Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Or is that looking too far ahead? Considering all the possibilities in the beauty industry, what’s your potential for success? You may have ambitious plans for how your career will progress, but if you can’t imagine that far ahead, don’t worry. Chances are your predictions about what you’ll be doing would be wildly inaccurate anyway.
Your career path may diverge in ways that you can’t possibly imagine, and that’s not always a bad thing.
To be fair, let’s acknowledge the potential for failure. Ten years from now, and maybe in as few as 2 years and within the span of a license renewal, you may no longer be part of the beauty industry. That’s not meant to discourage you as much as emphasize that while state boards issue thousands of licenses every year, there’s no guarantee of gainful employment. How many licenses in your specialty has your state issued? How many licensees remain active and currently earn a living providing services? How many eventually move on to other occupations? Perhaps better opportunities exist elsewhere for those transitioning away from the industry.
“Opportunity is missed by most most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” – Thomas Edison
Determined to remain in the beauty industry for as long as possible, you promise to work hard. You promise that given THE opportunity, you will not waste it. Somehow, if only you could score that celebrity client, compete in a reality show or launch a brand, you’ll achieve your career goals. Here’s the good news, there’s not one opportunity; opportunities exist everywhere and more can be created. How will you know which ones are worth pursuing?
“Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence – is the key to unlocking our potential.” – Winston Churchill
More important, your career in the beauty industry does not take place in the future. Whatever you’re doing, wherever you happen to be in your career, it’s happening now. Granted, you may not be that excited about your current circumstances. No matter how much passion you bring to your work, you won’t always enjoy it. At times, you’ll feel unappreciated, that your talents are being wasted on mundane, repetitive work. Take this as an opportunity to perfect your skills and timing. More than your potential, your performance impacts how others perceive you and whether they’re willing to give you additional opportunities.
“The reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more.” – Jonas Salk
Unless your effort and performance match your enthusiasm and potential, your progress will be judged, sometimes harshly, against your ambitions. To guard against that, temper your ambition with realistic, adaptable plans that give you multiple options and alternative paths to success. Will the satisfaction and income derived from providing services to clients be enough to sustain you emotionally and financially? That remains to be seen, but if you want more professional opportunities, improve the quality of your work. Nothing increases your future potential like past performance.
An earlier version was published by Beauty Cast Network.