How To Plan For A Career Change Later In Life

A key focus of my blog is Career Discussions. There quite a few instances where people start one career and then decide that they want to do something else later in life. While it isn’t uncommon there are things to consider when changing your career. The following contributed post is entitled, How To Plan For A Career Change Later In Life.

* * *

Image Credit

Unlike in the past when it was expected that people would go to college and study for a career that they would work at until they were able to retire, things are now changing and it’s becoming easier for people to change their careers – even after they’ve been working in them for a while, so if you’re currently feeling like you’d like a change of pace in your career, but don’t know where or how to start, then in this post we’re going to share with you how to plan for a career change later in life.

Decide what you want:

The very first step to making any big change in your life is by deciding what it is you actually want because in order for a goal to become reality, you really have to be aligned with it on an emotional level and not just pick something out of thin air that you think sounds goos, so really deciding what it is you want in terms of your new career is going to be the easiest way to start planning to make it happen.

Be realistic and flexible:

Of course, it’s all very well and good for us to tell you to just follow your dreams, and whilst that is something you should always be looking to do, it’s important to remember to be realistic, practical and flexible. Not the most sexy things to think of when going after what you’re passionate about, we know, but it’s going to make life a lot easier. So, for example, if you’re approaching retirement age, have been working as an engineer designing AdBlue tanks your whole life, but have always wanted to work as a DJ, then perhaps it’s not going to be the most viable career choice at this point in your life, so a better approach would be to maybe take this up as a hobby and take some classes so you can still have that as part of your life and have fun with it.

Look at your skills:

To follow on from the above point of being realistic, knowing where your strengths and weaknesses are in terms of what kind of career you’d like to have is also very important. That’s not to say that just because you don’t have skills in the area you’d like to work, it’s impossible to work there – you might just have to go and get some further qualifications and gain those skills, or instead look to focus in an area where you do have the skillset available already that you could apply or transfer from your exisiting career.

Start researching:

Once you’ve identified what you want to do and if it’s going to be a realistic option for you, then it’s time to start the research part of your plan – researching what you actually want to do and how you’re going to make it happen. Research will include things like looking at the job market, looking at what skills you’d require and what you’ll have to do in order to get them, and it can also include things like looking to see if you’re better to look for jobs in other countries or cities if the market in your home country isn’t the best right now.

Take action:

Of course, a plan is nothing more than a plan if you don’t take action to make it happen, so taking action is definitely crucial to making your goal a reality, and it’s important to know that although research is something that’s important to your plan overall, it’s not something you should be getting too caught up in because many people end up stuck in the research phase and never actually move beyond this, which is obviously not the point.

The idea is to research the essential parts and then take from that what you need in order to get to the next phase and bring the plan to life.

We hope that this post was useful in helping you determine what steps you might need to take if you’re planning a career change later in life, but also so that you can see it’s definitely possible and that you really only need to follow a few steps to stop yourself becoming overwhelmed with the process.

There’s nothing wrong with starting a new career from scratch later in life, and having a simple plan in place is really going to make the process a lot easier and faster for you so hopefully you can get started now and not worry about whether or not you’re ever going to be able to make it happen.

Let’s Talk: Ways To Communicate Better

A key focus of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and a key focus is Career Discussions. In any office setting communication is key, especially with use of the technologies we have at our disposal. Good communication comes in several different forms. The following contributed post is entitled, Let’s Talk: Ways To Communicate Better.

* * *

It becomes apparent very quickly when in an office setting that communication is key. If the smallest pieces of information aren’t passed on to the right person, productivity is going to be slowed down and vital data could be missed, causing all sorts of trouble. That’s why when you work in an office environment, that you should be doing your part to ensure that everyone is communicating effectively. Check out these tips on how to improve your communication in the office.

Photo by rawpixel.com from Pexels

Actually listen

We’ve all been there before, where we’re being spoken to and our mind goes elsewhere thinking about our own tasks or even personal matters at home. However, this isn’t going to help productivity in the office. Learn how to listen properly and if it helps, take down notes or make reminders so that you don’t forget vital information.

