5 Career Killers You Must Slay

One of the biggest obstacles in your career journey will be yourself – the internal resistance you hold within. It’s much easier for us to see the things holding us back on the outside: the toxic boss, the lack of money, or the lack of opportunities. But, those blind spots on the inside of ourselves are what can be hard to identify. I call these blind spots “Career Killers” because if left unchecked they can gradually put you in a place of stagnation and other circumstances detrimental to your success. Here are the top five that I observe when I work with students and clients:

 Isolation

 Learning to conquer the barriers embedded in climbing the social ladder requires initiative and perseverance. You literally can’t afford to shrink back if you’re going to end up a winner, but life has a way of implanting the doubts and fears that challenge your champion mindset. That’s why you need relationships with peers to push you forward, and isolating yourself from a network of people that could possibly teach you the ends and outs of how to accomplish your goals will continue to block you from the resources, tools, and opportunities you need to advance. Furthermore, isolation will impact your self-esteem and self-worth when you begin to feel you are to blame for your negative experiences. Diminished perceptions of your abilities will begin to take a toll on how you feel you can do the work. You may ask yourself, “If I can’t do the work, then how can I be successful?” This will seriously damage your self-confidence! Alternatively, your tribe and circle of support will remind you that you can do it and/or refer you to a resource that will help you accomplish it. So, go ahead – join that group, volunteer for that project at work, or register for the new bible study at church. Every MVP needs at team, and it’s time you found yours.

 Comfort

 This is one of the hardest to notice, because it is rooted in deep fears about security and safety. People tend to avoid or otherwise dismiss the things that scare them. This blind spot will present as your inability to take the appropriate risks associated with advancing in your career. It also looks like your resistance to learn skills or make sacrifices in your time, money, or other resources. You will justify to yourself that if what you want doesn’t appear that it will give you immediate results, then you omit it from your options, or you quit after a self-determined (and often misinformed) expiration yet. Even worse, you quit once it gets hard. Success and finding your purpose is not easy. It’s not supposed to be. If perceived difficulty, especially the kind you can put supports or marginal life adjustments in place to overcome, holds you back from pursuing what you need to be a better student or professional then you’re headed for a career of monotony and people not taking you or your contributions seriously – consider your job satisfaction and opportunities for advancement dead! It’s time for you to stir things up a bit. Calculate the risk, and then go for the one that leads to the outcome that gives you the most joy.

 Entitlement

 I know, I know. You’re sick of hearing about how millennials feel they don’t have to work (hard) for anything. Well, sometimes it’s true (myself included), but please believe my (awesome) generational companions aren’t the only group of folks facing this internal struggle. Entitlement impacts anyone who operates their career out of a sense of privilege or naïveté. You will notice this blind spot when you tell yourself or others that since you have this degree or this amount of experience that someone is supposed to just give you a job, a good grade, promotion, or any other type of recognition. You will also tend to find yourself putting in marginal effort, because you’re well connected, so you rely on someone to give you what you want without the actually front work or follow through. You may also believe what you want should happen when you want it, and you are not willing to delay instant gratification for the long run, because of any effort you have already invested. Well, Sweatheart, life has taught me there’s a divine appointment for our lives beyond any of our control, and everyone has to put in their just due until it arrives, no matter how long it takes. I got humbled real quick once I started working full time! Life isn’t fair, and sometimes you will have to start over. Put in your part regardless of where you’ve been, who you know, or what is required and the universe will give you what you need, and maybe even exceed it.

 Lack of Confidence

 I want to make this clear - a lack of confidence on its own will not kill your career. The decision to let it paralyze you will. When the lack of confidence prohibits you from taking on new experiences or trying out your ideas, then that’s when your career will slowly start to get stagnate and die. For example, the lack of confidence prevents you from speaking up at meetings, then people will hear you less, and eventually devalue your perspective. The root of this blind spot is an unrealistic pursuit of perfection. You must do it even if you don’t have it all together or you’re not the expert. You don’t have to be the rocket scientist at work to make a meaningful contribution. You don’t have to be the best public speaker to be the leader of that club. Identify your best option or your best opportunity to use your gifts and talents, and then take the stage. You have to show up to acting class and/or take minor roles in commercials, lame sitcoms, or B-movies before you win the Oscar.  You got this. You can do it. You will succeed. After all, you made it to this point. It’s only the beginning of your awesomeness.

 Bad Company

 I didn’t slip this one in here for the sake of having a cool number for writing an advice article. Yes, keeping bad company is an internal struggle. I know it seems like an external factor, but you actually choose who you decide with whom to associate. If you are in a group of people that either makes bad choices about their life and career or takes a passive approach to their goals and aspirations, then your career is likely dead by association. Energy is contagious, and habits both good and bad are reinforced by your social circle. I have heard from several sources that your life is a reflection of the five people you spend the most time with. What do the lives of your five closest people look like? Are they satisfied with their career? Are they thriving in their purpose? If the answer to any of these questions is not one you feel good about or does not align with your vision for your future, then it may be time to shift your energy into putting yourself in an environment that will expose you to people that are going in the direction you want for yourself.

It’s never too late to resuscitate your career. Whether you decide to advance in your current path or start a new one, reflecting on how these five career killers have held you back thus far will be the first step in making your dreams and purpose come back to life. When you get connected, make appropriate risks and manage difficulty, put in the required work with gratitude, have courage, and surround yourself with like-minded people, then you’re pretty much unstoppable. Not only will you pick up on the blind spots, but you’ll be wearing night vision goggles on fleek when planning your future. I see you comin’ alive, fam! Go ahead and get glowing!