How Does It Look From Back Here?

One of the most important things that I've learned during the past several years of my career is the ability to Zoom Out... or the ability to stop what I'm doing, back away from the situation, and look at it from a wider (or different) perspective. This might seem like common sense to many people, but here are a few examples of what Zooming Out has allowed me to do with my work:

1. Think about what my true interests are, and ways that I may form a career around them.

During my spare time, what do I really enjoy doing? Is there any potential to make money doing what I love... or turn it into a career?

2. Look at market trends and determine how they align with my work.

Will my job, position, or career will exist 5, 10, or 25 years from now? What types of interesting jobs or fields of work may appear in the future?

3. Identify interesting things that I have learned... that may also be of interest to other people like myself.

While exploring a new area or struggling with a problem, what have I learned? Would others be interested in the lessons that I have learned?

4. Identify needs (mine and those of others) and find solutions.

What types of problems do I encounter on a regular basis? What are the chances that other people have encountered these same problems? If I were to find or create a solution, would it help other people as well?

5. Analyze problems, determine their true scale, and find solutions as necessary.

In the grand scheme of things, how serious is this problem? Is it really worth my time to find a solution to this problem, or should I set it aside and move on to other things?

These are just a few examples of how Zooming Out has helped me; they are very important steps toward a long, healthy, profitable career, and I will cover them in more detail in future posts. In the meantime, practice finding ways of stepping away from the action and taking in a wider perspective of the situation. I guarantee that you will start to see things that you never realized were there before!