Cloud voice

Sometimes communication lacks in other places than the office. Perhaps your team are in and out of the office all of the time, yet you’re struggling to communicate effectively? There are easy and effective solutions like Cloud Voice available that will allow you to move email, VoIP, video conferencing and even fax your colleagues with ease. Visit https://forsythes.technology/communications-collaboration/cloud-voice-unified-communications/ to find out more about how it can help your office communicate better.

Use notes to remind yourself and others

We’re all busy and it’s easy to become tied up in other tasks. However, this can lead to forgetfulness and of course, that’s not good for productivity. Use sticky pads to leave notes for yourself and your colleagues so that if you can’t help them out straight away, at least you’ve set yourself (or them) a reminder for later. This can be especially useful when you have to remember specific details.

Schedule meetings

If you’re in and out of the office, or you’re concentrating on your own tasks, then sometimes scheduling a meeting can be more effective because it allows everyone to voice their thoughts and help improve the way the team works together. Give everyone plenty of time to think of questions and topics to discuss and that way, you’ll bond as a team and communication levels will be at an all time high.

Work on your body language and tone of voice

Finally, your body language and the tone of voice you’re using can have a big impact on how people listen, understand, and also feel about you. If the whole team is struggling to communicate well, then it might be worth looking at ways in which you should address each other in the office to ensure that things remain professional and more importantly, everything gets done on time.

What It Takes To Be A Great Business Leader

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success, and two key focuses are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Many people want to start businesses know much about becoming great leaders of business. There are a couple of keys to it, and the following contributed post is entitled, What It Takes To Be A Great Business Leader.

* * *

Leadership is a funny thing. Many people compare themselves to a lion, and there are many memes that talk about how to be fierce and forceful. But perhaps a real leader looks more, a wolf. One single leader, with a pack underneath them that includes workers, managers, and the weak and elderly.

But what does it take to be a great business leader? To have the acumen of people like Kheng Ly, to take things and turn them into success stories?

Photo by Eva Blue on Unsplash

Work With Your Strengths

Not everyone is good at everything, and personality matters. Being ‘strong’ looks different is pretty much any situation. But working with your personality, knowing what makes you tick can help you as you then put that to use and learn how to get the best out of other people. Being open and knowing where your personal weaknesses are is a great asset. You don’t have to label them as a weakness either, acknowledge their existence and work with them. Your personality will be a big part of your brand, and it should be celebrated rather than broken down and rebuilt.

Flexibility

Business changes so quickly it can make your head spin. Being able to roll and adapt is going to make a real difference in how you run your empire. Seeing when things are going to disrupt your company and making the necessary changes will mean that your staff and support won’t feel a significant impact, but instead, they will be able to adjust too. Following the example, you have set.

Care

While you do need to keep a keen eye on your bottom line, you also need to be aware of your staff, production line, and the people all the way down to the office cleaners. Showing that you care about their job and them as a person. Learning names, building an office ecosystem that rewards your staff and being available when you are needed will make a huge impact. Remember in Happyness, when the 5 dollars was returned? It can be something as simple as repaying kindnesses.

Focus

Focusing on your goals is going to be essential to getting things done. Avoiding distractions and not getting pulled into things that just don’t make an impact on your business is one of the best things that you can do for yourself and your business.

Authenticity

You can’t build a global brand if you are faking it. This feeds into the point about personality and your strengths too. Develop your own voice, one that staff and customers can all trust. Leaders, in most cases, can be trusted and speak honestly on any topic – no matter how difficult.

Great leadership comes in many forms, some people are said to be natural born leaders due to their confidence and curiosity, others get there in time while growing their own voice and learning. Leadership isn’t always about leading the charge, it is often about being at the back supporting others in their goals too.

Follow Your Dreams: How To Jump Into An Into A Tech Job (With No Experience)

Two of the key focuses of my blog are Career Discussions and Technology. With every passing year, new technologies are emerging and along with them the need for individuals who have backgrounds in the Information Technology (IT) fields. If this field particularly intrigues you, it will be important for you to know how to get in. The following contributed post is entitled, Follow Your Dreams: How To Jump Into An Into A Tech Job (With No Experience).

* * *

Photo by Pexels

Breaking into the tech industry can be a daunting task. Fiercely competitive and outrageously ambitious, it can seem like an insurmountable barrier to entry especially if you don’t have the relevant credentials. However, one of the great things about the industry is that although Here, we’ve outlined some key components for you to land your dream job digital IT.

