"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. To keep our faces toward change and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate is strength undefeatable." Helen Keller
Change is ever present. It is all around us and often unpredictable. Yet, we tend to relate to life as though events, or decisions made, should be permanent. We may crave a feeling of stability or invariability, even when we know it is an illusion. As much as we’d like for things to remain the same in order to predict outcomes, the only true constant in life IS change. Nothing in life is certain. Nothing in life is guaranteed.
This is also true for careers. I genuinely believe the word ‘career’ is outdated and regimented. The word implies a linear path of progression, generally within the same field, until retirement. Nowadays, more and more, this is no longer the reality. The idea of a job for life has disintegrated and the concept of a career for life is slowly becoming more of an option than a given. Choosing a different path when the one we are on is no longer satisfying, is not only more attainable, but in many cases, highly advantageous.
However, our careers have been so strongly tied to our identity and our economic survival, that making the shift to a new career path, or starting a new project or business alongside our current job, can be overwhelming. We may find it easier in the end to stay on the current path, even if we are unhappy or endlessly restless.
As Jenny Blake, co-creator of Google’s Career Guru programme, explains in her book “Pivot” (2017), on page 8:
Career changes seem to threaten our most fundamental needs on Maslow’s hierarchy: food shelter, clothing and safety, in addition to higher level needs for belonging, self-esteem and even self-actualization... Perceiving this potential threat to our primary needs, we freeze, flee, or fight the nagging voice within us that seeks greater fufillment.”
The truth is that staying in a role or career which no longer aligns with who we have become will have a negative impact on your health and relationships, as well as potentially leave you spending more of your income looking for temporary distractions to replace the lack of fulfilment you are currently experiencing.
So, how can you begin to get comfortable with change in general, and career change in particular?
1) Get very clear on your intention and on why you are looking for change. What will you lose if you don’t change your current situation? Remind yourself often of what you’re looking to achieve and why it is so deeply important to you.
2) I’ll handle it. Trust that you have the resources to manage situations as they arise (you have in the past!) and learn to hold the tension between where you are at now and where you’d like to be. It is a matter of shifting from a reactive mentality, where we see ourselves primarily as victims of circumstance, to one in which we trust we have the ability to continuously generate positive change for ourselves.
3) Be kind to yourself through this change and do things you love on a daily basis, to keep your energy levels up.
4) Within this context, all circumstances will have pros and cons. Acknowledge that there will be some grief felt for what you will lose, even if you want to let it go. Even if you are more than ready to leave your current job, perhaps there will be a colleague or two whom, for example, you will miss seeing every day. Sociologist and Life Coach Martha Beck calls this “mourning the known misery”. If it happens to you, go back to points 1, 2 and 3.
5) People who love you can often place their fears on you, and thus, make it harder to stay motivated. Surround yourself with people going through exciting transitions or simply with people who will be supportive of your change; people who want to see you grow and live authentically. Don’t know anyone like this? Then find them. Or hire a coach, one who doesn’t limit your true potential by letting you know what they believe is or isn’t available to you.
6) Feel the Fear. Although I do not subscribe to white-knuckling your way through change AT ALL, the book “Feel the fear and do it anyway”, by Susan Jeffers, provides some perspective into what may be causing our fears and how to view the situation from a place that will help us to keep moving forward.
7) Finally, go at your own pace. No big leaps required.
Once you make the decision to make a change, stand by it wholeheartedly. The choice for change has been made, so go and make it happen. When you allow for things to end, you are creating space for new beginnings and that is exciting.
For more support, book a complimentary First Step to Career Change call with me today. We’ll identify the first step you can take right away that feels just right for you.
Sources:
Pivot, by Jenny Blake (2017). Portfolio Penguin, Great Britain.
The Way of Integrity, by Martha Beck (2021). Piatkus, Great Britain.
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