learn to help me grow in my career?
9. What do I love about my current job? What would I change if I could?
10. One year from now, what am I doing in my career and where am I working?

Planning ahead might be easier if you spend time reflecting on what is happening in the here and now with your career and not focus too much on what you don’t have. Making sure you acknowledge your accomplishments no matter how small helps you build confidence in the months and years ahead as you slowly edge your way to the career and job you are really after.

Looking for a job?  Find us at www.greenlightjobs.com

Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/lisakayeglj

Follow greenlightjobs on Twitter http://twitter.com/greenlightjobs

And, on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/pub/2/abb/50

The holiday season brings about many gifts those of friends, family and silent reflection on holidays past. When you think back on all that you have received in your life how do you feel? Are you filled with fear, anxiety, hope or gratitude? You may be afraid of what the New Year has in store or grateful that this year is coming to an end only to start anew. No matter where you are in your life, here are a few of our favorite things that might make you reflect on the joys and wonder of the holiday season.

Raindrops on interviews and whiskers on recruiters;

Bright copper coins and warm breakfast meetings

Brown paper packages tied up with checks

Cream-colored resumes and crisp new interviews

Wild job offers that fly with the moon on their wings

Girls in white dresses with boys in blue suits

Snowflakes that stay on my words and my actions

Silver white promotions that melt into success;

When the job bites, when the phone rings, when I’m feeling sad,

I simply remember how lucky I am with a great job future and then I don’t feel so bad!

Giving thanks for all of all of your favorite job things allows you to make room for all of the new opportunities that are just waiting for you in the New Year and beyond!

Looking for a job?  Find us at www.greenlightjobs.com

Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/lisakayeglj

Follow greenlightjobs on Twitter http://twitter.com/greenlightjobs

And, on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/pub/2/abb/50

Sometimes the choices seem obvious other times you are confused with what road seems likely to lead to success. You may not have all the answers but sometimes the process of figuring it out will lead to some remarkable results. You may have been at the same job for sometime thinking this is my path and I’ll stick to it. You can’t imagine another choice no matter how tough the road gets. Feeling complacent may be a job strategy but what if you allowed yourself the luxury of thinking outside your proverbial career box?

Finding what you love from loving what you find, may seem harder than it actually is when you are not even certain the first place to look. Listening to others career stories may provide some inspiration for you as you sort through your options but believing you can and will deliver on the promise of following your career desires is a better option for you to consider.

Living up to your full potential does not always mean the same thing for everyone. For some it means sticking to the same job and pulling down a steady income to support your family is fulfillment enough. For others, taking risks, following your passions and throwing caution to the wind feels right when considering a career with potential from a job with benefits. Knowing what motivates you to put your very best effort not only into your work but into your vision of who and what you want to be and accomplish helps you figure out if you are on the right path from any path when it comes to following your career ambitions.

When you are not sure if you are on the right career path start by asking yourself these few questions:

1. Do you love getting up in the morning and going to work? Even if your job does not take you further than the dining room table do you love what you do no matter where you are doing it? If the answer is yes, then by all means stick to it. If the answer is no, then find out what would make you excited to get up in the morning and start following those road signs wherever they may lead.
2. Do you find reward and self-satisfaction in what you do? If yes, then you know you have chosen wisely. If you wonder how the hell you got where you are and how on earth do you find the main road again, start thinking about the choices you made and ask yourself if you were really following your own guidance or that of someone else? It does not matter how you got here, it matters that you find the road out if you are not feeling like your work is meaningful and rewarding.
3. Do you have an optimistic outlook?   You may not think about it much but do you consider yourself to be a positive and a happy person? If you are not generally content with who you are then you will forever second-guess the choices you make no matter what career you have chosen for yourself. Being happy with yourself signals that you are confident in your choices and that you believe you will make the right decision for you no matter how hard the career path you have chosen.

Figuring it out might not always be easy but beginning to ask yourself questions about who you are and really understanding what makes you happy may be a first step in an otherwise overwhelming process no matter how successful you’ve become in your so-so career.

Looking for a job?  Find us at www.greenlightjobs.com

Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/lisakayeglj

Follow greenlightjobs on Twitter http://twitter.com/greenlightjobs

And, on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/pub/2/abb/50

Running around, following the crowd, jumping in and out of lines and burning it on either side and in the middle may feel like the right thing to do during the holiday season but what ever happened to just kick back and relax? You may be feeling the pressure now more than ever as you try to tie up loose ends before the New Year and forget about figuring out your resolutions – who has time for that? You can keep going at the pace you have become accustomed or find some down time no matter how crazy the weeks ahead appear.

