Game Plan

Do you get anxious thinking about your future and then make impulsive choices? If you have a type A personality like me, this leads to anxiety, depression, panic, etc. I need things written (or typed) out and in a manageable way, i.e., a game plan. You don’t need anything fancy to do this, and I’m not going to promote any apps here because we’re going back to basics! You only need a word document or paper and a pencil; your preference. 

 

Before moving forward, if your anxiety is so heightened you can’t create a plan, do some therapy first. You aren’t going to be productive or fully in the game if anxiety or depression is standing in the way. Now proceed. 

 

To-do lists are great, of course. Women love a good to-do list, and scratching through a task is pure euphoria. We’re not talking about to-do lists either, though. Instead, we’re going to walk through an entire an entire goal and how to map out the steps to reach it. 

Y’all are about to get real insight into what’s happening in my life. I’m making one of my goals, and the plan to reach it, public with this post. 

 

The Goal

You’ve heard of SMART goals, right? Please tell me you’ve heard of SMART goals. If you haven’t, stop now! Click on the words ‘SMART goals‘ to educate yourself. I actually prefer SMARTER goals, but that’s a discussion for later. 

 

My goal: In the next 6 months, I plan to be in a new job outside of higher education, earning a minimum of $120,000 per year. 

 

This is a specific, measurable, achievable, realistic (for me), and timely goal. However, writing it out isn’t enough. I need a plan and small daily and weekly goals to get there. By now, you all know ‘anxiety’ is my middle name, so I do not put pressure on myself to accomplish something significant toward this goal daily. I’m only a little over a week into this goal, and this is how it’s gone so far:

• I signed with The Cheeky Scientist for help translating my higher education experience to industry and ensure I still use my Ph.D. Working for a company that values my doctorate is important to me. 
• I completely overhauled my LinkedIn profile. 
• I completely overhauled my resume and understand that it needs to be updated for each job I eventually apply to. 
• I started making a list of companies I’d like to work for. I am researching their culture, benefits package, job openings, etc. The fit needs to be suitable for them and me. 
• I’m watching modules (created by The Cheeky Scientist crew) on the types of industry jobs my skillset translates into. 
• I’m connecting with at least two people a day from companies/organizations that I might eventually apply to. 

Earlier this week, a local recruiting agency reached out to me, and we had lunch yesterday. My work so far is producing results. I wrote all of this out and followed the plan, step-by-step, for the past nine days. I made small daily and weekly task lists that would help me reach the ultimate goal. 

 

Next Steps

I need to hone in on the type of job I want. So this is the game plan:

• Continue watching the industry modules and doing the work. 
• Attend the live workshops offered by The Cheeky Scientist and ask questions. 
• Create a cover letter that can be easily tailored for each role I apply to. 
• Reach out to my new connections OR people who know individuals at my desired company and ask for an introduction. It’s important to note that I’m not reaching out to HR or hiring managers here. The plan is to reach out to employees and learn how they got their job and what they do in that position. I want to learn about that person. It’s not my intent to use people or ask for handouts; this is all homework that helps me reach my ultimate goal. 

SMARTER Goals 

When I said discuss SMARTER goals later, did you think I meant another day? I just meant later in this post. Approximately every four weeks, I will Evaluate my progress. If I’m not where I want to be, I will Re-adjust. There’s no sense in continuing with a plan that isn’t working or producing some type of result. 

Some Notes

It’s essential that you keep your goals realistic for you. These are your goals, and you’ll be disappointed if they aren’t achievable and realistic. Your goal doesn’t need to be career related; this is just the example I chose to use for you today. Here are some things you can tear apart into smaller tasks to reach a big goal. 

• Eating habits (not a diet!!); goalsetting for overcoming diet culture and developing healthy & sustainable eating habits. 
• Intuitive movement; workouts that feel good for you and your body. 
• Education; do you want to go to college, learn a new skill, or get a certification?
• Finances, retirement savings, vacation goals, emergency savings, and debt payoff all fall into this bucket. 

These are just a few options. You’ll notice I did not write out the goals because I want YOU to do that. I know you’re capable! Ask for help if you need to. There is no shame in admitting you need some assistance. 

 

On a Personal Note

The decision to leave higher education wasn’t an easy decision for me to make. This has been my entire professional career and something I thought I’d do until I retired. But I evaluated the primary source of my anxiety and discovered it’s my work. I’m giving my all to these students and the institutions I’ve worked for. But, unfortunately, there’s nothing left for me at the end of the day. I’m drained, mentally exhausted. If cancer has taught me anything, it’s that life is precious, and I want to enjoy the life I have left. I recognize it’s a privilege to be in a position where I can do these things. Still, I worked hard for this privilege, and I won’t deny myself happiness. 

 

Let’s Wrap This Up

This is my call to action! Today, write down (or type) a goal you want to achieve. It doesn’t even need to be SMART at this stage. Just get something on paper. Now, think about all the aspects of a SMART goal and, within 24 hours, make those words into something specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely. Then, post it to your socials and tag me! I want to be part of this journey with you. If you don’t use social media, contact me and let me know your goal then keep me posted on your progress. You can also comment directly to this post if you’d prefer. Basically, there are a lot of options to tell me what your goal is, so you have no excuse!

 

I believe in you today and every day. Peace out, friends. Enjoy this Friends clip before gallivanting off.