Creating More Ambitious Goals

Maybe you feel more confident in a routine where you might not have to make many big decisions. Whatever reasons you have for what other people might call "slacking" or "stagnation," there are some strong incentives for creating more ambitious goals.

 

Find A Job That Uses Your Passion

 

Maybe you like where you are because it allows you enough time after work to engage in your favorite hobby. Sure, during the day your job isn't too exciting, but the hours allow you to practice an activity that you are passionate.

 

Most pass-times, from art, to music, to researching whatever you are interested in, even playing games, have job opportunities that could allow you to make money doing what you love. Plus, if your day job gives you time to do what you enjoy, it should give you time to find a band and play out or find a community center that showcases or even sells local art, or a job online that lets you write about what you're passionate about.

 

Find A Job That Uses Your Experience

 

Some people like entry-level jobs because they don't need to make a lot of decisions – all of the tough calls are made by someone else. Sure, you have to listen to someone else all the time, but if anything goes wrong up the ladder it's not on you.

If you've been in one of these jobs long enough, you've probably noticed that things go wrong up the ladder all the time. Most of the time, that is because someone up the ladder got the job because of their experience somewhere else and they have shockingly little experience where it counts – where you are.

 

Management positions do mean more responsibility, but they also mean better pay and usually better hours. Also, the decisions that management struggles with might not be such a struggle for someone with real first-hand experience with the work – someone like you.

 

Find A Job That Pays More Than Bills

 

If you think that the only benefits of a more advanced position are the money, try talking to HR or looking more closely at the company's hiring site the next time that a job opens up. Even middle-management positions often come with benefits like stock-options, better insurance, a retirement plan, and opportunities for travel.

 

Many businesses with more than one location have opportunities for travel, especially for advanced positions. Sometimes it might be just to the next branch, but sometimes it can mean meetings or retreats in big cities all around the country.

Having a more advanced job or just some impressive projects or initiatives under your belt also makes it easier for you to change careers should something more exciting come along down the road. The closer you get to entry-level, the less your experience speaks to your abilities.

 

Having a job that doesn't feel too taxing can have its appeal, especially earlier in life, but as most people grow older, they often find that they want (or need) some more challenging or more lucrative work, and that they wish that they would have taken advantage of more opportunities earlier in their careers. 

 

Whether it's for the challenge and fulfillment that more challenging goals can bring, or for the financial security that such goals often bring with them, consider creating some more ambitious goals sooner than later.