You are NOT going to finish it all so don’t even try. Putting undo pressure on your self now is a waste of your valuable time and resources. Actually shutting down may be the best thing you can do for yourself and for those you love. As contrary to your beliefs as this might seem, finding time for you now is not only the most productive thing you can do but will help you prepare for the hustle of finding or securing a job in the new year. Needless distractions are great for avoiding the obvious, but actually sitting still may seem the hardest yet most important gift you can give to your self this holiday season.

Like anything that is difficult to do, getting quiet and really allowing the feelings to surface will help you get clear on what has not worked for you in the past. Your career may have hit some bumps in the road, or you may be looking for a new challenge, but unless you are quiet and truly let yourself be inspired by the world and people around you, you may never get out of the job hustle that is all around you. It’s always good to make a list but even that might be too much work for you now. Just sitting and staring at the sky may be all it takes to find the inspiration you are seeking when it comes to your job search. You may not feel that counting clouds is very productive, but silencing the mind in a way that allows you to be calm, focused and clear may help you get to the answers you seek when it comes to your next career move.

Meditation, journaling and self-contemplation are all valuable skills not taught to you when job seeking that may come in handy now when all you need to do is reflect on your goals and what it is you really want out of life. Being thankful for all you have and all that you have accomplished is a good start to understanding what you have from what you will do in the future. You are your best advocate and counselor so isn’t it time you stop the holiday hustle and listen to the little voice inside your head for true inspiration? Finding a little “me” time during this holiday season may be all you need to figure out the road ahead no matter where your career may take you.

Looking for a job?  Find us at www.greenlightjobs.com

Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/lisakayeglj

Follow greenlightjobs on Twitter http://twitter.com/greenlightjobs

And, on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/pub/2/abb/50

Everyone feels uncertain from time to time. You have pressure from every direction and the voices in your head are not helping you get any closer to figuring out what you really want. The holiday will herald even more family pressure as you hear your aunt tell you how great your cousin is doing in his new career as a mixologist and you wonder whether you should have turned down that free invitation to attend Bartending School? When life has you second-guessing your career choices all you have to do is shut the noise out and get real with yourself. Easier said then done? Maybe, but what else is there to do, stew in your own madness?

So you may not have been a math wiz in school so becoming a doctor or engineer was not a likely option for you. Or you may have stage fright and speaking in front of anyone sends you into a cold sweat. There goes any chance of being a trial lawyer or sales person. You may have made choices in your career based on your own very real fear but that should in no way stop you from pursuing what you want. Career fear is real and catches up to everyone no matter what stage of your career you are in. It does not have to paralyze you or make you feel inadequate in any way when you are forced to choose one career path from another.

Combing through the uncertainty in what you want from your career is a process you should not be afraid of. As someone profound once said, “It’s the journey, not the destination or goal that is important” I’m paraphrasing here but you get the point. Now that might not make you feel any more confident in your inability to choose from one career over another but you are the one who has to choose and that is not a task you can delegate to anyone else.

Finding and holding onto a career takes more than just a fancy resume or the right connections it takes your unwavering desire to be and do what you love best no matter how well you believe you can excel at it. Choosing a job that is “safe” over one that makes you quiver does not mean you are likely to fail at something that gives you butterflies in your stomach. Pushing yourself towards what really makes you excited is a true test in choosing between the career that will give you a steady paycheck from the one that will make you feel great.

Career choices are not always logical and sometimes a door opens that you walk into and you can’t figure out how you have been in a job you love when you didn’t even know what you were walking into in the first place. It does not matter. Following your instincts means more than the degree you studied so hard for in school because it tells you that you are doing something you love over something that someone told you was a good career choice. Keeping every option open affords you the luxury of picking and choosing from a career that makes you glad to wake up each morning from a one that has you wondering how you ever got there. Career uncertainty does not need to follow you all the days in your job life but knowing when to choose wisely will help you make the decision that’s right for you.

Looking for a job?  Find us at www.greenlightjobs.com

Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/lisakayeglj

Follow greenlightjobs on Twitter http://twitter.com/greenlightjobs

And, on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/pub/2/abb/50