Redefining Your Sense of “Career”
You’ve made the decision: it’s time to launch your own business and leave your corporate job. You have the idea. You have the passion. You have a deep sense of knowing that this is the right path to forge.
And then…doubt. Who will I be without this job? Am I past my prime? Is it too late for me to be taking this kind of risk? What will happen if I fail? Will my colleagues think I’m having a breakdown? What if I run out of my savings?
And even: What will happen if I succeed?
These questions might bring powerful feelings of fear, even terror, leaving you frozen in place and unable to act. And across the globe, late-stage career professionals are having the exact same conversations with themselves.
You’re not the only one who feels adrift, ungrounded from the safety of your early-career expectations! And you’re not the only one fielding these questions of uncertainty.
Long gone are the days when most adults commit to a career path, put in their working years, and retire at the same job where they began so many years ago. Those career paths had a Point A and a Point B; the path was controlled, predictable, and steady.
The uncertainty of the last few years has shaken the core of what we can count on within our professional lives, and the doubt and feelings of chaos are not your fault.
If you’re finding yourself ready to venture into the unknown with a new career move, yet uncertain of how it will look or whether you are meant to even be taking the leap, you can DO this!
Through candid self-awareness, you can reclaim and grow your confidence and move forward into the future with clarity and purpose.
Confidence and Self-Awareness
To arrive at the decision to begin a new phase in your professional life, what was the process like?
Did you spend months (or maybe even years) pushing down those surges of hope for something more YOU? Did you walk into the boardroom each morning and take a deep breath as you put on your brave face, because you felt you had to, for the sake of your company or your team? Did you fight your fears, anger, and frustration with distractions and the kind of self-talk that never really spoke to your soul?
There’s a moment of powerful healing that happens when you start to listen fully to the voice that’s most truly you. It does take guts, and grit, but the payoff is beyond worth it.
When you’re willing to dive into the deep water and get clear on who you are, what you want, and how you can show up most powerfully, you access your confidence.
That sense of being lost at sea? Gone! Now, you feel the pure adventure of stepping into the unknown. Now it makes sense- you found the purpose you were striving for and you can make an impact. All the doubts, questions, and worries about what others might think are no match for your new-found confidence.
Last month, we explored the concepts of Saboteurs and Strengths, two of the forces behind many of the patterns, thoughts, and behaviors that can shape the outcome of a given situation.
Much like mental fitness, confidence is a muscle that can be trained through cultivating success and a strong belief in your own capabilities.
Confidence in Action
What happens when confidence is infused into a challenging situation?
Consider the example we shared last month about a leader whose team is falling short of their desired goals.
If the leader doesn’t have access to her confidence, she might try to motivate her team through superficial incentives, trying to make everyone happy.
But if she is able to deeply believe in her own worth, her abilities, and her creativity, she will access solutions from a place of vision and positivity.
Confidence can be the steady sense of control, power, and agency that will keep you moving forward, as your attitudes and beliefs can anchor you to your vision, no matter the situation or circumstances you face.
The Great Resignation
You’re not the only one feeling lost at sea.
The Great Resignation is a global experience, with people leaving their previous jobs and careers in droves, many without a clear plan for the future. Over four million people quit their jobs in January of 2022 in the United States alone; that’s up from just over three million people who quit their job or changed careers in January of 2021. In the UK, there were more than 1 million job openings available last summer. And in Germany, more than a third of companies reported a shortage of competent workers.
While a number of social and economic factors play a part in the Great Resignation, people have an underlying current of hope. Faith. The idea that something better is waiting.
Whether better means healthier conditions, higher pay, more opportunities, more flexibility, or more values-aligned work, the very concept of “a career” has been turned on its head.
You don’t have to trudge through the daily grind of a job, or even a career path, that doesn’t speak to the essence of who you are and the incredible gifts you have to offer the world.
Chances are, your decision to launch a new business or change careers wasn’t made on an impulse. This desire for change has been brewing for years, and it’s an experience that’s shared by countless others.
Perhaps the Great Resignation can become a Great Leap: with more and more people doing the kind of work aligned to their personal vision, we might just create a better world in the process!
Making the Most of Your Leap
Experiencing a global pandemic has revealed that there’s more to life than the monotony of putting in your time at a job and a life you don’t love. There’s more to working than building someone else’s vision.
How can you make the most of your Great Leap?
(Here’s a secret: it won’t be by taking the next job that comes along!)
To amplify your actions, you’ll need to design a plan that’s aligned with who you are and who you want to be for the world. In order to thrive, you’ve got to be willing to stay curious, especially in those moments when the world feels like it’s falling apart.
You can confidently choose to allow the experience of the unknown to help you reveal and confidently step into what’s next.
If you’re ready to take the leap to clearly define your vision, create objectives that align with that vision, we’re ready to guide you as you build your plan for the future.
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