I believe the opportunities for positive change occur four times on your journey in professional life.

It’s almost like a game of basketball that has four quarters. So on your journey, how do you step up in each quarter so you can become less ordinary and more extraordinary to win your professional game?

First Quarter 8-12 years is a crucial period when good habits, attitudes and skills can be learned. This window of learning opportunity, if taken correctly, can and will give a positive compound effect return that can last for a lifetime.

Second Quarter 16-18 years is a period when people have started to be put into ability boxes and labelled….sometimes incorrectly. This transitional time is ripe for finding your talents and exploring your possibilities.

Third Quarter 21-23 is a post graduate period where academic success is married to employment expectations. This period can be enhanced by the development of soft communication skills linked to overall emotional intelligence.

Fourth Quarter 35+ is a time when many promotions occur towards senior management. Developing skills of how to manage people and their expectations are crucial.

For this transition from ordinary to extraordinary, progress has to be reviewed by answering key questions:

What have I learned so far about myself?

What have I learned from my quest for qualifications and experiences?

What have I learned from my challenges and my subsequent mistakes?

What have I learned from dealing with loss and rejection?

What have I learned about keeping my drive, enthusiasm and motivation going long enough so I can find what I am best at?

What have you still to learn that will enable you to be extraordinary?

 By reflecting and enhancing existing skills, assimilating new skills, your journey will start to pay dividends.

So when are you going to start your journey from ordinary to extraordinary?