Each of us have once experienced a rough transition towards a new chapter of our life. When we reached our teenage years, we ventured out of our comfort zones in attempt of finding our true selves amidst the peer influence and societal pressures. As we entered college, this journey continued on. We slowly figured out what we wanted to be in the future and pursued it with great passion.

Now that we’re out in the real world, it felt like we were back to square one – each lesson we learned in school contradicting the laws of this modern jungle. Standing amidst the storm that is creating a career for ourselves and making it on our own as an independent young adult, we can’t help but feel out of control.

When we feel stuck, how do we keep moving forward on our travels?

The most crucial first step that we should make is to own up to everything in our life.

It’s time for us to accept that we are now in full control and that blaming anyone or anything else for the troubles we are experiencing will not get us anywhere. Making peace with this now known fact about your life accelerates your personal growth journey.

If there’s anything in your current situation that bothers or upsets you, you have full authority of taking action. Nothing – or no one else – can make you feel happier and content with what you have other than yourself.

Once you have embraced this, start identifying the certain parts or aspects of your life that you want to improve. The term personal growth is very broad and could mean improving different qualities of ourselves or skills. Write down the areas you want to ameliorate on a piece of paper or maybe at the very first page of your brand new planner.

For example, you may want to polish your communication skills and public speaking capabilities or you could master a new technical ability. The more specific you become the better.

After doing so, follow these three steps:

A fool-proof way of both learning and enhancing an expertise is by reading about it.

Don’t just read one or two books about your chosen subject or field. Instead, collect five to ten materials and this will dramatically increase your overall knowledge of that specific discipline. Experts suggest using audiobooks such as Audible so that the time you spend commuting can be used to learn something new.

People often mistake networking as the act of finding as many experts and professionals as you can for the sole reason of “cherry picking their brain”. Majority of the entrepreneurial community have called this off, saying that one should always consider the value that they can give to the other party as well.

With that said, keep in mind that you should build meaningful relationships and friendships that are for long term. These strong connections that you make are far more valuable that the information you can pick from someone else’s mind for 10 minutes.

It’s best to join platforms such as Eventbrite or Meetup to converge with like-minded individuals as you learn about your chosen field. You can even share offices with them by joining coworking spaces. The well-known flexible workspace takes pride in curating an environment for professionals of different fields and cultivating them into community-woven offices that promotes creative collaboration.

A large number of today’s workforce is jumping into the movement in the endeavor of expanding their network as they grow their business and studies have backed this up by publishing reports stating just how happy its members have become since joining.

Participate in seminars and other live events not only for that one discipline you are focusing on but other skills as well. Use these gatherings to expand your reach further. Check if any conference is being held in your city or nearby town. You can also give boot-camps a try to get a full immersion experience.

Providers of coworking spaces also hold in-house symposium and conventions with well-known experts and sometimes its hosts are even their own members. This specific feature of the movement is another contributing factor as to why more and more solo-preneurs and freelancers are making the move.

Make the effort of attending them each year. Taking the time to truly learn is one of the best investments you can make for yourself and will surely yield high results.

Do these steps for each skill that you want to build and continuously escalate your personal growth.

British economist Frances Cairncross – together with a large number of social and media theorists – predicted the death of distances during the 1990s when the advent of the internet spread across the world.

They argued that if every single place in the world can instantly connect with one another, space itself would slowly become irrelevant. So much so, that we could go to work without going to our offices. Immediate communication with almost anyone in the office would soon render workspaces obsolete.

And though the concept seemed imminent, humankind still have somehow charted to a different path than the one predicted by Cairncross.

Despite of the global and instantaneous communication handed to us by today’s technology, a large number of us still commute to work every single day – and it’s not exactly the best part of our work day.

This trend that we seem to be following for almost a century now is commonly known as the paradox of place.

The anomaly that places and locations are seemingly less important due to how connective modern technology have made it more easier for us to connect with one another, anywhere we are yet at the same time, it remains to be a critical factor due to the pressing realization that it is a prerequisite to interaction and innovation.

