Guest Contributor: Catherine Crawford
Winter is a dormant season in Canada where the cold weather brings nature into hibernation. As such, our careers can also tend to fall into a period of stagnation during this time of year. It’s cold, dark and not many people are feeling energized compared to other times of the year. So, if you are trying to grow your career, how do you ensure it doesn’t suffer during these winter blues? Here are 4 career tips to implement this winter season:
Health and Wellness
Enhancing your emotional, physical, and personal wellbeing during this time will naturally energize you and support the success of your career goals. Taking time out for yourself will allow you to be your very best version and your career will notice. Try carving out time for deep breathing, exercising, journaling, or meditating. All of these activities will allow you to be better equipped to embrace this time of year.
Strike a Power Pose
Don’t forget to remind yourself why you’re awesome. This can help build confidence and remind you about your strengths, skills, and how you have overcome challenges in the past. Social psychologist Amy Cuddy through her research suggests that engaging in powerful or expansive postures (such as the Wonder Woman) for 2 minutes prior to an interview can help increase feelings of confidence and reduce stress. Watch a condensed version of Amy Cuddy’s TED talk.
Champion Learning
Feel good by learning a new skill and exercising your brain. When times get tough, the key to stimulating your brain is by improving upon a skill set. You can achieve this by mentoring, remote learning, volunteering, or becoming a member of a professional association. This can also lead to confidence building by tackling a challenging task or honing a skill set that is outside of your comfort zone.
Dispelling Self-Limiting Beliefs
The “imposter syndrome” may show up for some this time of year, but the key is to recognize it and deal with it head on. Accepting that things may not work out and some fear of failure is normal. But, the willingness to bounce back and try again is the best way to prevent self-limiting beliefs. – Adapted from Career Professionals of Canada
Overall, make sure to be kind to yourself this winter and put into practice some of the above self-care tips to ensure you have the energy and focus needed to grow your career during this season.
Catherine Crawford
Career Coach
(905) 923-3131
catherine@careeradvantage.ca