Get Some Experience

Tech is a notoriously difficult industry to break into without the relevant experience. The top technology companies often want to see that as well as being a great personality fit, that you’ve taken the time to immerse yourself in the culture and honed your skills to ensure that you’re a perfect fit for your desired role. Look to cut your teeth on small entry-level projects that don’t take much investment and can easily fit around your lifestyle. Upload some examples of your work to freelancing sites such as Fivver, or Upwork to fine-tune your skills and get a grasp of the ins and outs of your role without too much commitment. It also gives you a chance to put yourself forward for a variety of projects and therefore allowing your skills to be even more well-rounded, which is exactly what many tech companies are looking for.

Time To Study

Sometimes, though it’s worth noting that smaller experiences may just not be enough to land you that dream tech job. Jobs in tech have stringent entry requirements, and many recruiters may not even consider your resume if you do not have the relevant qualifications or degree required for the position. Browse job specs and job boards liked Linkedin to get a rough idea of the minimum bar of entry and use that to define your starting point. That being said, going back to college may just not be a feasible option for you. If that’s the case you may want to look into taking on an apprenticeship. IT apprenticeships can be a great way to get hands-on technical training and at the end of it, you’ll come away with a recognised qualification that is bound to open some more doors.

Stand Out On Your Resume

Once you feel confident enough to apply for your dream role, it’s time to make sure that your CV stands up to scrutiny. Make sure that you highlight anything that may be relevant to recruiters, no matter how small or insignificant you think it may be. Be candid in your cover letter and let your future employer know why you’re passionate about tech and how you can now prove it with all the smaller projects and courses you have invested in. Don’t get called back for a second interview? Don’t give up. Keep working on extra projects and work experiences, to really beef up your CV.

The Benefits Of Starting On The First Rung Of Any Business Ladder

Three of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and Career Discussions. Arguably the most critical aspect of your experience in the business world or any career is your start. There are advantages to breaking in on the ground level versus ascending right away. The following contributed post is entitled, The Benefits Of Starting On The First Rung Of Any Business Ladder.

* * *

Image Source

When it comes to starting in any career, most of us are loathe to start at the bottom. It’s no wonder when you consider that such jobs tend to involve long hours for little pay. Not to mention that, if you have your eyes on the prize, low-rung jobs may not be anything like the positions you imagine yourself in. Instead, then, we ignore those starting jobs and reach for the skies.

The trouble is that, while vision is crucial, it’s not always the best way to get a job. Often, aiming for high positions when entering an industry will set you back. There’s no way, after all, that you’ll be able to stand out against someone who’s worked their way up. Even if you do manage to get a high role from the off, you may find everything a struggle. You won’t know what you’re doing, after all, and that will be plain to everyone around you.

While reaching high is essential, then, you could see the following benefits by sucking it up and starting at the bottom.

It’s the easiest way into any industry

Breaking into a new industry is never easy. Even qualifications aren’t a sure bet into a decent job anymore. Now, employers love to see experience. And, that’s not something you’ll have if you’re starting. As such, you may find that you don’t even get interviews when applying for those higher roles. By comparison, the first rungs of most ladders are entry positions. They don’t require experience or even qualifications in many cases. Yet, they could provide your resume with the boost you need to get to the top.

You’ll be able to learn from the bottom up

When you gain a high position, it’s always beneficial to know every area of the business you’re in. All the better for running things smoothly and keeping on top. The trouble is that there’s no way you can do this if you enter at the top. You’ll have no clue about those bottom rungs you bypassed, and that can be problematic. By comparison, starting at the bottom and working your way up is a sure way to success when you reach the top. Consider professionals like Anton Kalafati of B Side Construction, who managed to work his way to up to be a majority owner in a leading company. His beginnings as an on-call repairman are part of the reason why he’s able to keep things afloat. Follow in his footsteps by accepting that lower position and learning everything you can from the bottom up.

A sure way to earn respect

Image Source

It’s no surprise that, if you enter a field from the top, you’re going to struggle to gain respect. Employee engagement is near enough impossible when you’re attempting to manage a team who know more than you do. That’s a fact. If, however, you’ve worked in their positions before, you’re pretty much guaranteed more respect. You’ll undoubtedly be able to manage everyone better as a result.

