Get Career Fit, 2nd Edition

CHAPTER 2 Realise

What is your potential?

‘Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman, before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into air.’

Former US President John Quincy Adams

In the Road Runner cartoons, Wile E. Coyote built elaborate traps to catch the speedy bird. Invariably he failed, and with a defiant beep beep Road Runner disappeared into the distance — until the next episode.

A few years back an unauthorised extension to the story was released in which Coyote, much to his own surprise, finally snares the Road Runner.

‘Holy shit,’ Coyote exclaims, ‘I did it! He’s under there. I got him!’

Later, when feasting on Road Runner with a friend, his friend asks, ‘So what are you going to do now?’

‘Never really thought about it,’ Coyote replies. ‘Been chasing this damn bird for 20 years. Not really trained for anything else. I guess I kind of let my life get away from me.’

We’ve all been in Coyote’s shoes at some point or other. Doing the same thing, day in, day out. Staying in the same job because it’s easier, safer, it’s what we know. We may even find ourselves thinking we’ve been living a dream, then realising we’re not! That we haven’t prepared for anything else. Life has happened and we’ve just been along for the ride.

To focus on what you could do, you have to dump the preconceived notions that you or others have of you, gather your courage and fortitude, and start to dream a little about what you might like to do next in your career — before ...