Have you ever stopped to really think about Nike’s simple yet compelling slogan? Just do it. Three words. Eight characters. You can’t get much more basic than this. But, wow, the weight it carries! Whichever ad agency coined that should have bargained for residuals.
Lately I’ve observed more than a few folks not quite ready to take the plunge–the plunge into active, purposeful job search. Oh, they are ready. Very ready. They’ve done their due diligence, perfected their resumes, honed interview skills, and prepared a number of key documents designed to accelerate their searches. Many have committed–at least on paper–to a strategy for their search. There’s a plan in place. There’s even the will, the desire.
What’s missing? The execution. The drive to carry out all the steps that have been committed to and planned. I sometimes think it’s fear of success (not failure) that contributes to this inactivity. ("What if I get an offer? How do I negotiate? What if they want me to start next week? I don’t know if I’m ready to go back quite yet …")
All important concerns, of course, but not one is insurmountable. Don’t let fear of success prevent you from getting fully into the game. Just do it.
– Jan Melnik, MRW, CCM, CPRW, President, Absolute Advantage … Don’t forget to check out http://careerhub.typepad.com for the best in career search advice from the career industry’s top experts and http://careers.beyond.com for valuable career management expertise