In every career change, there is always the wish to improve, to find ourselves in a better situation. We might be longing for a higher sense of meaning, or more freedom, or whatever.
However, we don’t know that before we are fully ready to embrace our new career, we need to let go of the old role we’ve been playing. And surprisingly, that’s harder to do than it might seem at first glance.
Letting go is part of the inner process of making any change.
Author William Bridges says in his book “Transitions” that most people are reluctant to admit
this grieving process, especially if they’ve been the ones initiating the career change in the first place.
But until we allow ourselves to grieve and let go, we won’t be able to identify the signs of what would really make us happy in the next stage of our lives.
The fact is, we are attached to our identities. And no matter how much you long to do something more meaningful, leaving your previous job behind will mean suffering a loss.
Change, no matter how much we long for it, will always create some kind of loss.
Some people are surprised to discover their own level of resistance, or at least uncomfort, about letting go of their old jobs and careers, when, in fact, it’s totally normal.
It’s not just the job you are leaving behind:
… It’s the friendships you made there,
… it’s the role you played there,
…it’s the level of certainty that routines gave you.
All those will disappear.
And count with the fact that there will be a time of transition while you unknot the old connections and create the new ones.
Charo’s Coaching Question:
(NOTE: This exercise from my “Change your Career the F.A.C.I.L. (easy) way”, will give you much better results if you use the old fashioned pen and paper to answer the question. Writing by hand helps you access a deeper level of wisdom while doing any self discovery exercise.)
1) What are some of the things you will really miss from your current career?
Maybe it’s the stability, or maybe it’s your family’s approval, or maybe a few friendships, or the income level… Make a list of them.
2) Share your top 3 things on the comments section below.
3) And whatever those things are, take a bit of time this week to grieve about losing them.
It’s the only way to be fully ready for the next stage of your life.
Bonus step: There is an extra step you can take to better deal with your career transition. And that step is knowing in advance what the most common career change blocks are. This way you’ll be prepared for the emotional up and downs, and they won’t be so difficult to overcome.
I’ve gathered a list of the most common obstacles in my ebook : “The 5 Career Change Traps keeping you stuck in a meaningless job (and how to avoid them)” and I really encourage you to read it, if you haven’t done it yet.
You can get a free copy by visiting: http://www.tappingyourpurpose.com/freestuff/5trapsebook/
And make sure you get as prepared as possible for your career transition.
Charo
P.S Have you enjoyed this article? I would really appreciate you share it with your friends. Thank you. 🙂