Whether you are 24 or 54, it is never too late to make a change for the better when it comes to your career. It is too easy to accept your lot in life, and if you feel as though a better life is passing you by, then you have to stop it in its tracks and take back some semblance of control again.
Too often we accept that our lot in life is just that, something that we are stuck with. However, it does not have to be that way. If your job is to paint on tyre shine in a car valet shop and you’re happy with that, then you are in a very fortunate position. However, if you wake up every day dreading going to work then you need to do something about it.
Don’t accept the mediocre
Dissatisfaction with your job is a positive, not a negative. It is a sign that you need to move on and change things. To often people ignore this sign – making that change requires effort and energy, and sometimes being safe and secure in a routine is what kills ambition in people. Deciding to listen to that voice and make a change will probably be the bravest thing that you do.
Ad to this the fact that many people around you will be resistant to you changing. Often this comes from a place of insecurity on their part. Seeing someone around them change and move on can be unsettling, and is a reflection of their own lack of motivation. Don’t worry about them – focus purely on your own progress and don’t allow yourself to be emotionally blackmailed by someone who just wants to hold you back.
Lay out your dream and set clear goals
The next step is to be clear on what it is that you do want. You can never be too ambitious at this stage. If your ambition is to drive a Lamborghini and retire at 50, then write it down, make it feel real, close your eyes and imagine yourself doing just that. Make that dream as vivid and real as possible.
The vividness of your dream is what will drive you through the most difficult times, but your next focus is to work back from those dreams and devise a plan to get there. At this stage it feels like an unrealistic dream. In what way can you go from a simple car valet, to a multi millionaire?
It’s at this point when you start to realise the opportunities ahead of you. The answer to that question above is glaringly obvious – you need to start your own chain of car valet operations. After all, if your current boss can do it, there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t.
So grab a pen and paper, and work backwards. Work out how many branches you will need to open to be financially free, how many to have enough to buy your Lamborghini, how many to till you can go public and spend the rest of your days floating on a super yacht.
This will be the blueprint of your life, giving you an achievable roadmap out of your current situation, to a destination of your choice, not someone else’s.
Keep your eye on the prize
It all seems easy, but you will be faced with multiple challenges along the way. See every challenge as a simple obstacle to get over, making you stronger, leaner and fitter at every stumble.
You will encounter much resistance, and mostly from those you know. Invest in mentoring. Surround yourself with people with the same mindset and ambition. Building a business is not a question of luck, but determination.