“Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose”. I first heard this on the former hit television show Friday Night Lights. It was the guiding principal for the show’s fictional Texas football team striving for athletic victory. While this quote is referenced in an athletic context, I believe it speaks to the attitude and perspective one should have in all aspects of their life to be truly successful.
As a young leader, just starting out in the field, I find my career plan is constantly changing. When I graduated college I had one plan and three years later I have a completely different one. Some may find that crazy and say I’m unfocused. However, as my knowledge and experience in the field grows, I find out new things about myself, including where and how I want to position myself in my career.
As young people, we hear so many conflicting ideas on what, when and how we need to develop our careers. While it’s important to learn and get advice from those who’ve come before us, it’s also important to realize our paths are our own. There is no one-way path to success and fulfillment in your career. We all will take different paths and no way is better than another.
Having a career plan is important but it’s also important to realize that you can and will adapt and change that plan as you grow and learn. My plans now for my career will be far different from my plans in 5 to 10 years. Life circumstances will interrupt your path at times, throwing off the plan you had in mind. It’s important to be clear and deliberate in your career goals and aspirations, but also to be flexible. Because while you may have a plan for your career, the actual path may be far different than what you envisioned, and that is ok. If you set your goals, adjust your plans when needed and are comfortable in your individual journey, you will find the success in your career that you strive for. Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose!
