Career Change

Choosing a different career path is scary. But not impossible.  Here are some tips to help you in your journey.

Assess your life goals - Allowing yourself the opportunity to way pros and cons of what or where your life is headed or where you would like it to be is essential in your path.  Be sure to prioritize time to assess each opportunity you are faced with in order for you to make the best decision for you.  The worst decision is one made in haste.  Your life literally depends on you.

Give yourself grace. Take time to reflect on your journey thus far and really evaluate your perspectives on where your need for change stemmed from, and make sure you dedicate time to work through your emotions prior to moving in another direction.  If you don’t, there's a great possibility that you will feel that feeling once again and this time it may be detrimental to your overall growth.

Patience is not to be confused with grace.  When approaching career shifts it's important to exhibit restraint.  You want to make sure that this is really what you want to do.  And more importantly, you want to make sure that what you want to do is actually attainable.  Remember the worst decisions are made in haste.  So be patient and look for the signs, believe me they will be everywhere - you just have to be able to think and see clearly to adhere to them.

Take a calculated risk. For folks that have been in their careers for a significant amount of time a career change is definitely a risk.  But lets make it a calculated one.  Not all change is good change so recognizing calculated risks, and being able to execute, is key in allowing you to be successful in your career change.  You want to be one step closer to your ultimate goal, right?  So make sure you set yourself up to get there.

Live within your means. Career shifts, for the most part, takes some financial stability prior to taking that leap.  So lets be mindful of that.  Be sure to allow yourself some financial cushion to be able to make that change when you're ready.  I know this one might hit a nerve for most people, but it’s a harsh reality for the world we live in.  Career change requires some level of financial stability if you want to be ahead of the game and get to your goals quicker.  A good buffer would be to figure out how you can best monetize an aspect of your current career to be able to create that “buffer” you may need just in case.  

Get your mental health in order. I don’t care how tough you think you are. There is nothing scarier then leaving a career you have been in for a significant amount of time, to then taking a risk on something you have never made a living off of before.  Talk about sweating it out! So make sure you are mentally prepared for all of what the shift may entail.  Meditate. Pray. See a therapist. Visit a shaman. Do what you have to do to prepare your mind for what could be or what is meant to be.  Remember, the signs will be there. You just have to be able to think clearly.

Be selfish when needed. This one is tricky depending on your family dynamics.  For lots of folks, it's natural to consider family dynamics when thinking about making a career shift so being selfish may seem hard to do.  But keep in mind that your everyday routine directly impact how you operate in your family.  So here's where you must incorporate patience and grace to help adjust your view on selfishness - "selfish" now being all encompassing of your family as well.  Make the change that best suits you and your family at that particular time.  No family? Be Selfish.  I won't sing it like Michael Jackson, but man in the mirror is probably the best comparable sentiment right now.  Look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourself “What do I want?”  Where do I want to be? What matters most to me?  How can I be happy?  And do it all. 

~ M.G.