AS PUBLISHED IN COACHING AND LIFE FEBRUARY 2021
My Top 5 Tips for Your Career Change and Transformation
Change can be a difficult situation for most of us whether these changes have been forced upon us or we have chosen it. We can experience many different feelings that come to the surface; resistance, fear, anger, low mood and for some of us, excitement and new energy maybe, just some of the companions along this journey. There are many of us who choose fear over trust when it comes to decisions involving change. (When I talk about trust, I am referring to trusting ourselves to make the right decisions and responsibility to deal with the outcome of our decisions.) Some of us remain satisfied to go through the motions of the old and trusted ways of living life, like they’ve always done.
However, for some, when something doesn’t feel right and amiss, this can be a difficult place to be, individuals can feel pressure, stress, anxiety and depressed. Our old ways of living, working and being, we may have outgrown, and thus, these uncomfortable feelings are pointing to something that is not in alignment and needs to be tweaked or completely changed. Even though these feelings can be uncomfortable, they can be seen through a different lens. These feelings can be a wakeup call to move towards the new and more authentic way of being, living and working.
To be authentic, is in part, the desire for a deeper connection to oneself and to acknowledge and honour that quiet voice inside that says “I need something more”. Sometimes that “more” can start with a re-evaluation of your life and your career.
If this sounds like you, there is some good news, it is possible for you to move from feelings of stuckness and low mood to joyfulness and fulfilment. Here are my 5 top tips:
- Start with getting clear about what is the most satisfying in your career to the least satisfying. You might look at the following areas (however, you can choose your own) and rate them out of 10. 10 being the most satisfied and 1 being the least satisfied.
Stimulation
Organisational Culture
Relationships with colleagues
Challenge of your role
Well Being
Peace of Mind
Power and Influence
Status
Recognition
- Now look at your values and choose the top 5 in your life currently, please see another post here where I talk about this.
- Look to the past and Keep your eye on the future
Why is this important? When we are trying to move from the old to the new, there can be many twists and turns along the way, and when the situation is not moving quickly enough we can be tempted to go back to the old, a “better the devil you know” situation. This is to be expected and so if we can prepare for this, we can more easily navigate it. To prepare is to remind yourself of how you have dealt with change and challenges in your life in the past. What qualities, skills, or experiences could help you now to reframe your current situation? What did you learn that you can take with you now to help you? Looking to the future can help us to remain on this path with all its twists and turns. Remind yourself by asking, what am I trying to gain from making this change? What am I moving towards?
4. Get Curious
Curiosity can help to expand your knowledge, skills, and network, all vital when making a career change. What knowledge do you have that can apply to other sectors? Who needs what you know? What problem can you solve for a customer or employer? Who can you learn from? What new skills do I need to learn? Who can help me with this?
5. Find your own idea of success
Some individuals only realise they don’t want something when they have it. Make sure your ladder is against your OWN tree of success and not the wrong tree of someone else. Be honest with yourself and take time to reflect and take stock of what you want in your working life. Life is not a dress rehearsal. Be clear about who you are and what you want.
Who You Are
Tap into how you are feeling in a given situation and with different people. Does this person/ activity give me energy or drain my energy? With whom and with what do I feel joy and connected? These questions can help you to raise yourself awareness and in doing so, bring you closer to your understanding of what gives you satisfaction and joy today. As we change and grow in our lives so does what brings us fulfilment, sometimes a re-evaluation is necessary.
What You Want
Revisit your evaluation at step 1. Where have you scored high in satisfaction? This could point to what you might look to keep in your career going forward. Where have you scored low in satisfaction? This could point to what you would like to change.
The one constant in our lives is change and even though it can be difficult, and understandably so, it can be a wonderful opportunity to recreate yourself and to move closer to what you want from your career and life moving forward. If you have found this helpful and would like to discuss your career change in more detail, please do get in contact.
Great article with lots of useful tips. I will definitely be putting these into practice. 👍👌
Thank you Gaynor, happy to hear my article gave you some tips. Please do let me know how you get on with putting these into practice!
A thought provoking article with clear guidance for challenging the old and looking towards the new!
A thought provoking article which provides clear guidance on reflecting on areas for change
Thank you K, happy to hear this was a thought provoking article for you.
This is excellent advice to think about for anyone going through career or life changes!
Thank you Christina! I am happy it resonated with you!
Great advice and guidance. I have taken on board some of your ideas to help manage career move and helped me develop a greater understanding and awareness. Thank you so much
Thanks great advise and guidance. Really makes you stop and think about yourself and what you want and not what you think people expect. Always great advise from you. Many thanks
Thank you Eithne for your comment. Happy to hear this has made you stop and think. Very much my approach in coaching.
That’s great Jonathan, thank you for your comment and happy to hear it has helped you to develop understanding and awareness!
Thank you, a well thought out and stimulating article. You have given a lot of food for thought.
Thank you for your comment Ken. Happy to hear it stimulated your thinking and gave you food for thought.
I wish someone had told me to find my own idea of success years ago- it’s so important but not talked about enough! So glad to see it being brought up now
Yes Alexnadra, so many of us struggle alone with trying to make changes, happy you can identify with the points I’ve made!
Focusing on your own definitions of success is something most people avoid. It’s a shame as you then get caught in other people’s definitions. And even if you become successful it’s on someone else’s terms.
Thank you Charlie for your comment and yes it is so important to focus on what your own definitions of success are. Good point about even if you are successful it’s on someone else’s terms.
Some very useful ideas and major tips to be takin on board . Very valuable reading and some vital information that alot of people take for granted.
Thank you for your comment Ray. Glad to hear you found it valuable.
“Make Sure Your Ladder is against Your Own tree Of Success and Not Someone Else’s”.This is the trump card in career choice and change and it’s wonderful Sharon that you chose to highlight this subtle but most important aspect in this well authored article.
Thank you Ranjit for your comment. Such an important focus, where we put our energies, so glad you liked the article.
This is very inspirational reading for anyone who wants to make changes in their life but feels perhaps a little bit stuck. It can really help to know that there are choices we can make to improve our lives
Thank you for your comment Colin. Happy to hear you found it inspirational.
I wish I’d read this years ago! I would have saved me so much time and soul-searching! I will be sharing this with many friends I know who have reached that stage in life where a career change feels scary and exciting in equal measure. Thanks for reminding us all that change can be a positive thing…..
Thank you for your comment Lucy.
Thank you Dawn for your comment. I think the holistic approach is a real game changer when it comes to working as a coach with my clients, as a career change is not just about your career, but about your whole life.