Don’t wait until you hate your job and your life. Put your career on track today. Here are my five best suggestions to build a future you can be truly proud of:

YOU are the one thing in your career that remains stable and consistent through the course of your life. The economy cycles and labor markets shift. Hot job trends come and go, potentially pulling you in the wrong direction. In the midst of all the external craziness, your internal needs, wants and competencies are the consistent roadmap to your future.

Imagine you carry a “talent suitcase” around with you all the time. Stored in the main section are your values, enjoyable skills, interests and your natural born temperament. In the side pockets are your accumulated knowledge, work experience and aptitudes. No one has a suitcase exactly like yours. 

As you grow through life, you store more and more in your talent suitcase. Sadly, you could shove this treasure trove to the back of your closet and ignore it. This usually results in career depression and disappointment. Alternatively, you can be obsessed with what makes you tick keeping your capabilities front and center.

Your values are your beliefs, your morals, and your internal compass. When your career supports your values, you are fulfilled. If they are violated or left unnurtured, you become dissatisfied. Given the power held in your values, it only makes sense to identify them, define their meaning and make them a visible feature of your life every day.

A career-self assessment will offer an opportunity for you to identify and prioritize your values. Write your top 5 or 10 values on a piece of paper and draft a brief definition for each one. Next, determine where you will post your values so you see them every day. Maybe you have them on the refrigerator door or stuck inside the visor in your car. When you encounter them on a regular basis you will find ways to enhance their role in your daily life. Your values are your superpower, feeding your soul.

Think about a job you’ve done that you did not enjoy. At the end of the day you are exhausted. Your physical and mental health suffer. You come home drained and land in a lump on your couch. 

The solution here is simple. Start with knowing what your enjoyable skills are. This circles back again to the career assessment. Identify the skills you enjoy and prioritize them. Then reflect on how many are central to your career (or the potential career you dream about).

Skills are awesome because you can add them into your current occupation or integrate them to your life. There is no limit to what you can learn. You can improve your proficiency in a skill you enjoy, increasing your career-related energy and fulfillment.

Blaming and making excuses is career poison. No matter how justifiable your complaints are, in the end, you suffer the consequences of your negative perspective. Worse, others begin to see you as a moral buster. Who wants to be around someone who is powerless and pessimistic?

Notice what the basic storyline of your career is. Do you see yourself as an influential force with the central responsibility for your future or have you cast yourself as a victim of your circumstances? The answer to this question opens the door to sustained career satisfaction.

Taking an accountable perspective requires fortitude. The bad things that can happen in the course of your career can be devastating. But, again, you victimize yourself over and over again by holding on to the disappointments. Be a leader in your own life and take your power back. When you do, you will quickly notice a resurgence of creativity and resourcefulness.  

A great career is built on bravery. Perhaps you don’t go after what you really want because you don’t want to fail or you lack self-confidence. This begs the question; how do you find the grit to persist towards a career that utilizes your full potential?

The answer goes back to step number four, accountability. When you take full responsibility for your career successes or failures, you get stronger. Little by little you heal the trauma that holds you back. You start focusing on what is possible. In essence, you build up your courage. 

There is no limit to the amount of courage your can contain. You just need to start today. Set aside some time for self-reflection. The struggle that comes with being in a career crossroad can be tough. So, be gentle and patient with yourself as you elevate your career.