Both confidence and clarity are essential, especially when your career is off track. But these magic elixirs can be in short supply. You don’t know what the future holds, and you worry you won’t be happy or successful. You're caught in a rip tide, trying to believe in yourself as you walk forward in uncertainty.

It’s tempting to seek reinforcement from sources outside yourself. You look at other successful people and try to emulate their approach. You do what your family, friends, and society tell you to do, wanting to impress or please them. You go along with the crowd, doing what is easy or popular. You are not taking control of the situation because you don’t know how.

It reminds me of a bit of wisdom my dad shared with me when I was a kid. He said, “It's hard to hold a bag of groceries with your arms outstretched. Pull the bag towards you, it’s much easier.” Clarity and confidence will not come from distant sources.

If committed internal exploration is the answer, it begs the question: how do you come to understand who you are and what you are wired to do? The answer is the Elevations career assessment.

Follow this guidance to get the best results:

• Elevations will help you organize your wisdom, not give you the answers. Read the instructions in Elevations carefully. Be prepared to think deeply. This is your self-authoring tool. Don’t rush or be impulsive.
• What matters to you is your true north. Identify the values you want supported in your career. Memorize your most important values and prepare to share them with your network and in your employment interviews.
• Dig into the skills that give you energy. You can get good at doing just about anything. Utilize the skills section of Elevations to uncover and define your genus skills.
• Explore the 120 careers in Elevations with a focus on what interests you, not what is practical. Your interests can be combined to create a customized career, supercharging your success and satisfaction.
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If you are at a crossroads, nearing retirement, starting in your twenties, or stuck in a job you no longer enjoy, take action. You can design the next step in your journey. Confidence and clarity will follow.