Career! One aspect that these days constitutes and influences major parts of our lives. However, setting yourself right on this pathway isn’t easy as there are many hindrances and factors that define your destination. And these are the driving forces like passion, goals and mindset and the roadblocks like peer pressure and fear of failure. Only when you strike the balance of the right choices and efforts, you arrive exactly where you truly wanted to. 

However, more than half of the people say that would choose a different career if they had a chance to start again! This speaks volumes about the little awareness around making the right decision for a career. However, this article is not to give you a reality check but to help you get past anything that is keeping you from choosing the best for you. 

You may have just started your journey or have taken a detour, we want to assure you that it’s never too late to work on your mistakes and build a mindset that will help you achieve the desired career. 

So here are 5 career mistakes and 5 habits to help you grow from them:

1. Not having a goal

Imagine setting yourself on a journey and not having an idea of the destination. How will you define that you’ve arrived? Guess we’ll never know. And that is the prowess of setting a goal, not only goes it give us a direction but also a manual of everything that you need on the chosen path. Many of us just set ourselves on the road of shaping our careers just because we have to. Seldom do we set a goal and then kick start the process. Nevertheless, it’s never too late for a good realization so we urge you to set a goal and head yourself in the desired direction.

2. Being unaware of your worth

Another grave mistake one can possibly do is not knowing your worth or capabilities. Or the worst, underestimating them. Most individuals are unaware of their professional value and thus are aloof of their own talents and skills. In this competitive world that’s one major mistake as in it you have to prove your value every single day and have to take the challenges head-on. And so make a list of every accomplishment that you have made. Not only will it boost your confidence but will also help you understand what you truly deserve.

3. Latching on to comfort

You’ve got a job, you get familiar with all the job responsibilities, start acing it and become master of it. Then comes a plateau, where you are doing just fine and everything becomes easy. There isn’t anything to challenge and boost your mindset. And before you even realize you’ve stayed in the same job for years. In this fast-paced world, such an attitude won’t be counted in the growth mindset as you’ve latched on to comfort and have stripped away any chance of growth from yourself. To position yourself as an asset is today’s goal and for that strive you must. 

4. Setting unrealistic expectations

Expecting that you shall have a linear career path and no failure is an unrealistic expectation. Setting impossible deadlines, expecting no failures, taking on too much of a workload and expecting it to be perfect are some examples of setting unrealistic expectations. These are not healthy as they might need plenty of efforts without seeing any actual progress.

5. Setting salary as the only determining factor: 

We aren’t saying that money shouldn’t be the deciding factor but it also shouldn’t be the sole decision maker. Whether your job is in alliance with your abilities and skills, your values and personality and if it is giving a chance for your mindset to grow are also some of the crucial factors.

5 Habits to grow your career

Following are some habits that can help you build a growth mindset and deal with your mistakes and not repeat them. 

1. Keeping up with the basics

There are certain basic mantras that we are told on a day to day basis yet we look out for some quick and extraordinary advice. But the hack is to master the basics. Having a healthy sleep cycle, exercising, practicing gratitude, being kind, punctual and taking ownership of your tasks are some basic things we need to ace in order to excel. 

2. Understanding that perfection is unreal

You take up a task with a deadline, you give it your best shot, yet think that it is not perfect and the deadline passes. Seems like a familiar scenario? Well, this is how perfection sometimes messes up with your work. Avoid achieving perfection and instead focus on things that you can accomplish and control.

3. Being okay with failure

A bitter pill to swallow indeed. But let’s not forget that failures are a resultant of actions and efforts. It means that we tried. And trying never goes in vain as it brings in experiences that surely add some value to our life. Fear of failure will keep you from trying and thus also the experiences that matter.

4. Build a network 

Nobody can deny the prowess of a strong professional network. It is one factor that can fetch success in a career. Why should one network? Well, It develops and improves your skill set and helps you stay on top of the latest trends in our industry.

5. Learn, learn and learn

Remember that change is the only constant and for us to keep up with it, adapt we must! And the best way to adapt is to learn. Only ones who stay updated and relevant to the current trends of the industry complete the race and so learning should be one of our constant acts.