Often times when some of us look into the future and consider a “real” career change, we stop ourselves before we get started. The prospects look daunting if not totally a mystery.
What would we do?
How would we even figure it out?
It’s not a process that’s well defined, and that makes it easy for us to rationalize not taking that first important step.
For the more intrepid among us that start out on the journey, the great unknown of a new future can cause us to give up quickly. I’m here to cheer you on and set expectations about what’s ahead in your quest to figure out that new career. I’m encouraging you to say, “I’m not giving up on myself!”
1. Don’t Give Up
I think Winston Churchill said those very words. Don’t ever give up. Life is simply too short not to follow your dreams. Life is too short not to love what your career is.
Don’t give up on your life.
2. Don’t Give Up
If you give up on your career, you’ve given up on a big part of your life.
3. Accept That It Does Require Time and Effort
In these days of instant gratification, we’d like an answer right now! Nothing worthwhile is accomplished without effort and time. It took you x years to get through college. Finding and nurturing a relationship with your significant other took a while. Your career is not a tweet; figuring it out isn’t. Look at this as a personal investment. You will spend mostly time and effort, but think of the payoff when you’re done.
4. This Isn’t Rocket Science or Brain Surgery
This isn’t the most complicated thing to figure out. It seems complex because there are simply very few trails to follow. Blaze your own trail or read what experts on the subject will tell you. More and more people have figured out best practices for identifying careers, and you can read up on what they tell you to do.
5. Take a Break
If you are blazing trails and starting to feel discouraged, take a break before completely deflating yourself. Even Lewis and Clark stopped to regroup and reenergize while pushing their way to the west coast. Give yourself the time to gain a new, fresh perspective that will help inspire your next steps.
6. Surround Yourself With Career-change Inspiration
You may not realize it, but most people these days have 3-4 careers over a lifetime. Ask others about their careers. Find the ones who truly inspire you because of their dedication and diligence in making it happen. You can learn a lot from others, which will help you realize that the time and effort are minor compared to the reward.
7. Don’t Give Up
If you need to, ask someone to help you stay the course. We all do better in life when we have others to help us. It’s not a weakness. It’s strength.
If you haven’t started your journey to a new career, today is a good day to start.
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