When did you last declare your professional ambition loudly to someone else? Or to yourself? Is it a secret well kept, only available during job interviews or performance reviews?

Or is it a topic shared only with friends when you discuss missed opportunities?

Looking back on my own experiences as an employee and manager, that was exactly what it looked like for me.

When I started my own business, I knew that I needed to become bolder in sharing my professional ambition with others. It took me a long time to feel confident in doing so. Why?

First of all, I was afraid. I was afraid of how others, both previous colleagues as well as new colleagues, would perceive me if I shared my ambition. Second, I was pending formal pieces of evidence, such as certifications and acknowledgement from role models, to feel more confident in involving others in my plan.

Finally, I was afraid of failure. How would I handle people around me, family, friends and colleagues, if I didn’t succeed in getting the results I had shared with them?
It was only after involving others in my plans, sharing vision boards and getting insights on how other professionals really perceived me, that I got more confident in sharing my ambition more openly. In fact, today it is a pre-requisite for attracting the right business opportunities.

Is there anything stopping you from sharing your ambitions, in real life and in social media, more fully? Maybe you are in a position to list your own top 3 reasons why your professional ambition is vague or totally missing on your daily schedule. If so, you are in a great place for professional expansion.

The post Bringing the professional ambition back on your schedule appeared first on Katy Caroan.

This seems like opposing principles until further investigation.

When people are facing a professional decision of  LEAP nature, it´s so easy to fall into procrastination mode and start using excuses for not taking action.

I should know, I did for years.

What strikes me after looking back on my own professional journey and now benefiting from helping others make professional leaps is that there are a few, key success factors characterizing those who start acting without knowing exactly what they want.

First of all, they are able to visualize what it feels like to be in professional role they are passionate about. Secondly, they are willing to learn new skills,  experiment outside of their comfort zone and reflect about their insights. And finally, they are assuming an open attitude towards opportunities emerging as part of the process.

When I decided to enter into my current professional adventure, I knew what I was passionate about. But I had no idea of the business partners nor the supplementary services and tools I would find out there to define my new professional platform. In fact, some of them did not even exist when I made my LEAP. I decided to learn, explore and experiment with services in demand and stayed open to new opportunities coming my way. I started to align with my professional intentions of becoming a business woman supporting my ideal clients no matter where they are located in the world.

Everyone has an opportunity to attract professional opportunities in line with their area of passion, but sometimes we need to remind each other to align more with our intentions. So, to which degree are you aligning with your professional intentions?

The post When you do not know what you want professionally appeared first on Katy Caroan.