In this episode, I am going to share with you five ways to have an ever increasing professional life. I have shared in previous episodes that the key to having an ever increasing life is to transform yourself and become the kind of person that attracts whatever it is you are looking for.
I went further to break our lives into 6 areas that need addressing. You can find the previous episode here, and the rest at the bottom. This is the fifth area of discussion. And this is your vocational or professional life.
All these parts are taken from the perspective of the scriptures. We learn in scriptures that Jesus “…grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, AND THE GRACE OF GOD WAS ON HIM” Luke 2:40 NIV (Emphasis mine). The grace of God that was upon him was meant for his purpose. So, in this session, I am talking about purpose. Purpose is so important for anything that we are doing. That is why we need to have goals for our purpose.
Where am I now?
The first and most important thing is that you need to know where you are. There are 4 main categories to the professional life: a student, professional/worker, business owner and or a pastor.
A Student
- What is my current GPA? This is the first question to ask yourself. Find out the classes you have taken so far.
- How many internships have I done so far? This is the second most important question to ask yourself.
Worker
- Which degrees and certificates do I currently have? Write these down.
Business Owner
We go into business for profit so ask yourself:
- How much profit did I make last year?
- How many clients/customers do I currently have?
Pastor
As a pastor you have to ask yourself 3 main questions:
- What is my current church attendance?
- How many small groups do you have currently?
- How many leaders do you currently have?
For every person?
- How many books did I read to develop my leadership this year?
Where do I want to be next year?
After knowing where you are presently, plan where you want to get to.
Student
- What GPA do you want to have this semester? Tell yourself I am having a GPA of 3.5 and above this semester.
- Plan an internship this summer. Tell yourself I am having an internship this year. Your internship is more important than your GPA so focus on getting experience through internship. Do not make it your goal to take summer classes.
Worker
- Which degrees and certificates do I need to move further professionally? Do you need any new certificates or do you need to learn something new to enhance your career? If you have a bachelors, do well to get your masters.
Business Owner
As a business owner, ask yourself the following questions:
- How much profit do I plan to make this year?
- How many clients/customers do I want to gain this year?
Pastor:
As a pastor, ask yourself:
- What is the church attendance target this year?
- How many small groups do I want to have this year?
- How many leaders do I want to raise this year?
For every person
It does not matter which category you fall in. One important thing you must learn is leadership. This is because you grow with leadership. Leadership affects every area of life.
- How many books am I planning to read on leadership this year?
Why do I want to be there?
After you have taken your time to go through all these questions, determine why you want to be there. Write down the 4 whys. Give yourself 4 why’s for every goal you want to attain. Follow through the previous points on how to do the 4 whys.
Are your goals SMART?
Finally, are they Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-bound goals? Do this based off of where you are. Do this for every goal.
Who is my accountability partner?
This is the difference maker. Who is your aaccountability partner professionally? Plan to meet with them weekly or monthly to go over what you have planned to do.
Proverbs 27:17, Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Catch up with the other lessons in this series here:
Do you want to know the secret to managing your time so well that you double your productivity? Click on the image below to know more.