A living proof of this is that though telecommuting continues to grow and has created significant disturbances in how humankind works, we cannot ignore the growing popularity of coworking spaces.

More and more professionals are leaving behind the traditional way of making a living, in exchange for the chance of roaming the earth as digital nomads or remote workers. Simultaneously, shared offices such as the coworking movement are growing by large numbers as an answer to the growing need of a third place where in people aggregate and share knowledge – both old and new.

Experts predict that the paradox of place is surely here to stay as humans are social creatures by nature. Places and locations will remain necessary but at the same time, modern technology will continue to lessen its importance.

Due to the pressing need for actual social interaction, a handful of companies who have allowed telecommuting, recently made policy changes and have called their remote workers back in the office.

And with such modifications, it opens up the question of whether or not flexible work hours is an effective workplace strategy. But JLL Managing Director Peter Miscovich that there’s no black and white answer of yes or no. He adds that the binary question underestimates the complexity of workplace strategy. Miscovich suggests that companies and even office space providers need to curate versatile strategies in order to attract this generation’s digital talent. ManpowerGroup Solutions recent survey reported that 63 percent of job candidates today believe that they don’t really need to be stationed at their desks to get work done. In addition to this, 45 percent of respondents say that flexibility is a key motivating factor in their career decisions.

Gallup’s 2017 State of the American Workplace report strengthens this claim when their results reported that the happiest participants are those who don’t spend their whole week in the office – yet at the same time, not spending a majority of it from their respective homes.

Curating a workplace environment that allows professionals to have a balance between concentration and collaboration for a diverse workforce creates better results.

Admittedly, it’s hard to find good help amidst a sea of people and when we find them, we want to keep them around for as long as we could.

And though people leave their jobs for several reasons that are sometimes beyond the control of their employers, there’s no denying that leadership can heavily affect the job satisfaction one individual perceives. Those who feel unappreciated or unrecognized for their efforts are more likely to exit. While those who suffer from office politics or were unfortunate enough to find self-serving managers will look somewhere else for a job.

Truthfully, they would begin searching for a new home to go to under the radar, and as they go through several interviews, they’ll start to realize just how undervalued they have become. There’s a good chance that they’ll start looking for a different employer if their current one isn’t offering them opportunities for skill development and fair compensation.

But it’s possible for us to curate systems that your talented workforce deserves.

Director of Research at Harvard Business School Teresa Amabile, together with independent researcher and writer Steven Kramer said in their book – The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement and Creativity at Work – that there are two certain factors that aid in keeping employees or members of the team engaged, the Catalyst and Nourishment factors

Defined as events and structures that help people make progress, catalyst factors include providing clear goals for the task at hand and giving people enough resources to accomplish them. Nourishment factors, on the other hand, means supporting their inner work lives and usually includes getting to know them better, showing respect as well as offering emotional support.

One real life example of this is Airbnb’s company culture. Their system is pretty simple, they consider the needs of their team members in all aspects of their work environment. They focused on creating a welcoming environment which resulted to a positive impact to their business.

Their leaders recognize the need of development in their culture as the company grows. And in the effort of ensuring that each member is supported, they have appointed a Global Head of Employee Experience whose task is to make sure that everyone’s needs are met.

Your workforce needs nourishment and catalysts in order for them to be successful. Employees who are lucky enough to be part of a supportive and engaging environment are most likely to stay with their company. By giving them the feeling of accomplishment and allowing them room to make progress, they find more meaning and value in their work.

Amabile further discusses that catalyst and nourishers should work together in providing workers an environment in which they can both thrive and remain fully engaged in their tasks at the same time.

And the first step in leading with catalysts is by setting clear goals that gives everyone direction. Whenever a big project comes in, call for a meeting and set out short as well as long term objectives that could hold them accountable for their progress.

Give them the chance to speak up and ask questions. By doing so, each member will leave with a clear idea of what will be the end results of their efforts.

