What Now? What Next?

The career development journey is an exciting one but the overload of new information, opportunities, and ideas can often lead to analysis paralysis. With the myriad of possibilities you can get overwhelmed if you don’t have a system in place for choosing what action to take.

Tai Goodwin, the Career Makeover Coach suggests two simple questions to bring you clarity about what to do when there are too many options.

What now?

What next?

Sometimes it’s important to focus on these baby steps instead of the big picture so you can tie your answers to the above questions with actions. Tai suggests you write down your ideas. Always carry a note pad so you can be ready on the fly and don’t make a decision until you’ve gotten clarity about what really matters to you in life and career.

Big picture clarity can be scary so this is a perfect opportunity to have a brainstorming session with the strategist on your personal Board of Directors. Have someone help you outline your passion, purpose, values, and strengths along with the vision you have of the lifestyle you want.

A career coach can certainly help facilitate this type of session but if you are lucky enough to have a strategist in your circle of trust – have at it with them and map out 3 paths to create the life and work you want.

The map can be realized with a vision board, journal, or simple outline, whatever suits your personal style. By creating 3 paths you won’t stress yourself out with just one way of doing things and you won’t be limited to a single choice. You can mix and match strategies but the first step will get you moving in the right direction.

By answering what now and what next you will be able to realistically narrow your options based on what really matters to you and take the all important first steps forward on your journey.