Breaking Away From The Nine To Five Grind

“Everyone reaches a point in their life when they question their purpose and impact in a professional capacity.”

A key focus of my blog is Career Discussions. Something most employees face is deciding whether or not to leave their day job. This can come from outgrowing their current position or just wanting to start his or her own enterprise. There are several options to leaving your nine to five. The following contributed post is entitled, Breaking Away From The Nine To Five Grind.

* * *

Image Credit

Everyone reaches a point in their life when they question their purpose and impact in a professional capacity. The career that you once adored and ran into with open arms, now appears dull, boring and monotonous. The thirst for change can sometimes feel all-consuming, and at other times you wonder if it is just a whim. The lure of something new and exciting can be terrifying. The idea of giving up a steady wage, a decent job and an unchallenging work environment is scary. However, often the most frightening decisions turn out to be the best ones we ever make. Consider where you want to be this time next year and work out whether you want to break away from the nine to five grind.

Become Self Employed

Many people choose to make a break from the traditional nine to five job in an effort to gain more control over their working hours, job remit and work location. If you have had an office job for the past decade and you have spent eight hours a day with a photocopier, a laptop and Janice, the head of marketing for company, you might want to broaden your horizons.

Becoming self employed needn’t mean setting up your own business, although if you do have an entrepreneurial side, you may fancy the challenge. Instead, consider taking up a trade. You could train to become a plumber, undertake a HVAC training programme and qualify to become air conditioning engineer, or enroll in a course to become an electrician. These trades are ideal to empower you to become self employed. You dictate your working hours, where you work, the jobs you do and how much you charge. Gain a good reputation and you will never be out of work.

Launch A Startup

If you have a book full of contacts that you have taken with you, you may be keen to set yourself up as a new startup within the industry sector that you have experience in. This will enable you to hit the ground running as you launch your very own business entity. You can keep overheads low by working from home, you can focus your efforts on networking, conducting market research and formulating your business vision, and you can provide an excellent service or product having learned the ropes in your previous role. Being your own boss and listing entrepreneur as your profession is new, exciting and provides you with the much needed challenge that you yearn for.

Travel

Perhaps the break that you need from your nine to five grind isn’t a permanent one. A change really can be as good as a rest. Instead of resigning from your current job, why don’t you take a sabbatical for three weeks, three months or even a year? You can then choose to go overseas, travel and see the world, disconnecting form the usual pings of annoying corporate emails, but with an affordable travel eSIM to keep in touch with your loved ones. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve always wanted to embark on a trek across the outback of Australia, complete the Inca Trail or see the temples of Japan, now might be the time to do it. Traveling can open your eyes to new wonders and leave you feeling refreshed and reinvigorated on your return to work.

Breaking away from the nine to five grind could be just what you need to improve your mood, health and happiness.

How to Avoid Conflict At the Workplace

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success, and a key focus is Career Discussions. Regardless of whether you’re an employer or an employee, it’s critical to understand how to avoid conflicts at the workplace as they can both hinder productivity and hinder career advancement. The following contributed post is entitled, How to Avoid Conflict At the Workplace.

* * *

If your employees are unhappy and disengaged, chances are that their productivity will suffer, and they will not represent your company and brand as well as possible in front of your customers. This will lead to reputation damage and conflict in the workplace, which can cause long term problems. Instead of dealing with conflict, you might want to prevent it and take a proactive approach to maintaining a positive work environment. Find a few tips below.

Image via CMSWire

Clear Policies
To avoid disagreements that are based on assumptions and misconceptions, it is important that your business has clear human resources and behavior policies. If you don’t have one at the moment, chances are that your employees are just guessing which one is the best approach, and this will lead to conflict and arguments. Talk to a human resources professional to get help with developing your workplace policies.

Value Alignment

When you recruit people to represent your brand, you will need to make sure that they share your values and your vision. If your employees couldn’t care less about customer service or quality, chances are that you are employing the wrong people. There are many ways you can check whether or not your applicants’ values are aligned with your company policy and brand philosophy, using online tools and personality tests.

