It’s about time for me to tell you a bit more about my own career change journey; when in 2002 I found myself so physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted that I finally had to admit to myself that something had to change…and quickly.
So let me share with you the top 3 lessons I got from it, since they will help you navigate your own career transition and avoid some of the pitfalls that you will surely encounter along the way.
Top 3 lessons I learned from my own career change
Lesson #1: There is nothing wrong with you
Yes, you read that one correctly: there is nothing wrong with you for wanting to change careers.
Even if you’ve invested a long time, a lot of money and effort into building the career you’re in, you now want something better.
You’ve changed your mind, so what?
Like many, many people you probably fell into this career without knowing too much about what you were getting into. And nevertheless, you tried to be responsible and pay your bills, you got into this career path to do the right thing.
Now you want to leave it, but you’re feeling bad for wanting to leave, why? because we’ve been taught that making a career change is a bad thing.
And that gets us into a loop of negative self talk:
– “I should be grateful for what I have”
– “What’s wrong with me?”
– “I’ll waste my life and my education”
– “I’m not good (or smart or whatever) enough”
– “I should be happy on this job”
…and so on
Enough of that, please.
What if it was ok to feel exactly as you are feeling right now?
Because your frustration is trying to tell you something. It’s just informing you that something isn’t working,
And it might very well be the fact that there is a mismatch between your natural talents and the activities you have to perform most of your working time. How do I know? because this is one of the most common causes of career dissatisfaction.
What can you do to stop this inner struggle?
Gain a better understanding of yourself: Discover your natural talents and strengths, figure out what your personality traits are, and find clarity about what it is you truly care about.
With all that information, create a personalized Career Compass. This compass will help you navigate any career decision you make, by guiding you to choices that are in alignment with who you are and what you care about.
Lesson # 2: The time to recharge your batteries Is right now
When you are desperate and in pain, you’re not in our most resourceful state. You’ll just try to stop feeling so bad, as quickly as possible, and won’t be able to see all the possibilities that lay in front of you.
Any career decision you make in a state like that, will probably also be one that you’ll later regret.
That’s why you need to detach from your career problem as much as possible, and create a better feeling for yourself.
How can you get a break from your career frustration?
By focusing on other areas of your life that are fulfilling, you’ll realize that work, no matter how important it might be, it’s only a part of your life.
Nurture your heart.
What’s the best way for you to have fun?
Maybe for you it’s music, or dancing, or reading a good book. Spend time with friends and people who love you, watch a silly movie and allow yourself to have a good belly laugh.
Engage in those activities, because they’ll help you unplug from your problem even for small periods of time. And that’s exactly what you need to recharge your energies, so you become more resourceful and creative about your next career decision.
Lesson #3: Don’t do it alone!
I’ve read cats can’t see right below their nose. That’s a blind spot for them and the reason why they can’t find treats when you leave then right below their chin, until they smell them.
That same goes on with us humans: we also have blind spots. Whenever we are dealing with issues related to ourselves, we are too close to see the whole picture.
One aspect we tend to have difficulty with is related to our natural talents and gifts. We tend to take our gifts for granted. They are so natural to us that we constantly overlook them. And what’s obvious for your friends or an experienced coach is not obvious to you at all.
For example, that passion you have for healing, or that talent you have for communicating complex issues easily, it’s something others can easily perceive in you, but you are completely ignorant of it until someone else points that out.
On top of that, psychologists have found that when it comes to making improvements in our life conditions, we are only able to envision a 10 % improvement from our current situation.
Let me tell you, that’s not where your greatest potential and exciting new possibilites lay.
But we all suffer from this kind of “mental short sightedness” when it comes to our own evolution and development. That’s why we all need outside help in order to grap the possiblities that a career change opens for us.
How can you avoid being caught in a career change blind spot?
Make sure you get another pair of eyes looking at your potential future,
read inspiring stories of those who have successfully made a career change, ask for help, talk to others about your career change ideas (One caviat here: Be careful NOT to share your dreams with Naysayers. Make sure you only share your dream with those who respect and support your desire to create a fulfilling life!)
Bonus Tip:
If you are committed to making your career change as easily and quickly as possible, I’d love to invite you to a “Escape Career Frustration” session with me.
This session is my gift to you.
On this session you’ll gain clarity about where you are in this journey, what’s getting on your way, and what the best next steps for you are to finally discover the way to make an income by living your purpose and doing what you love.
To request your free session visit: Escape Career Frustration Session
With love
Charo