Even if it may be a bit hard to believe, there are a lot of ways you may be sabotaging your career and it's actually more common than you might think. Even if you are really committed to your job and you deserve to be rewarded for all your efforts, you might still be undermining your chances for advancement and making career mistakes that cost you raises and promotions. Here are a few ways you may be sabotaging your career that you should try to avoid:
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1. Choosing the Wrong Career
One of the sure ways you may be sabotaging your career is by choosing a wrong career in the first place. If you choose to do something you are not passionate about, you will not be motivated to high achievement, you will be unhappy and your negative attitude will reflect in your results. Every day will seem difficult, which will lead you to believe that you really are working hard, even when you're not.
2. Overworking Yourself
I always tell people to work hard and not give up in order to reach all their objectives and fulfill all their dreams but sometimes, too much work is just too much. Try to work smarter not harder because often, overworking is a sign of poor time management and in the long term, it can affect your overall work performance, your reliability and your accuracy.
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3. Ignoring Stress Signs
If you keep on ignoring all those stress signs and if you always pretend that you feel fine no matter what, you can seriously damage your career in the long term. Stress can destroy your physical and mental health too, so make sure you take care of yourself. Among the most common stress indicators are: the inability to concentrate, chronic forgetfulness and irritability.
4. Being a Perfectionist
Being a perfectionist can really ruin your career in the long run. I know you are just trying to be cautious and to do your job as well as possible, but being too analytical is not a solution and it will not help you get that promotion you’ve always dreamed of. Just take a little step back occasionally and ask yourself if you are setting the bar too high.
5. Lack of Perseverance
The lack of perseverance is another factor that influences your career in a negative way. Don’t ever give in, no matter how many obstacle you might encounter. You will always find the strength and the resources you need to overcome any little setback. Don’t get discouraged too quickly and do everything in your power to achieve all your objectives!
6. Being a People Pleaser
Being a people pleaser will not help you in your career and neither in your personal life. Are you pursuing your goal or someone else’s objective? Just learn to say no to people and focus on your own needs and on fulfilling your own dreams. Be a bit selfish sometimes and do what’s good and what’s right for you.
7. Neglecting Professional Growth
If you are always entrenched in the details of your daily work, it’s very easy to lose sight of your career and of your professional objectives. Take charge of your own professional development, go to seminars, training courses and try to become better at what you do! You can also get a mentor that will help you and that will guide your career path.
Losing track of your professional objectives happens easily, especially when you have a lot of other responsibilities. Don’t forget about your dreams and do everything in your power to reach all your goals, since you do have all the resources you need to achieve all your objectives. Do you know any other ways through which someone may be sabotaging their career? Please tell us about them in the comments section!
Sources:
resources.alljobopenings.com
executivesecretary.com
career-advice.monster.com
Comments
Misty: Great article. I am 40 and I just left my career to do real estate. It's something I've always wanted to do. It's true.. If you are not happy doing what you do , it reflects.
Queenz: Nice :)
HauteDev: We all have flaws, but your passion for what you do should come first. If you have a decent living situation (either at home or a spouse or friend to help with bills) it's very important in the beginning of your career to not go after the $$$ ! Of course $15 an hour (example) might be low for a college level graduate however is there room for growth and opportunity? Will you love your job? Think about it; working full time for a GREAT salary in your 20's Nd early 30's might seem like the best choice even tho you hate Mondays Tuesdays Wednesday ... Well you get it - if there is growth potential then go for it. And always remember, when all else fails, you have your experience! Training is KEY! Also being on time - which I'm terribly bad at! I do however have a long commute and traffic delays but I'm always working on bettering my abilities as a long term Team Member with my company. I also agree with not putting yourself down, sometimes you have to "Settle" for just a week or a month. Not long term if you aren't happy, settle with knowing that you put your all into everything you do and then see how you feel in a month! Patience is a VIRTUE! And I live in the north easy with traffic that could ruin my day. Motivational speakers on YouTube are always a plus when driving to work! Or if you had a bad day!
Ngahuia: So true!
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