Do you ever wonder if your still in the right career? Perhaps something you once loved has started to lose it's appeal, or you wonder if you should feel more fulfilled and do something more meaningful? You're not alone.
So many people fall into a career in their early adulthood, deciding on a degree and then finding a job which quickly takes you on a path which you throw yourself into. 20 years later, I bet your life is looking rather different to when you were in your 20's though right?
Your needs are likely to be very different, and what brings you joy and satisfaction is likely to have changed too. Perhaps you have a young family and are seeking more work life balance, or perhaps the industry you once loved has lost it's appeal. Covid-19 has also caused many to re-evaluate what they are doing and left many wondering if there are more meaningful and fullfilling ways to earn a living or possibly follow their dreams too.
So what do you do? If looking at job ads for replicas of your exiting role in another company just makes your heart sink, then it's time for a new approach. In my experience, there can be many reasons we feel a bit lost and equally as many solutions! You might need a career change, a job change, or new company, but equally you may just need to rebalance your work/life or take up a new hobby.
5 top tips to change your life:
Having changed careers twice in my working life so far, here are some of my top tip to get you started:
1) Evaluate where you are now. Whats changed? What does a good day look like? and a bad day? What do you need? What is it costing you to stay the same?
2) Consider how you got here. What drew you to this career? what do you enjoy the most about it, or what have you enjoyed in the past? Is it still present? What's changed?
3) What matters to you - what are your values? how are they showing up today in your job? how are they showing up in your day to day life? what would need to change to live more closely in line with them?
4) What are your natural skills and strengths? what comes so easily to you that you may not even realise it (as a friend or relative this!). Do you leverage this enough in your current role? Is there a way to focus on it more? what would that look like?
5) Ask yourself - what does meaningful and fulfilling to you? Is it work related, or personal related? When you look back as an older version of yourself - what would make you proud? is there anything you'd like to have done more of? Perhaps you have experiences you have learned from that you'd like to share with others?
6) Whats holding you back? list everything that worries you and ask yourself how you could tackle each one. Are the fears real? what evidence do you have for them? Are any of your desires based on pleasing others, or proving yourelf to someone else - or are you truly following your own path? Are there practical steps you can take to minimise the risks?
There's a lot to think about. But what if?
Rather than focussing on 'why not', try to think about 'what if'.....what if I did make this change? what if I did try something new? what would be the best case scenario rather than the worst? Going into new and unknown territory can be scary, but it can also be exciting and give you a sense of freedom to follow your heart and find your true path.
If you need a little help to think it through and some tips and tools to help you along the way, please do get in touch. 1:1 coaching can help you challenge your thinking and help you find ways to overcome the limiting beliefs and barriers that may be holding you back. Im also developing a group programme to launch later this year - so if that sounds interest too - please let me know and drop me a email or book in a discovery call for free. I'd be happy to chat.
