Five Days To Energize Your Career (Day Three)

Take a Class / Attend a Seminar

No matter how skilled you are in your profession, you can still improve your abilities. Many people become convinced that they know all they can, and thus become stale.

Lawyers and accountants are required to take continuing education every year in order to keep their professional certifications active. While many complain about the CLE and CPE hours each time they come due, the best ones embrace the requirement as a chance to learn new rules and regulations and "sharpen the saw".

Even if you are not required by law to take annual class hours, learning is a great way to improve yourself, get motivated, and attain recognition within your industry. All of these will ignite the spark that will help you in your job.

Make it a point to attend an industry conference. If your employer will not pay for you to attend a national association annual meeting that is across the country, look for other regional events that will bring together the experts in your field. Regional conferences and seminars are often more reasonably priced and will have more moderate travel costs, thus if the company will not cover the costs you should consider paying your own way.

While at the conference be sure not to skip out on the educational breakout sessions. Look for courses that interest you, but make sure you are in a class at each scheduled time. Even if nothing jumps out at you on the schedule, remember that some of the best things in life come as a surprise.

Beyond conferences attend local seminars that convey useful information. Business groups and your local universities offer a variety of options. A full day class could be just what you need to get you back on track. New information is always a catalyst to creativity.

In addition to attending conferences, seminars and classes you should become an avid reader. If you spend 30 to 60 minutes each day reading a business book you will complete ten to twenty (depending on how fast you read) books each year. Think about that, approximately 150 books in ten years. That knowledge will inspire you to do more than you ever imagined.

Have A Great Day

thom