We live in the age of speed, of mind-blowing technological changes, of instant products, of instant experiences and if we want to remain in the race we have to be smart enough to keep up with new SMART technologies that are developed in an gushing rhythm and to adapt the way we communicate, we relate to each other, we think and sometimes even the way we feel.
We live in era of the global competition of ideas and talents and in order to achieve our goals, we have to learn every day to become the best version of ourselves. This should be the starting point, ourselves, because although we are in competition with millions of participants and with technologies that could replace us, in the end we will be able to say: I did it! only if we manage to boldly break our limits and mostly if we are able to consistently repeat it.
In the present financial context, when organizational models change and the restructurings’ impact doesn’t forgive anyone, regardless the achieved professional development level, I receive more and more questions like: And now, where to? What should I do from now on? Tell me, what would be the best move for me? Or even, what am I suitable for?
As much as it may sound as a cliche, in fact, only we, each and every one, have the power to know or to find the answer for ourselves.
Just like in any race, our professional becoming depends on the objectives we set for ourselves, whether we want to achieve a better timing or we just want to finish the run for which we compete. What is important is to permanently train ourselves and be capable to adapt and, why not, to change our objectives according to the opportunities or obstacles we meet along the way.
However, no matter the goal, our career path, respectively the race we sign up for, is built in time. We could say: Our career is a marathon, not a sprint! In fact, the duration of the race is only for us to establish and in the end the final result depends on how prepared we are to finish it.
Despite the fact that there is no formula that could represent a guarantee for our success, and even if our signing up within the race is not always greeted with: Welcome to the run!, there are few ingredients that we can bring into play for a successful race, be it a sprint or a marathon.
First of all, we should set a professional goal, which has to be, not at all surprising, just like the technology we interact with on a daily basis, a SMART one. Once having defined the finish line, what matters most for each of us is how motivated we are to reach it, because in fact the finish line should always become the new starting line, and building our mental and physical endurance is crucial for successfully ending each race. Just like in every development, it is important to repeatedly define new limits for us to overcome. This is the only way of ensuring growth, setting new barriers to get by. Our success depends on how well professionally „equipped” we are, thus, on how efficient and consistent we train ourselves. All we need is a training plan or a career one, a coach or a mentor and, most of all, the desire to succeed. The rest is just the daily practice routine, the consistency of our own progress’ measurement and the joy of outrunning our own limits.
Depending on how ambitious we are and how daring we were when setting our own goals, we can choose short races, but consistent in terms of the competencies’ content that we choose to self-develop or we can compete in endurance races, where the length of the race and the difficulty of the encountered obstacles will refine us as professionals. Irrespective of the chosen length, it is important for us to make the most suitable choices in order to achieve our goals and to learn to enjoy the race itself and the roles we chose for ourselves.
Hence, should our career be a marathon or a sprint? Personally, I consider that, in the end, the career of each and one of us is a marathon built on many sprints, and we are, at turns, the sprinters and marathon runners of our own race. The rhythm and timing are only up to us so that we can say in the end: I did a good race!
Anisoara Rosca
*Article first published in “Angajatori de Top in Transilvania si Banat” – July 2014 http://www.sibiubusiness.ro/
Photo credits: Unsplash
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