Once you have a set clear plan, give them enough leeway to do their assigned tasks in that works well for them. Build autonomy within the workplace and make reaching the set objective your main goal.

Having the freedom to do things their way is what attracts majority of this generation’s young professionals. Some of the most talented and creative people tend to stray away from structured domains. One real life proof of this is the growing popularity of the coworking movement.

More and more teams and even, individuals are opting for these shared offices in exchange of having the liberty of working whenever, wherever and however they want to. Unlike in conventional workplaces, coworking gives members full control of their work day, allowing them to maximize their work efficiency.

So don’t be afraid of the unknown. Don’t stifle creativity and who knows? That one person who does things differently than most could just produce excellent output.

Nourish your team by instilling respect and support among one another.

Lend them an ear whenever they have a concern and even if you aren’t exactly on the same page as them, consider what they have to say. The issues they are experiencing may be affecting other members as well. Make your working environment better by hearing them out.

Make them feel good by giving encouragement and recognizing their accomplishments – showing them that you are paying attention. The lack of appreciation is one of the major sources of unhappiness in the office so go the extra mile of offering a compliment or even a formal recognition.

Offer emotional support by listening to them. Each and every one of us have our bad days or feel frustrated at times. Hence, it’s important to recognize how an employee’s mood affects the workplace. By giving them enough space to feel better, they’ll know that you see them as an equal.

And lastly, bond with them. Help coworkers trust and appreciate one another by arranging company picnics or company trips. Create opportunities for them socialize and build memories as a team.

Taking the aforementioned factors into consideration aids the management in improving their respective work culture – giving their employees a much better experience within the company.

Sometimes, the smallest and unexpected thing can create a major impact to your people. By going the extra mile to support them, your good employees or your team’s superstar might just stick around.

Admittedly, we are all afraid of committing mistakes.

The idea of being called out for an error we might’ve missed and risking one’s reputation is something that we’re not entirely comfortable with. Nor are we fond of receiving negative feedback from either friends or colleagues.

Though we tend to fear feedback, it’s actually much more vital than we actually think. One good example of this was the calamity Facebook faced back in April 2013. The team launched the application Facebook Home with the promise of changing the “look and feel” of a person’s phone. The main idea is that it would transform a user’s default screen into a Facebook wrapper – allowing them to utilize their accounts without the need for them to log in.

Much to the surprise of the general public, the app failed due to what was presumed to be negligence by its creators. It seemed like they forgot the existence of Android systems, leading them to run majority of the tests in iOS devices.

One would think that the minds working behind the multi-million social media website would have the appropriate know-how to develop an application but even experts are prone to error as well.

Had they been able to collect customer feedback while developing the aforementioned program, it could’ve made a big difference but the agitation they presumably felt towards criticism is a natural thing for us humans.

Our innate agitation towards disapproval comes from our disliking for being wrong, and though it can actually be seen as constructive, most of us would feel like it’s some sort of personal attack. It leads us to start pointing our fingers towards external forces and sometimes even other people for our mistakes. We make outside attributions and would rather blame luck, other people’s flaws and even circumstances that are beyond one’s control instead of coming face to face with the mistake they’ve made.

In worst cases, people would be too closed off to entertain outside input that they no longer care about other people’s perspective. Leaders who have reached a certain degree of success are more often susceptible to becoming overconfident with themselves – they use their power to shut those who would disagree with their opinions or decisions.

Whenever we avoid feedback, we risk both of our personal and professional growth. We are letting ourselves off the hook whenever we deny responsibility for our actions and the more that we do this, the less we believe that we are the own makers of our success.

Moreover, the possible consequences it could bring to your business can be disastrous. Hence, it’s important for us to learn how to take criticism like an expert.

Becoming a true professional means knowing how to accept criticism without viewing it as a form of personal attack. It means becoming comfortable with evaluating each comment other and seeing how one should react to it. The ability to take an objective look at each comment gives you points in which areas are in need of improvement.

