Thinking About Your 2012 Career Plan: Part 2

This is the second part of a series on the sorts of questions you might ask yourself when putting together a career plan. The first part focused on looking back at 2011 and earlier and reflecting on where you've been. Now it's time to look forward.

Get your favorite beverage and sit down and relax. Get yourself in a calm quiet place. Or, if that's not your thing, a loud, noisy place! Point is, for part 1 you needed to be realistic and have a good memory. Now it's important to be relaxed and positive. Be as confident and optimistic as you possibly can be. Now's not the time to be shy or cynical.

-What new projects are you looking forward to in 2012?
-What are you dreading about 2012?
-What new things would you like to learn or train in?
-Who would you like to better communicate with in 2012?
-What aspects of your career do you have the most control over and how can you change/improve them?
-What new risks could you take that you've been afraid to take so far?
-What kinds of people would you like to meet or see more of in 2012?
-What kinds of growth would you like to see for yourself as a person?
-What major milestones would you like to accomplish?
-Think about where you really want to go as a person and in your career, what steps can you take in 2012 to get you there?

So hopefully these questions can help you get started thinking about your career and goal planning. Don't be afraid to set your sights too high because even a step towards a lofty goal is better than not taking any steps forward at all. Here's to a productive new year!

(Photo via Arnar Valdimarsson)