Effective Communication


Image via Max Pixel

If there is a block in the communication channels, you will find it hard to communicate your goals and get your employees to commit to them. Workplace communication should never be flowing in one direction only. If you haven’t studied democratic leadership yet, it might be time to find out how you can encourage debates and discussion and avoid value conflict in the workplace, so your employees can fully engage with your company mission and vision.

Shared Goals

To make your workplace run smoother and to encourage collaboration and support, you will need to create shared goals. If you hold monthly appraisal meetings, take your time to sit down with each individual and find out what their personal career goals and aspirations are, so you can find a common trait and goals you can work towards together.

Conflict Management Frameworks

It is crucial that you have a procedure map in case conflict happens in your company. There is no point trying to deny that there is a problem, and the sooner you deal with it, the better you can handle the situation. Mediation, disciplinary procedures, training, and development, as well as sitting down with a civil attorney to learn about the legal framework of dealing with conflict and ethical problems at the workplace might be some of the best options.

When you have employees from different walks of life, conflict is something that may seem inevitable. Create a company culture that values and respects diversity and find a way to align your mission and vision with your employees’ own aspiration. Open up channels of communication, so you can deal with conflict as soon as possible.

Employee Engagement Ideas For Remote Teams

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and two focuses are Business/Entrepreneurship and Career Discussions. A great perk for many employees is being able to work remotely. Working remotely gives a lot of flexibility and can add to productivity. There’s a downside to it too, and management must consider how to get the most of teams of employees working remotely. The following contributed post is therefore entitled, Employee Engagement Ideas For Remote Teams.

* * *

Ensuring your employees are engaged is not always an easy task, yet it can become even more difficult when dealing with remote teams. Nonetheless, the following employment engagement ideas from Unum should give you a helping hand…

https://pixaby.com/photos/office-adult-computer-african-3370835

Frequent Communication

When dealing with a remote team you should never take the ‘no news is good news’ stance. This is likely to lead to disengagement, as the team members may feel you don’t value them enough to tell them what’s going on. It is definitely a case of the more communication, the better.

Embrace Instant Messaging

A lot of managers believe it is more efficient for them to be the only point of contact. However, you risk alienating the team in question, and this is extremely damaging. Why? Well, information won’t flow effectively and work relationships won’t develop. Instead, promote healthy communication via the use of internal instant messaging.

Consider Various Communication Tools

When engaging with a remote team you need to make sure you use the right tool in relation to the message you are giving. If you merely need to rely on a simple message, an email will suffice. However, when something is more elaborate, or complex, or requires brainstorming, it will be more effective to use an advanced video tool. You can easily find these on the Internet, and some are even free to download. However, managed solutions come highly recommend, as they will be developed to suit your business.

Better Scheduling

Why should those on the other side of the world always have to take a conference call whilst they should be sound asleep? A lot of businesses schedule in relation to what is convenient for their home office. However, if you consider your remote teams and schedule for their benefit in some instances, you show that they are just as important and this keeps them engaged.

Give An Explanation

This is a simple yet effective engagement idea for remote teams. Often, everyone in the home office will know what is going on and consequently their reason for performing a particular task. However, remote teams may be asked to do something and they have no clue why. This may interrupt their current workflow and thus cause irritation. Moreover, it may lead them to feel disengaged because they are working on something without purpose. Therefore, all you need to do is explain why.

Create Personal Connections

It doesn’t hurt to ask someone how he or she is and what is going on in their life. A lot of managers neglect to do this because they feel they are wasting time. However, creating a human connection is time well spent. If you can’t spare five minutes of your time to get to know an employee, no matter where they are located, they won’t feel valued. Instead, they will feel overlooked.

So there you have it, six easy yet highly effective employee engagement ideas for your remote teams. As soon as these practices are implemented you will immediately notice a difference. Start today by making a personal connection when you next communicate with someone in a remote team.

Improving Your Confidence at Work

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and a key focus is Career Discussions. No matter which career you’re in, you want to get to a place where you exuding confidence at work. While each job title and career are different, there are some common areas you can focus on to increase your confidence. The following contributed post is thus entitled, Improving Your Confidence at Work.

* * *

Image Credit: Unsplash

Confidence is a funny thing. You be fine in some situations and then totally lose it in others. Such is the human condition. We all have different fears and anxieties and they play into how confident we feel in different situations.

