6 things that can derail your career

We all go into our careers hoping for the best, but the truth is that sometimes things can go a little wrong with our career. It’s not what we want to happen, but just the situation we find ourselves in. One plus point is that it’s usually possible to pinpoint why a career has gone off the tracks. That means that we can proactively prevent the things that can derail your career from happening in the first place. Below, we’ll look at some of the most common factors that cause problems.

1. Poor lifestyle

You can’t expect to excel in your professional life if you have a poor lifestyle. While companies tell their workers to leave their personal matters at the door, that just can’t be the case. This point is especially true when it comes to your lifestyle.

If you’re staying up late, not getting enough exercise, or you’re eating unhealthy foods, then eventually, you’ll find that your career begins to falter. Not because you’re doing anything obviously wrong, but because you don’t have the capacity to bring your best.

If you’re feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the day, then your work will naturally improve. The reality is that you might not be as healthy as you think, unfortunately.

2. What else can derail your career? Economic issues

We’d like to think that we’re fully in control of our destiny, but that’s just not true. You are not an island, after all, but part of a much broader system. If that system has some issues, then it’s possible that you’ll be impacted.

There’s no avoiding the fact that the economy has taken some hits over the years. We’re in one now, although we can all hope that it’s not as severe as the last collapse.

While this economic downturn can derail your career, it can also be an opportunity. But you do have to be proactive in your response to potential problems.

3. Personal matters

I mentioned earlier how your personal life impacts your professional life. Sometimes this is in an indirect way, such as when your lifestyle impacts your work. Other times, it’s in a direct way, such as when a personal matter influences your employability.

If you’ve been accused of a crime, even a non-serious one, then it’s important that you work with successful criminal defense attorneys. Even if you don’t think it would impact your current position, there’s a chance that it could impact your career in the future.

It’s best not to leave it to chance. Instead, handle the matter as soon as possible.

4. A loss of passion can derail your career

You can start any career with enthusiasm. In many cases, just an interest in seeing whether you can be successful, or just a general interest in getting into the workforce, can be enough to see you through for a few years.

But, after two or three years, you might find that you didn’t have all that much interest in your chosen profession in the first place. That can prove to be highly problematic when it comes to a career.

While you might be able to stay where you are in your career, you’ll find it difficult to move forward. That’s especially true if you’re in a competitive industry.

Unless you’re fully entrenched in your job path, it can be a good idea to switch things up if you’ve lost some of the passion, you’re never too old to change what you’re doing for employment.

5. Failure to grow

Even if you do love what you do, you’ll want to make an effort to continue to develop your existing talents. Passion can take you a long way, but it won’t take you everywhere.

If the skills required develop, but you haven’t, then you could be left behind at some point. Avoid that issue by continuing to upgrade your education. It doesn’t have to be expensive; there are many free courses available online.

6. Poor planning can derail your career too

Finally, remember that when it comes to your career, it’s best not to leave things to chance. Everything works better when there’s some sort of plan in place.

It’s all about actively managing your career, rather than just letting it happen around you. While you can have a step-by-step plan for how you’re going to reach your end goal, if you can’t think of one, then just a general idea of where you want to go is helpful. That ensures that you stay on the right path.

Conclusion

Your career is going to be one of the most important aspects of your life. Indeed, after your family, it’ll be the most important!

So, give yourself the best chance of finding success. If you take the suggestions above, then you’ll be doing exactly that.