Real Leaders; Create Blueprints to Success

"I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul."
William E. Henley


A couple of years ago I found myself at a crossroad in my career. I had a job that I hated, but was making more money that I could have ever dreamed of. For some, the money part would have made the rest more manageable, but for me I felt like I was not living my purpose and passion. I was simply not happy at that point on my career. I knew that it was time for me to make decisions concerning the future direction of my career, but I also knew that I needed the guidance of someone more experienced than I was. I contacted my mentor, Keith; explained my situation and asked for his advice.

Always willing to listen, he advised me that I need to create a blueprint for my career. Sensing my confusion, he explained that your career blueprint is similar to any other type of blueprint. Simply put, you look at what the end should look like and you begin to work backwards. Initially, I did not understand but he explained that I should picture myself at the end of my career and envision what that looks like (What I will be doing or what job or role I will be retiring from). Next, he told me to look at where I was currently and basically to fill in the middle, working my way backwards. It finally clicked. Just like we write down goals and plan for the future, often we need to map out a career blueprint to help us figure out where we want to go from here.

That advice and most importantly, creating that blueprint, helped me realize what I needed to do and what steps I needed to take to get there. What started out as a crossroad actually became the path that will lead my success.