I've spent the last two years knee-deep in research, data, and design of the ideal career advancement methodology, one that focuses on self-awareness, self-accountability, and self-acceptance. I've studied professionals' psychographics across industry, level, and age ranges to learn about how we approach our career, growth, and accountability. Since focusing on these areas of research, I've transitioned my thinking and focus from strictly career advancement to creating the category of career wellness.
While career advancement can be tracked through accountability and growth metrics, it works best parallel to a separate track of work that I've deemed "intention." That track of work, in combination with advancement, creates career wellness.
When we seek career wellness, we can achieve a more well-rounded view of ourselves and our career. That level of awareness and consciousness will then elevate our organizations and industries, respectively.
When we talk about wellness, typically, two things happen. One, we tie wellness solely to physical activity. While physical health holds an indisputable place of necessity in all settings, limiting the concept of wellness to physical activity only is short-sighted. The second thing that happens is that we tie wellness to work-life balance as if we must increase wellness in our personal life to combat the negative in our professional life. This area of wellness typically links to mental health, physical activity, relaxation, and spirituality. Why not look at wellness holistically and combat the narrative that work is dominantly negative and balance provides the positive equalizer exclusive to non-work-related areas? If the tools we are given for wellness in our personal life can offer such positivity, why not try to mold those practices to create a positive experience for our professional life?
It all comes down to defining career wellness. Career wellness is a positive state of mind achieved through areas of awareness, acceptance, and accountability. These areas are supported through professional growth metrics and personal development.
Career Wellness is Personal Wellness, and the benefits of personal wellness are not exclusive to work-life balance. Wellness is not exclusive to physical activity and can be tracked directly to professional development and career advancement. This is where the intention component of our accountability combination elevates our career advancement goal, thus creating the space of career wellness.
The term intention is typically tied to spirituality, but I'd like to destigmatize the notion that personal development methods in the spiritual space can be used in non-traditional routes to support our careers.
How can professionals do this?
Set intentions, Career Manifestation, and Create Positive Habits.
- Intention Setting - When we talk about intentions, there is typically zero chance to discuss it with respect to setting our career path. I am actively working to change that narrative by advocating for all professionals to set intentions, just as you set goals. Let's break it down: An intention is a guiding principle for how you want to be, live, and show up in the world. Well, if we spend more than half of our life at work, why shouldn't intentions impact our career? For me, the setting of intentions can serve as your checks and balances when it comes to aligning your everyday work with your values. If you are asked to set your intentions regularly, it's assessing and affirming your why. I typically set my intentions every 90 days and evaluate my actions of those specific intentions every 30 days for clarity. I'm of the mindset that we should always have three intentions. Not all intentions are created equally and weighted equally, but we should stick with three. Write them down. Re and Reread those intentions
- Career Manifestation - If intention setting is the equivalent of value alignment, then career manifestation is the accountability of living out those intentions. I think that manifestation probably has the least clarity around its true definition. For a while, I was under the misinformed position that manifestation was simply saying something will happen and letting the universe do the heavy lifting. Boy, was I wrong. When it comes to my career method, manifestation has allowed me to express my intentions and values effectively and create an action plan of how to bring those concepts to life. Yes, the term is rooted in spirituality, but its power remains with the individual who creates the vision. If I'm manifesting in my career areas, I am creating a plan to hold myself accountable for achievement. Career manifestation happens when we do the following: identify a tangible goal attached to your macro intention, eliminate limiting beliefs by committing to our confidence in our craft or simply the confidence to achieve this craft, clarify why this is of importance, and set a tangible timeline that you can hold yourself accountable to and then repeat the elimination of limiting beliefs as this manifestation evolves. I follow these five steps in every strategy I write both professionally and personally.
Manifestation is meaningful in the process of achieving true career wellness!
- Creating Habits - Once I've directly set my intentions, put a manifestation action plan into place, I must then provide myself indirect support by creating habits in the non-work life that support my intention to excel in my career. I've developed practices that prioritize positive activities while not labeling them work-life balance. I don't need to have siloed time for positives to combat the negatives of my work life. I create positive habits that align with my goals to elevate the positives of my work life. One example that comes to mind is journaling. Typically journaling is not associated with career advancement, but I have taken positive habits and created space for journaling that focuses on purpose, opportunities, and values. I call this POV journaling, and it focuses on my career. I allocate time each week to dedicate to this practice. The time I spend journaling doesn't directly impact my career growth, but it circles back to my intention alignment, manifestation accountability, and personal wellness. I have found that my health habits, physical activity, and morning routines are also indirect assets used to leverage my career advancement.
I truly believe that my commitment to excel intentionally is equally important to my goal setting metrics for my career advancement. Some of these practices pull from traditionally deemed areas: spiritual; don't let that confuse you; they are impactful for your career wellness. Using tools usually labeled as spiritual growth doesn't make you spiritual. It makes you receptive enough to appreciate and utilize its power in a professional setting.
When we start looking at our career holistically, marrying the tools for strategy and spirituality, we can achieve career wellness and personal wellness.
WRITTEN BY
Jennifer FittaAfter a decade as a business strategist, Jennifer has worked with clients of all sizes ranging from start-ups to multi million dollar organizations. Specializing in digital marketing and targeting, she has created successful growth strategies using a unique approach. Jennifer has built and implemented large scale strategies in industries including: Medical Device, Wine and Spirits, Hospitality and Higher Education. She adjusted the strategic planning that worked so well for her clients to create a tool for career advancement starting with herself. This documentation offers professional self reflection tools, short term goal setting and specific metrics to track and gage for success.