Its best to come into terms with yourself that everyone is subjected to criticism early into your career. Its helps keep your ego in check and makes you feel much happier with your work. By anticipating feedback, you are allowing yourself to make mistakes ever so often and this trains you to see it as a chance of refining your craft.

Certain individuals or teams aim to get feedback as soon as possible in order for them to get things right immediately – saving them time, effort and even money before launching a product or service.

And this prompt need for reviews is one of the main reasons why the seemingly unorthodox coworking movement is so popular among startups and even large companies.

Founder of Link Coworking, Liz Elam, says in an Inc.Com article that its intangible benefit of a diverse community encompass the traditional networking. Providers focus on curating an encouraging clique that makes opening your own business a little less scary. Members will give you honest feedback with a snap of a finger and will cheer you on as you check off company goals.

Craig Baute, owner of Creative Density, further adds that the aforementioned free flowing evaluation is a key benefit for entrepreneurs. Unlike in conventional offices, brainstorming sessions can take place anytime within the open space.

Successful people will tell you that each of them have been on the receiving end of criticism at some point. Furthermore, they’ll advise you to not be afraid of it. Because if we are as committed as we say we are to a project or venture, we’ll learn how to use them to our advantage instead of letting it hold us back.

See how feedback can be the best gift you can ever receive – or give – by joining Sales Rain’s first ever coworking space.

An average person would spend one third of his/her life working and within that period, they would meet a hundred to a thousand of professionals through meetings, conferences and other colleagues. Somewhere along the way, we would create connections with these individuals and form a professional network with one another.

The bonds that we create with them plays a crucial role in the overall success of our career life. Hence, it’s important for us to be consistent in building our professional network – no matter what industry we are from. Anyone you meet can be of help to you and your career in the long run.

But to say that networking is your singular goal whenever you start a conversation with someone can present a negative connotation towards your personality. Connections done the right way create authentic bonds, giving the impression that you’re not after what that person has to offer but rather, you’re simply interested in knowing another like-minded individual.

And as the new year starts, it’s only apt that we find ways to improve and develop our communication skills. Here are the different ways we can maintain authentic connections be it in informal or formal occasions.

When taking part in social gatherings, it helps to start by looking for someone you already know and start catching up before making your way to the new faces around you. CEO of professional networking company Voray, David Olk suggests in a Business News Daily article to have a genuine conversation with someone familiar about things that you have in common before working your way around other people who look lost. Stick out a handshake as conversation starter.

Inspire Human Resources CEO Jaime Klein adds that one should mingle around when there are no assigned seats. These relaxed environments can be used to one’s advantage and make several connections.

Olk also notes that spending ample time with people to get to know them better is the true meaning of “networking” – not pushing a certain agenda or idea.

He adds that we should avoid seeing it as a chance to sell your business or you yourself but rather view it as a chance to be in the same room with interesting new people that you’d love to meet. During work gatherings, try and sit with a member for another team that you haven’t spoken to. Keep things brief to spark a more intricate conversation when the gathering is over.

In order to keep the relationships you have made after a party or a gathering, it’s important to keep up with them. Send them a thank you note through email and maybe send them a request in LinkedIn. Add in a little note to someone new that you met during the recent gathering. One can also make smart use of their other social media accounts to stay in touch with them.

Other than the aforementioned ways we can create and maintain relationships, the newest way of working have also provided us with a platform wherein we can meet, collaborate and learn through other professionals coming from different industries.

These shared offices commonly known as coworking spaces were designed to improve collaboration and communication. Breaking through the traditional cubicles, its open plan layout allows its members to switch from private desks made to help them concentrate to communal areas made for socializing.

It prides itself in the community it curates and makes it their mission to continue cultivate and enhance the relationships it has built between its members through workshops, events and even parties.

Investing time and effort in building authentic connections within your network will not only help you build your career in the long run, but makes work worthwhile.

Become part of something greater and inquire today to join our very first coworking space!