While on book tour for our third book, The Girl's Guide to Kicking Your Career into Gear, we were asked by dozens of reporters what is the most surprising thing we have learned while writing these books.

Well, the biggest realization we have had is that our professional challenges are not so unique. That is good and bad right? Good that we aren't alone, but bad that we're not as special as we thought. Being serious for a moment, the challenges that continue to crop up during our careers seem to be stumbling blocks for many of us.

A quick recap on what stops many of us from achieving our career goals:

• We don't ask for what we deserve or want at work.
• We don't sell our successes to our boss.
• We assume that if we put our heads down and work, our boss will notice and give us a raise or promotion.
• We let fears — public speaking, being told "no", getting fired — get in the way of where we want to go.
• We focus on what we don't want to do, not on what we do want.

So what can we do? Be aware of what baggage you may be bringing into the workplace that could be impacting your advancement. Know what motivates you.

Start keeping track of your accomplishments and contributions so that you will be ready for your yearly review or the timely elevator ride with your boss. Don't assume anyone is noticing your hard work so start filling your boss in. Ask yourself the tough questions about what you love about working and what situations bring out your best. And most of all, find a professional situation that inspires you to want and ask for more from yourself.

Caitlin Friedman and Kimberly Yorio are public relations and marketing professionals, authors and entrepreneurs. As authors of the best-selling Girls Guide series (The Girl's Guide to Starting Your Own Business, The Girl's Guide to Being a Boss and The Girl's Guide to Kicking Your Career into Gear), Ms. Friedman and Ms. Yorio have been featured on numerous national media. They will speak in a session titled Kicking Your Career into Gear: An Action Plan for Creating a Worklife that Thrills.