Our confidence can be fleeting in some cases and strong in others. But learning to face your flaws and feel confident in every area is still possible. You just need a strategy for each area.

Presentation Skills

One of the main fears people have is a big presentation. Often the fear stems from having everyone in the room look at you and judge you for what you are saying. Even if you feel proud of the presentation you have made, there is always that nagging doubt that you got everything wrong!

Luckily, you can improve your presentation skills with practice and a little refinement. Perfecting your presentation to make sure that it is readable and easy for you to follow is the first place to start. If a sentence isn’t flowing or you are tripping over your words, a small rewrite will make a big difference. Similarly, finding a strategy to cool your nerves is a good idea. Practice your presentation a few times to get a feel for it and take a few deep breaths before you start. Speak a little slower than you might usually and you will soon find a rhythm.

Conversation in Meetings

There is a huge difference between feeling confident in making a presentation and being able to share an idea in a meeting. For one thing, in a presentation you just have to talk whereas in a meeting, you need to listen and progress the conversation.

One of the first steps is to persuade yourself that the jitters you feel are excitement rather than anxiety. This might sound weird but actually, the positive reinforcement does help.

The next thing to do is commit to talking early on in the meeting. The longer you stay silent, the harder it is to jump in. If you like, take in some notes so that you remember the points you want to make or discuss and do take notes as people talk to help you keep up.

Talking on the Phone

The phone is becoming something of a lost art between text and email but it is still a vital office skill everyone should have. There are lots of ways to learn how to talk on the phone and taking notes as someone speaks will help you concentrate. Again, speaking a little slower than usual makes things easier.

If you are making the phone call, it’s a good idea to plan what you would like to say ahead of time. Before you even dial you can have a list of key points, words and phrases you want to say. However, do allow for some deviation from your script. Keep things relaxed and don’t worry if you need to think about a response – just say you need to think!

Over time, your confidence at work will improve in all situations. Be patient and try not to let your anxiety spiral – you’ve got this!

How Your Choices Can Affect Your Career

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and a key area of focus is Career Discussions. Choosing the right career for yourself can be one of the most important life choices one can make. There are different reasons for choosing a career such as outside influence, industry trends or personal strengths. The following contributed post discusses this and is entitled, How Your Choices Can Affect Your Career.

* * *

https://unsplash.com/photos/oqStl2L5oxl

In life, we all have choices. We can choose what to eat for breakfast, what to wear each day, or even what to do in the evenings. Yet, we don’t always realize that. Sometimes, it’s just far too easy to find yourself living on autopilot – or worse, living for someone else. When this is the case, you may find that you are just living out of habit or repeating routine because your mind believes that’s what you have to do. But you do have a choice. And if you follow a path that your parents did, because it’s familiar – again, you can feel as if that wasn’t a choice. But it was. And this entire idea can be applied to your career too.

Because when it comes to your career, you always have a choice. You can choose your path and the industry you’re in. You can choose to better yourself or to grow. And you can also choose to quit your job and do something new or start a business. Yet, not many of us know that this is the case. We feel as if we should live in a certain way or we have to follow the crowd. Yet, you are free to make your own choices and they can then go on to have a huge effect on your career.

Mirroring Your Interests

First of all, you can choose to follow a path that you love. You can choose a career that you are passionate about an interested in. When you make this choice, you are going to find that you are incredibly satisfied not only in work, but in life in general.

https://unsplash.com/photos/1SA__aN_I2U

Suiting Your Strengths

The next thing that you need to be aware of here, is what you’re actually good at. So you have a choice here to make sure that the career you’re in is suited to you – not anybody else! This means that you need to get to know your strengths, so that you can be sure that the career choices to make are right.

Affecting Your Output

The next thing that your choices have an impact on, is your output. Because if you are making the right choices and your prioritizing quality and achievement, then you will start to see success. From choosing the right kind of action, to the best mass flow meter, to even the right expert to work with, it can all impact your output. So if you decide right, it can lead to success.

Sparking Your Success

And finally, perhaps the most powerful of all reasons for why you need to really take ownership of your choices, is that they can really be the catalyst for your success. If you control your choices and align them with your goals, you will find success. There’s no doubt about it. But you do then need to remember that you have a choice in the first place. And you need to start to make decisions that will allow you to see success.